Hi there. I'm Aly.
I'm a writer and musician.
At 21, I was offered my first paid gig. At the time, I'd only written two songs, but the gig called for two-hours.
I took it anyway.
I got offered another gig. And then another. Eventually, I dropped out of college and moved Austin, Texas to build a career as a singer-songwriter. Over ten years, I played gigs in every bar, theatre and glorified McDonalds that offered drink tickets and stage time. Over the course of 900 shows, I taught myself to play the guitar, piano, ukulele, and vihuela. I booked dozens of tours in nine countries. Crashed on more floors and couches than my mother would care to know. It was awesome.
I also co-produced and released three albums - Things Worth Keeping (2009), The Fits (2013), and most recently, Hungry Ghost (2017). Every album was launched independently, funded by the fans and friends I made on the road (you know who you are). My music has been featured in The Village Voice, USAToday, Seattle Weekly, among others.
A few years back, I started writing stories. I also went back to school to study creative writing in earnest, and transitioned from playing music, to writing stories, and eventually, helping trauma survivors heal at The Crime Victims Treatment Center, an amazing NYC-based nonprofit.
My writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Modern Love Podcast, Narratively, The Brooklyn Rail, XOJane, and LADYGUNN Magazine, among others.
I don't play too many shows these days, but I am working on a collection of essays. If you want to keep up with me, the best way is to sign up for my newsletter below. You’ll get new essays from me every other week, plus updates on new published works, upcoming shows and just the worst puns imaginable.
“Gritty, intense. Aly's slightly raspy, low vocals are soft against the instrumentals, adding an edge to the song as she sings.”
— IMPOSE Magazine
“Best Live Shows in New York City”
— Village Voice
““The world-weariness and yearning in Ms. Tadros’ voice cannot be understated – this is raw, gut emotion at its best.” ”
— POPdose
“A lovely voice as this...Her vocals tread softly, then swell, as she lays emotion out on the table in a mixture of jazz, blues, and roots musical stylings on acoustic guitar.”
— NPR Austin
“Spacious and melodic, salty and moving, Aly Tadros alternative folk stylings tempts each listener out of the vacuum-sealed sterility of every day life.”
— USA Today
“...her voice will be one we'll be hearing for years to come.”
— Eartaste.com
Official Bio:
"Tadros’ soulful voice alone evokes complete sincerity" - Elmore Magazine
For Aly Tadros, writing is a vehicle for transition.
At 17, Aly Tadros picked up the guitar and uprooted from her hometown of Laredo, Texas to live in Istanbul, Turkey as an exchange student. By 21, she’d lived and studied on four continents, slowly teaching herself to play the guitar along the way. In 2013, The Village Voice dubbed her "one of the best live shows to catch in NYC" for her first show at Joe's Pub. Amid the metamorphosis that came to define her songwriting, Tadros embraced a new level of transparency by blogging for fans. A guest editorial on her road to sobriety published for XOJane went viral in 2015.
After eight years and more than 800 shows, Tadros has a full-fledged confidence in delivering a record that candidly covers struggle. Hungry Ghost is void of tongue-and-cheek communication, with songs inspired by overcoming alcoholism, the death of her father, relationships and more. Produced by Kevin Salem (Rachael Yamagata, Yo la Tengo, Mike Doughty) and Tadros herself, the album follows debut “Things Worth Keeping” (2009), “The Fits” (2013) and over a dozen US & European tours.
Hungry Ghost, her latest release, is the culmination of Tadros' unabashed attitude towards living and performing.
Hungry Ghost, the title of Tadros' most seasoned effort, is borrowed from Buddhism. A "hungry ghost" is an insatiable creature. With bowling ball-sized bellies and pin-sized mouths these hollow, transparent beings have a crippling appetite. For Tadros, the constant touring, performing and drinking of her early career failed in fueling her craving for fulfillment. Years into recovery, it has charged her new 13-track LP with emotional scar tissue and an irresistible vulnerability.
Tadros' injects a fresh artistry to her folk-pop, landing her critical acclaim from American Songwriter, Interview Magazine, Paste, USA Today, MTV, The Village Voice and a long list of other respected voices in music. Her Egyptian roots paired with a deep appreciation for Latin American and Middle Eastern music can be traced to the traditional Mexican vihuela and Spanish guitar that join her on stage and in studio.
Since 2017, Aly transitioned from writing songs to writing stories. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times (Modern Love), Narratively, The Brooklyn Rail, and Public Forum. She is currently working on a collection of longform essays.
“It’s tempting to call Hungry Ghost haunting, but ultimately it’s best described as ethereal and assertive, practically all at the same time.”
— No Depression