Words + Photos By: Taylor West
Special thanks to: °1824 (@1824), Universal Music Group (@universalmusicgroup), and Allison Ponthier (@allisonponthier)
With the release of her latest EP, Shaking Hands With Elvis, Allison Ponthier takes listeners on a journey through her mind with heartfelt and personal songs like “Chasing A Feeling” and the title track itself, “Shaking Hands With Elvis.” Growing up in Texas, and later moving to New York, certainly influenced the way Allison creates. Apart from her obvious country influences, her hometown also influenced her upbringing as a member of the LQBTQ+ community. Allison says, “Being somewhere where you feel safe in yourself is a priority,” on her moving to an environment that differs from her Texas town. She opened up with us when talking about finally being able to be her true self when she sees diversity around her and how that empowers her to be unapologetically herself when it comes to writing music. Allison’s own experiences have certainly given her a unique lens when it comes to being an artist.
When it comes to visual storytelling, Allison does not shy away from creating entire worlds
based off of her music. Her song off the EP, “Hollywood Forever Cemetery,” features old Hollywood glamorous looks and even a purple Elvis poodle. This visually expressive video is not unusual for Ponthier, music videos have always played an important role as a creative outlet for her. Her experience with ADHD has even become an important tool when it comes to visual storytelling, saying “It has made me express things in different ways, I think ADHD has empowered me to really celebrate and love the different ways to express myself through art.” Even her previous work with music videos with songs like “Cowboy” or “Faking My Own Death” become their own expansive and diorama-like worlds. Her vision when it comes to visual storytelling is so beautiful and unique that it truly sets her
apart when she's telling such personal stories through her music.
After two recent headlining shows and opening for Bleachers, Allison has had an incredible year of performing live. Allison recounts her favorite part of touring has simply been being able to connect with an audience. She talked with us about the growing pains of being a performer, “I was terrified to interact with the crowd when I first started playing but now I’m realizing it’s the best part.” With a global pandemic keeping people away, interacting with fans and sharing that moment of connection that live music brings us was incredibly important to Allison. She also recounts playing her beautifully heartfelt track, “Shaking Hands With Elvis,” in front of an audience, saying it made her feel brave being so vulnerable in a supportive environment. I think all music fans can understand the catharsis that comes along with singing along at a live show, and it's clearly equally as cathartic for the artist to perform those songs. Allison fondly remembered a time at one of her shows where a fan brought a sign saying, “I’m gay and also can’t drive,”
which just goes to show that being so
genuine and true to yourself will attract
the right people.
After seeing Allison live and listening to her new EP, I cannot wait to see what she does next. And as a fellow Texan, I find her incredibly inspiring as she’s reclaiming her experience as a queer artist who would have normally been left behind in the country music world that she is absolutely kicking ass in. On an endnote, if Allison could give her younger self one piece of advice she says, “Along the lines of telling myself what the world is like outside of the bubble I experienced when I was growing up. I really thought life started and ended with the opinions of my hometown and to know there are so many different ways you can live and still be happy is really important. As a queer person, it’s something a lot of queer people can relate to, is realizing you can be queer and also be happy.”
Allison Ponthier
Taylor West
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