Alyse Vellturo

DIY Spotlight: Alyse Vellturo (AKA Pronoun)

Alyse Vellturo had been immersed in the world of music before forming her synth-pop band, pronoun, but never as an artist. She went to Berklee College of Music and studied music production, engineering and business. When she graduated, she worked in music management and distribution before realizing she wanted to start creating her own sound. She explains, “I’ve always been on the outside. I wanted to see what would happen if I’m in control of everything as the artist.”

Vellturo started pronoun after a bad breakup. She says, “Making music was the only thing that kept me from going insane. Even though I still went a little insane.”

The aesthetic aspects of pronoun are small, with a wounded, sensitive feel—all letters are lowercase, and the Spotify playlist is called “pronoun’s teeny, tiny catalogue.” But the impact is in no way diminutive. The music’s staccato rhythms underscore the lovesick lyrics and big, relatable feelings. Currently, pronoun has 76,387 monthly listeners on Spotify.

Vellturo has also garnered attention from the NY Times, NPR, Nylon, Uproxx, Stereogum, and Brooklyn Vegan. Moreover, she’s a total bad-ass and is a music industry pro. She founded her own label, Sleep Well Records that she runs as a side hustle from her other 9 - 5 which also happens to be at a music company. She is a strong believer in trusting your ears, not just the numbers, when it comes to signing new artists.

She’ll be going on tour, later this year to promote her debut album i’ll show you stronger, due to drop in May.

To learn more about this unique DIY artist visit,