Life as a musician doesn’t necessarily mean packing up a tour bus and traveling to play gigs across the country. For some, it’s the passion to make music and primarily perform locally.
Allison Collins, a Prairieville, Louisiana, native is a local musician through and through. She plays two gigs a week, most frequently at Superior Bar & Grill in Mid City and Sarita’s Grill & Cantina in Maurepas.
Collins discovered her talent at 10-years-old when singing along to “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston. Her family always asked her to sing at gatherings. She started performing live for crowds at 18-years-old.
Collins didn’t originally plan to become a musician as a full-time career. Collins attended LSU and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with the intention of becoming a therapist. In the end, she decided to opt out of grad school and focus on her band.
“I felt I couldn’t breathe unless I was performing,” Collins said.
Collins created The Allison Collins Band in 2009. Over 10 years later, she’s still performing today with The Allison Collins Band, or The Allison Collins Trio, depending on the gig.
Collins mainly performs covers of songs, ranging from tunes from the ’60s to the present day. But she has dabbled in her own original music. As a huge Saints fan, Collins’ most popular song is “Imma Who Dat” which has over 75,000 views on YouTube.
Collins said that anything people can dance to, she’ll sing.
As a mother of three and stepmother of two, Collins understands the importance of balancing work and personal life.
“Don’t drink, smoke or do drugs,” Collins said. “Exercise, eat right and take care of yourself so that you will look and feel your best.”
While performing live is fun, Collins now uses her musical gifts to pay the bills and put food on the table. Despite her busy schedule, Collins takes time to enjoy life to the fullest and never forgets to appreciate the talents she was blessed with.
“Understand that if you have any kind of musical gift, it was given to you by God for a purpose,” Collins said.
She hopes to continue creating music for all to enjoy and to inspire other musicians to do the same.
