An Interview With Singer-Songwriter JAMIE ALIMORAD On His Latest Album, ‘This Is Tomorrow Calling’ and More!

Acclaimed songwriter Jamie Alimorad returns with his much anticipated new album This Is Tomorrow Calling. Produced by Grammy Nominees Gino Vannelli and Ross Vannelli (Richard Marx, Jennifer Holliday, The Hollies, Earth Wind and Fire, Lara Fabian, Celine Dion) the album is comprised of 10 vocal-centric tracks mostly written by Alimorad, but also including his rendition of Gino Vannelli’s single “Rock Me To Heaven” and “How Could I Love Again”, which was also penned by Vannelli. With various influences, including Sting, Bread, Toto, and Kenny Loggins, This Is Tomorrow Calling exhumes Alimorad’s years of growth and experiences in music that lead him to the developed songwriter he is today.

An overall process that took nearly four years to conceptualize, Jamie Alimorad wrote over three dozen songs for the record. Narrowing it down to 10, Alimorad created singular stories that were only enhanced by his vocal depths. Reflecting on the record, Alimorad says, “This Is Tomorrow Calling is more than an album, it’s my story. A boy becoming a man, and adapting to an ever-changing world, with hope for his future.”

In May, Alimorad released the first single “Not Ready to Say Goodbye” alongside a stunning music video. CelebMix championed the release stating, “Unlike the cliche, the video does not trivialize love, instead, it tries to show the efforts it takes to make a relationship loving and lasting.”

Alimorad followed up with the second single of the album, “Brighter Days”, which also introduced his partnership with the American Federation for Suicide Prevention. “I wrote ‘Brighter Days’ for my friend who attempted several times. I had no idea what kind of struggle she was going through, and when she opened up to me, it broke my heart,” Alimorad says. “We have kept our conversation open, but I couldn’t shake the thought of how many other people are going through something similar. I felt the best way I could cast a wide net was through song.”

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Learn more about Jamie Alimorad in the following All Access interview-

Thank you for your time! So what does a typical day look like for you lately?

Thanks for having me. Well, I woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head haha. Typically I start my day on the computer looking at ways to promote my new album, This Is Tomorrow Calling. There have been a lot of shows in LA, and some video work. Always get in some time to practice, here and there some writing, but largely the day is centered around getting the new music to as many people as possible.

Now that we are in the latter half of the year, how has 2019 treated you? What are some goals that you have for yourself this year? How close are you to reaching them or did you already? What are you already looking forward to in 2020?

It’s hard to believe it’s almost over! 2019 has been a great year. At the stroke of midnight on the new year, I made a promise to myself to carve a path. The goal was to get the new album out, and make a splash. The first quarter of the year, I signed with a distributor, and founded my own label (Knothole Records). The second quarter of the year saw the album be mixed and mastered, and “Not Ready To Say Goodbye” was released. The third quarter saw my #BrighterDays campaign with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention launch with the release of my single “Brighter Days”. Now in quarter four, I played the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills with my producer, Gino Vannelli, “Not Ready To Say Goodbye” is nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award (Male Vocal), and I have a performance at iHeartRadio lined up! I’ve largely accomplished these feats by own grit and determination. For 2020, the emphasis is on more video work, and performance. I always have some music in the works, but my focus is getting this incredible album out to the world.

Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? Was it an easy or difficult choice to make? How do you think having such a musical family influenced your love for music?

Music is like air and water, necessary. It was always around me, and always within me. Coming from a musical family, my exposure to different artists was greater than those growing up in a non musical household. The exact moment I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career was while watching the Beatles movie Help! A very innocent scene where George asks John if he wants a stick of gum. That was it. It was all I wanted from that moment. I kept it somewhat secret for years, until I was at an open house for NYU, and the administrators told me I could only look at one department. I made my choice.

Was there ever a time when you thought about doing something else? If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing? Would you be as fulfilled in life?

As a kid, I wanted to be something else every 5 minutes. I wanted to be a plumber like Mario, a baseball player, a sports journalist, a baseball play-by-play announcer, an Olympic Martial Artist in Tae Kwon Do, an ear doctor, I was all over the place. I don’t know what I would be if I wasn’t a musician. When music takes over, it takes over. There is nothing else. Everything else seems so insignificant. I can’t honestly answer that question. I would fundamentally be a different person.

What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all? What has been the best part of it all?

Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would write and record with Gino Vannelli. Gino is almost a mythical figure, and when you listen to his music, it’s mind-blowing. I fell in love with his work when I was 14. I played it nonstop. There are many people that I hoped and hope to work with, but Gino is someone that doesn’t work with many other artists. To have him take an interest in me, is something I never thought possible. The best part of my music career is the pleasure of playing my songs for an audience. To see people singing along, and moving to it, there’s no better feeling in the world.

Let’s talk about your brand new album, “This Is Tomorrow Calling,” that you released last month. What was it like putting this collection together? I understand that it took nearly 4 years to create. Why is that?

This Is Tomorrow Calling was the greatest musical joy and challenge I’ve had to this point. First off, you’re working under the Vannelli microscope, so you can’t get away with anything. Second, there was a clear goal with this album, and falling short on any of the steps to achieve that goal was unacceptable. I was responsible for almost everything. I launched a Kickstarter, it was funded, but then we doubled the scope of the project, so now we need more money. I constructed a business plan, and went door to door and presented this project, and over the course of 18 months, got the rest of the funding. Gino refused to do any work on the project without having that. That’s a lot of pressure on a 20-something year old with no business experience to go out there and convince investors that you’re worth it. Then there’s the creative side. I wrote three dozen songs, and some of the ones that got caught are really good! But that shows how amazing the songs are that made the album. I easily have another album and a half worth of material from what didn’t make the cut.

At the time, I was living in New York, and Gino’s studio is in Portland, Oregon. It takes a lot to coordinate cross-country sessions, and Gino tours the world, so working around his schedule was challenging. In the end, as disappointing as it is that it took so long, I have no regrets on what we achieved.

I know it’s hard to pick favorites, but can you pick out a few memorable songs on this album and talk about their inspiration and how they got to be on this album?

I won’t say that I have a “favorite”, but I will tell you about a few songs that have significance for their own reasons. “Lucky Me” is the song that got the flow for the album going. We were going into a pre-production meeting, and I was confident in the material that I demoed so far. One day inspiration struck and I decided to write some funny lyrics that doubled as therapy following a breakup. As I was writing, I was legitimately laughing out loud. I quickly recorded a demo and sent it off to Gino. Upon arriving in the studio the next week we spent a lot of time working on that song. He liked it so much that he told me I raised the bar, and all the other songs I demoed were now not enough to make the cut. It’s hard to describe what went through my mind at that point, but once that song locked in the rest of the album came quite easily.

“Down On Golden Shores” has the most personal significance. I’m a reflective person, and the relationships I’ve had along the way, as I think they would for anyone, have helped shape me. One of the greatest times in my life was the end of high school. Life was so interesting, and through my seventeen year old eyes, the world seemed brighter. Those childhood friendships were at their peak, and I was in love with my childhood sweetheart. We were brimming with confidence and excited for what lay ahead. We used to hang out on the beach, or the park adjacent to it. Each summer we’d reconvene there, but as each year passed, less and less of us would return until I eventually found myself walking the paths and sand alone. Sometimes I ask myself, “What happened?” Those are the relationships you feel will last forever because they’ve taken up your entire life. The song is for them, for us.

Where can people see you perform next? Do you have any upcoming tour dates scheduled yet?

At this time, I’m looking towards 2020. There are some potential 2019 dates that may pop up, but nothing to report at the time. In the past few weeks I’ve played a lot in LA; the Saban Theatre, the Viper Room, and an event on Santa Monica Pier. All incredible!

How do you think you have grown as a musician since you first started making music? What if anything has stayed the same about your music-making process?

I would compare my musical journey like that of a butterfly. When you start your this creepy crawly thing that goes slowly, trying to survive, and learn what you can. Eventually you reach a stage where you take that knowledge and you begin to transform. Music that was terrible is now something people bop their heads to or say, “That was pretty good.” When you emerge from the chrysalis, and have harnessed your artistry and your craft, your wings spread, your colors shine brilliantly, and you fly. What has always remained for me is melody is most important.

How do you feel about social media? What do you think social media has done for your career?

I think social media is a blessing and a curse. We’re addicted to it. We sometimes live our lives around it. It’s created new ways to discover music, but it’s also cheapened it in a way. It certainly has allowed me to reach new audiences, but you see a lot on there that isn’t very thoughtful.

What musicians would you absolutely still love to work with in the future?

My favorite band is the Tubes, and I’ve known the guys for a long time. Fee Waybill was my first mentor, and I would love to write and perform with him and them. Richard Marx, Steve Lukather, David Foster, Rick Springfield are all musical heroes of mine, and it would be nothing short of incredible to write, record and/or perform with them.

If you could design your dream music video right now, what would it look like?

Legit have no idea. Depends on the song.

What has been the best thing a fan has told you? What comment from a fan has truly moved you?

I launched a campaign with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention with my song “Brighter Days”. A few months ago a fan wrote to me on Twitter saying they were in a dark place, and they played the song on repeat, and it brought them out of it. I was deeply moved, and that’s why I do what I do. Music is meant to bring happiness to people.

Where would you love to hear a song of yours played?

Fenway Park. It’s my dream to have my music play over the loudspeakers at a Red Sox game.

At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music?

A sense of optimism, joy, perhaps some romance. I look at the bright side of life, and I feel, maybe now more than ever, that we need that.