Alessandra Clarke is La Panameñita Paving the Way at NYU

New York University is known for producing legendary names that create waves in the entertainment industry. Once home to artists like Donald Glover, Lady Gaga, and Maggie Rogers, this reputation does not prevail unnoticed by students attending Tisch’s School of the Arts. Pure creative talent in all fields of music, film, theater, and fine art is present in the most unassuming dining halls and sleepy lecture rooms. 

Creativity is inherently collaborative, leading to a lot of “quid pro quo” activity within the walls of Tisch. Early last semester, my friend asked me to help her roommate out by making a video for her performance at the Panamanian Parade in Brooklyn. The first time I met Alessandra Clarke, she was donned head to toe in glittering jewels and a massive feather headdress. As she made her way down Classon Avenue, singing and dancing on the back of a pickup truck, the crowd shouted “la reina, la reina de panama” – the queen, the queen of Panama. 

Alessandra Clarke describes herself as a Panamanian-American artist, dancer, and future producer. Known for her incredible performances that entrances audiences, Alessandra creates music that focuses on fusion of Panamanian rhythms of dance genres like dance hall, afrobeats, salsa, and R&B. When she is not performing on stage or in the studio, class is in session at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, an exclusive Tisch program located in Brooklyn. Songs like “Pretty Fly” and “Scared” are upbeat, fun, and have a fresh new sound. In late 2024, she released a four-track EP, “A Relationship” that dove into the birth and death of love. When she teased her 2025 releases, I knew I had to find out more about what she has in store for us. 

How did you get started as an artist? 

Growing up, I was always singing, and I would do little performances for my cousins when we would visit. I got into into it when I was 8 years old. I had been doing ballet at this dance 

company since I was 3, and every other girl had been allowed to go on pointe but me. I was like, Oh, okay… My parents took me out and put me in singing lessons, and from then on I was like oh my god, I love this. I got back into dance eventually. But not ballet. I don’t do that. 

Everything I do overlaps – being a musician helps me with dance. I can hear certain things in the music that other dancers can’t hear. Being a dancer makes me way more aware of rhythmic aspects of songs, and perform well in front of a camera. 

What are some of the strongest influences in your work? 

I was born in Brooklyn, but when I was 5, we moved to Panama so my Mom could do her Doctoral program in clinical psychology. I’ve been there ever since, until having to move here to go to college, obviously. My aunt in Panama used to call me la panameñita. I used to hate it so much. When I first got to Panama, I hated it. I don’t want to be here, theres nobody that looks like me in my school, people are making fun of me for what I eat, I don’t want to be here. Then I learned that this makes me way more incredibly different than anyone else and I enjoy being different. I was like, You know what? I am la panameñita. Hell yeah. I was so educated in Panamanian culture, lingo, and traditional. Each province has a different outfit, a different music. That really influenced me now and just how I move. 

My mom grew up with Carribean Brooklyn music, dance hall, reggae, salsa. My dad was into more jazz and traditional genres. So when I was growing up, we were listening to everything plus what was already happening in Panama – reggaeton, techno, to name a few. But my favorite artist of all time is Erkyah Badu. 

Take us through your creative process. How do you come up with the songs we dance to? 

Writing music is how I cope, how I understand whats going with me. Could I have gone about this in a different way? What could have happened if I had done this? It’s second nature to me that as soon as I feel something strongly, I’m already writing. 

I write songs when I have a really intense emotion whether that be good or bad. After I write the song, I basically leave it there and then a few days later I have a spark of creative inspiration. I go back to that song or any songs I’ve previously written and workshop it with a producer or one of my friends or by myself, and thats how they become a thing. I feel like the music and lyrics go 

very hand in hand. This is going to sound so corny, but the music speaks to me and tells me different things. If I don’t write with music, I feel like I’m writing a poem. And I’m not a poet. 

One of the latest songs I wrote, “Stronger”, I wrote the night after I got casts on after breaking both of my wrists. I was scrolling through beats for inspiration with my toes because, you know, I can’t use my fingers. I’m looking for something that matches the vibe that I’m feeling. I found it and then I could write the song. 

With attending Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU full time, how do you balance the academic rigor with the life of an artist? 

There is definitely a lot of tension between my academics and my music, and a lot of times it is pure time conflict. It’s like, I have a show tonight that finishes at 11:00pm and I have a 9:00am class tomorrow morning that I had to read 16,000 pages and do a bunch of essays for. The thing that helps me a lot is that I’ve always been like this, doing a lot academically and professionally. 

My parents pushed me to a point where I strive to do good in school. We can call it an ego thing, really. I want to be a great performer, a great dancer, a great singer, but I also want to be great educated person. My whole school career, I was in honor roll and advanced classes. Except fourth grade when my grandma passed, and it turned my life upside down.

A lot of times it’s a struggle because what ends up happening is that I don’t rest. I’m exhausted all the time. Ask any of my friends – everytime theres a little event or party at one of our dorms, I’m knocked out in the corner asleep. I’m always tired, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. 

What are your proudest moments as a young artist? 

Earning a full ride to NYU. I don’t want my parents to have to pay for me to go to college. I did so many extracurricular activities growing up. I was on a dance team that had international competitions, each with their own costuming and entrance fees. They were all vale la pena, worth it, because I always worked hard. I never got lower than third place in any of those competitions. I was always on it. 

Performing at the Blue Note. It came to be beause the Wayne Shorter Ensemble was performing at the Panama Jazz Festival, and my mom told me to reach out. I said, “Um, Mommy, I don’t know about this”, but I did end up getting the gig to perform with them at the Panama Jazz Festival. The teacher in charge of the Ensemble liked it so much that he asked me to join the next performance at the Blue Note. Um, absolutely. My mom really helped me put myself out there. As she says, closed mouths don’t get fed. 

Winning the All-Dance Panama Competition. One year, I won best dancer in the category I was in, getting the highest puntaje, points, out of everybody in the competition. Sometimes I think that being a dancer and a singer limits me from being good in either, that I’m spreading myself too thin. That really proved to myself that I actually am good. 

What are you trying to say with your art? 

My goal is to reestablish Panama as a driving force in the entertainment industry. I want to be like how Bad Bunny is for Puerto Rico, how Karol G is for Colombia. Panamanian rhythms are so different and so particular from all the other latin countries because of everybody that came to build the canal. So there’s Caribbean rhythms, African rhythms, and Asian rhythms that all mix. I want to be the person that introduces Panama to the world. Even though we are such a small country, we have so much to offer. It really is such a beautiful and historically rich country that I feel needs to be in the spotlight. I want people to hear my music, say what is that? , and go on a deep dive and learn all about Panama. 

What is the forecast looking like for 2025? 

In early January I released a music video to the track “Soul Sista”, off the EP “A Relationship”. It’s a song dedicated to somebody that’s not blood related, but we are so close that she’s really my sister. I was able to film the video with her in Panama, and it was really beautiful. After that, I’m releasing the music video for “It Don’t Matter”, which is my favorite song off of “A Relationship”. That’s dropping Febuary 21. 

I have three singles that I am planning to release this year. The first song is called “Date”, which is Panamian slang said when somebody is doing a good job. It’s a Spanish amapiano song, which is a South African style I really love. It’s definitely something, but it’s definitely good, and I don’t really say that about my music. We artists are self conscious. 

The second one is called, “Contigo”, and I shot the music video during winter break. That one is a love song, which was a challenge. I told myself I’m going to write a love song with absolutely no clue of what a relationship is because I aint never been in no type of relationship and I think it actually gives relationship. It’s a cute little love song. The last one, “Stronger”, is the one I wrote with my toes. I got commissioned to write a song for a short film by a Panamanian filmmaker. It’s coming out in May, which in Panama is African heritage month. It’s kind of like an anthem. 

Thank you so much for your time! I’m super excited to hear your new releases. I’ll see you at our 8:00am class tomorrow morning… 

Of course! Not looking forward to that… See you later, FRONTRUNNER!!!