# Sasha Alex Sloan's Songwriting Journey > Sasha Alex Sloan, a songwriter who dropped out of Berklee at 19, found success through collaboration and resilience. - Title: Sasha Alex Sloan's Songwriting Journey | Shortify - Summary: Sasha Alex Sloan, a songwriter who dropped out of Berklee at 19, found success through collaboration and resilience. Sasha Alex Sloan became a successful… - Keywords: sasha alex sloan, berklee, olivia rodrigo, camila cabello, songwriting, music business, soundcloud, warner chappell, charli xcx, music business worldwide, music, Sasha - Source: Music Business Worldwide — https://musicbusinessworldwide.com/i-have-a-new-outlook-now-its-supposed-to-be-fun-its-not-supposed-to-be-scary - Published: 2026-10-19T19:25:20+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: sasha alex sloan, berklee, olivia rodrigo, camila cabello, songwriting, music business, soundcloud, warner chappell, charli xcx, ai, music business worldwide, music ## Early Music Struggles Sasha Alex Sloan tried twice to study music but quit both times after finding classical lessons boring. > My dad is from Siberia, and he hired me a very Russian piano teacher, because he wanted me to learn classical music. ## First Songwriting Success At age 10, Sloan wrote her first song Pitter Patter after her mom encouraged her to create music instead of classical lessons. > The first one I remember was called Pitter Patter, it was about stubbing my toe and crying. ## Berklee Dropout Sloan dropped out of Berklee at 19 after a year of struggling with songwriting and feeling unprepared for the industry. > I was like, this sucks. I hate having homework, and now the homework is about something I love, and ruining my hobby, which used to be fun. ## Viral Breakthrough Sloan gained attention after posting a SoundCloud link on Reddit, leading to a publishing deal with Warner Chappell. > I posted my SoundCloud link in the comments. The son of a music publisher found it, passed it on, and two weeks later, I got a call from this guy Steve Lindsey. ## Early Collaborations Sloan worked with Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo, co-writing songs that became hits for major artists. > I love Camila. She’s the sweetest, best person on earth, and an incredible songwriter. ## Songwriting Philosophy Sloan believes songwriting is a muscle that needs constant practice and collaboration to improve. > Songwriting to me is like a muscle, and you have to exercise it. ## Artist vs. Songwriter Sloan prioritizes songwriting over her artist career, focusing on writing for others rather than releasing her own music. > I think for a long time it was artist first, songwriter second. Now it’s songwriter first, artist second. ## Olivia Rodrigo Collaboration Sloan co-wrote Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song What’s Wrong With Me with Robert Smith, which became a major success. > I remember watching when they debuted it, and getting full-body chills. I was like, ‘This is not real life.’ ## Writer's Block Solutions Sloan uses conversations, TV shows, and books to overcome writer's block and stay inspired. > Books are really helpful. TV shows, or just conversations; anytime someone says something cool, I write it down. ## AI in Music Sloan is cautious about AI in music but sees potential for tools like Suno to help with song production. > I don’t think AI should be coming out as a full song. For a songwriter who writes alone, Suno can be a helpful tool. ## Songwriting Influences Sloan admires Carole King for simplifying complex ideas into relatable songs. > I started listening to her at such a young age, and the way she uses language in her songs… I think the hardest thing to me, as a songwriter, is to take a big idea and make it simple. ## Industry Challenges Sloan highlights the lack of control songwriters face in the music industry, despite their hard work. > I always say, I would have done well at a corporation, because I love to be on time, I love to do my job, and when I go home I like to feel I’ve really contributed and that my boss is happy with me. ## Current Focus Sloan now focuses on songwriting for other artists, with a schedule filled with sessions and collaborations. > I think that’s the best way to become a songwriter, just to be constantly thrown in rooms where you don’t really belong, and you’re surrounded by people who are more experienced than you. ## Key Quote Sloan’s current outlook on songwriting: it’s supposed to be fun; it’s not supposed to be scary. > I have a new outlook now: it’s supposed to be fun; it’s not supposed to be scary. ## Future Plans Sloan aims to continue growing her songwriting career while balancing her artist and songwriter roles. > I think that’s what kept me going. Because I figured, I’ll be pretty bummed if I look back when I’m older and realize I only gave up because it was hard. ## Key takeaway Sasha Alex Sloan became a successful songwriter after quitting school at 19, collaborating with artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Camila Cabello.