While it can be difficult for some artists to embrace their duality and explore different facets of their identity, Andrea Valle does so gracefully, connecting both her love for music and fashion as a way to create a unique lane for herself.

A Philadelphia native, she is the singer, songwriter and muse who’s opened for the likes of The Internet and modelled for H&M (a new campaign, shot in South America, is set to drop later this year). Meanwhile her debut EP, “The Way It Goes” is filled with soulful melodies and lyrics that touch on love and a coming of age that’s relatable to just about anyone who has experienced – and learned to overcome – the trials of young romance.

Still only at the beginning of her career, Andrea’s thoughts are already turned onto maintaining longevity and creating music that can be timeless. While she’s currently gearing up to release EP number two, and debut a music video, we sat down with her to discuss inspirations, love for her city, and her take on the ever-changing music industry.

For those who may not be familiar with your work, who is Andrea Valle?

Andrea Valle is a soulful, feisty, unapologetic Leo, creator, foodie, and lover.

And what motivated you to pursue music?

What really motivated me to do music was being in the choir at my church. I was a soprano at church but at school I was both a soprano and alto, and for some reason church was always more difficult because it pushed me to use my voice and belt it. It was also the place where I had my first solo. I started singing on stage so young but I still remember exactly how I felt, singing “Jesus Loves Me”. It was the perfect moment.

Your debut EP is titled “The Way It Goes”. What inspired this title and the EP as a whole?

The title “The Way It Goes” came from my own experiences with love and the headaches and heartache that came along with it. I learned that love was a sequence of emotions and changes, it starts off really good and then it ends really bad. Some things just aren’t meant to stay around and writing about it was a coping mechanism from being salty in love.

Community support is very important in the creative industries. Do you feel like it’s played a vital role in your journey?

Community support and city support is definitely important to me. You’re always going to do well with people behind you and motivating you in an industry like this one. Philly has shown me a lot of love and there’s so many good people and creatives here working hard and collaborating together in avenues beyond music. My friends are the most supportive and it’s the best feeling, having people close to you help you grow in your craft and theirs.

Are there any genres you want to explore in the future?

I’m working on leaning towards more house tracks, pop and alternative. I want to get really experimental with this next project and also challenge myself to try different things. I’ve been really into King Krule and Toro Y Moi, so they’ve been a big influence on my recent sound as well.

You’ve worked both in music and fashion as a model and influencer. Has it ever felt like pursuing one has taken away from the other? How do you maintain balance?

Finding a balance between my music and modelling always consists of strict schedules and my great management team at Offshore. They keep me together and in order. I’d personally say the fashion industry is more hectic than the music for me, because it’s still very new, but I’m excited to get more comfortable with it.

If you had to pick three artists from three different genres that have inspired you, who would they be?

If I had to pick three different artists from three different genres that have inspired me I’d choose Kanye West, Paramore and Kelis.

Good choices. How do you feel the internet/social media is changing the landscape of the music industry? And do you think it’s positive or negative?

I honestly feel like the internet and social media is changing the music industry in a drastically positive way, because I think everyone has an opportunity to showcase their art. With Instagram being one of the biggest platforms all over the world, it connects people and it helped me in my career early on. So with the net neutrality law, it puts a strain on everyone who uses the internet to stay connected and active with their work.

We’re starting to see a lot of men in the entertainment industry being called out for the objectification of women. Do you think this is an issue in the music industry, and what do you think needs to happen for things to change?

This has been an issue for a long time and I’m glad that there’s been more awareness about it. It’s unfair that women have to go through these experiences and it needs to be vocalised. I think that there has to be more men in the industry who stand up against other men who objectify women. Sometimes I wonder if those kind of men exist, but I hope they show up and say something, anything about it.

If you could do a show in any city, where would it be and why?

If I could do a show in any city it would be London. The music scene in London is very inspiring to me, and the style that derives from London is becoming more popular in the US too. I’ve always wanted to travel there and this year it’ll manifest. My hope is to do a show for the EP tour.

You’re yet to release a music video. When – or will we – be able to expect a debut?

You can definitely expect a couple of projects soon, a commercial and a debut music video actually. I’m excited to show me in motion and comfortable on screen. Very good content coming soon, and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.

Lastly, what advice would you give to a young person trying to manoeuver the music industry and pursue their dreams?

Me being one [a young person trying to manoeuver the music industry and pursue their dreams], I’d say to always stay confident in what you put out into the world, and always be yourself. Originality goes far.