Alisha Kita, a sophomore psychology major from San Gabriel, California, continues to explore her passion for music through her classes and recently released her second single “a sinner’s psalm” on Spotify. Producing and writing all of her own music, Kita shows her ability to skillfully write lyrics and create melodic tunes.  

PASSION FOR MUSIC

As a psychology major, Kita explained that her passion for music stems from taking piano lessons growing up.

“I think I just like singing. Especially in middle school, I think that was kind of a stressful time for me and so a lot of the time I would come home and our mom would have us take piano lessons,” said Kita. “[While learning piano], I kind of just started [learning] chords and worship music. I feel like that was kind of like a release for me.”

While Kita is unsure about her plans to continue music after college, she noted that she enjoys writing songs and utilizing music as an outlet for her thoughts. The gifted lyricist released two worship songs titled “a sinner’s psalm” and “done for me” through Spotify. 

Kita’s first release, “done for me,” developed during the pandemic while experimenting with platforms such as GarageBand. Kita’s vocals and captivating lyrics compliment the loop that she originally created and continued to build off of in the creation of the song. The song focuses on showing gratitude by stating “I just want to say, hallelujah, hallelujah, thank you for all the things you’ve done for me.” 

A SINNER’S PSALM

Kita created “a sinner’s psalm” because of an assignment in her biblical interpretation & spiritual formation class. After writing the assigned psalm, Kita  released a finalized version a year later. Kita said the writing process for “a sinner’s psalm” differed from the previous song she had written since she had already completed the lyrics and created the acoustic melody later. 

“I kind of wanted to make it sound a little bit like a hymn but a little bit more modern,” said Kita. “So I kind of just pulled up all of the chords for like church hymns, and they’re all very similar, [to create the song].”

Kita produces each of her songs herself and draws inspiration from poetry she read growing up. 

“I think honestly, like my core foundational inspiration started from poetry. I remember my parents had ‘A Light in the Attic’ by Shel Silverstein,” Kita said. “And I kind of just love the funky looking pictures and I liked how the poems were kind of just like, loose and not like, this beautiful thing.” 

Kita does not have any immediate plans for songs that she will be releasing in the future but enjoys being able to share her passion for music with others.

“I think it’s cool to be able to put out my vulnerable thoughts because I feel like oftentimes, even though it feels like you’re the only one who’s feeling it, a lot of other people will be able to relate,” said Kita. “Also, I think it’s just been good for me to grow and be like, ‘Yeah, this is something that I really enjoy’ and be able to share little snippets of it.”