Ever since an extremely young age, rising pop artist Auti has always looked at life through a different lens.
Growing up near Charleston, West Virginia, Auti’s “old soul” often caused her to stick out amongst her classmates. One thing people did not know about Auti was truly how talented of a singer/songwriter she was, and continues to be in 2022.
Having experienced bullying herself and seeing bullying lead her best friend to commit suicide, Auti has always been dedicated to using her singing ability AND storytelling ability for good, creating tracks that are incredibly meaningful.
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Auti’s newest song “4 Years” is a perfect example of this. The track is extremely powerful, covering topics that are hard to discuss not only in the music industry, but in general, including the passing of her best friend, Luke. The track “embodies grief, denial and acceptance” in such a beautiful way.
As a mental health advocate AND rising star, Auti is truly an artist like no other, and we can’t wait to see what else she has in store music-wise. Her goal as an artist is “to spread a message of hope,” and it is clear that she has been working towards this already with her previously-released tracks.
Read our full Q&A with Auti below, where we take a deep dive into her genuine, kindhearted soul, and let us know what you think of her by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Auti by giving her a follow on Instagram at @autimusic.

Celeb Secrets: For people who may not know you yet, can you explain your musical style and a little bit about who you are as an artist?
Auti: “Hi, I’m Auti. I like to best describe myself as a german shepherd mom to my dog Clementine, an 18-year-old pop artist, and a mental health advocate and ambassador. In that order, of course.”
CS: You started creating music at such a young age. Do you have any advice for young women wanting to dive into the music industry but just afraid to take that leap?
Auti: “My first bit of advice for anyone interested in getting into the industry as an artist is to learn an instrument – guitar or piano being preferred. You don’t even have to know everything there is to know about it, just try to make time to learn something. For young women nervous about journeying into the music industry, in general or as an artist, I encourage you in every possible way that I can to do just that. It can be intimidating at first since the industry as a whole is male dominated (even though we as women in this industry have come a long way). Stand tall, be loud enough to be heard, and know that you deserve to be in the room just as much as anyone else.”
CS: Your new single “4 Years” came out in September, and it is very special to you. If you’re comfortable, can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the track?
Auti: “‘4 Years’ was inspired by a close friend of mine that passed by suicide four years to the day that I wrote the song. The song originally started off as more of a letter than anything, just telling Luke how I was handling things and then eventually getting into asking him everything I’ll never get to. It carries a message of ‘why,’ which I believe is the main question you ask when someone has died by suicide. ‘4 Years’ also embodies grief, denial and acceptance, as well as healing.”
CS: How do you get the courage to put yourself out there and create music that is so personal?
Auti: “Since I was a little girl, I’ve always tried my hardest to be as mentally independent as I could. When life really started to take some unexpected turns, I didn’t want to talk to anyone about how it was mentally affecting me, so writing became my outlet. I’ve always written, whether it be short stories or lyrics, or even poems, so it came easily to me. When I started sharing the songs that I was writing, I noticed a pattern of people telling me they felt the same way that I did and that they really understood where I was coming from. I think I relate to my fans as well as I do, because when they tell me ‘you speaking out about your mental health helped me feel less alone,’ I’m truly just standing there like ‘yeah, same to you.’ Somehow it created this place where we all came together and just let each other know that we’re not alone in life.”
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CS: You are known for being a spokesperson for mental health and suicide prevention, which is truly amazing. How does it feel knowing that you are using both your talent and your platform to make a difference in people’s lives?
Auti: “Being able to share the things that saved me countless times, via my music, to save others is really just an incredible place to be. I think, given who I am as an artist and as a person, it would be hard to not incorporate mental health and suicide prevention into what I’m doing. I have Pivotal Moments Media, the mental health organization that I’m an ambassador for, to thank for being able to properly incorporate my music and mental health together on a larger scale. They’re really genuine in what they’re doing and I thank them endlessly for trusting me as an artist, as well as the other artists that are a part of this organization, to spread a message of hope through our music, truly.”
CS: What advice do you have for those who may be struggling with their mental health?
Auti: “By no means am I a mental health professional, but coming from someone who has struggled and deals daily to maintain cooperative mental health, I think that the best thing to keep in mind is that what you’re going through will not last forever, and while you’re in that space, you’re not alone. Whether you work it out through therapy, recognizing and working on your mental health personally, or even in some cases letting grief run its course, there will be a time where things feel lighter. To be completely honest, the second time that I fell into depression I really thought that I would feel the way I felt forever, and even after a while I remember wanting to stay in that place because it had become so comfortable to me. On the other side of things, getting the help that you need and eventually falling out of that darkness into a lighter space is such a better place to be. Don’t be afraid to get help and don’t be afraid that you’ll lose who you are if you do, because I can promise you that everything good about yourself is magnified when you’re in a better space mentally.”
CS: Who/What are some of your musical inspirations either artist-wise or in your personal life?
Auti: “I seem to mention Ariana Grande in most everything I do, but she truly has been an inspiration to me for years. I remember being a little girl and just listening to her second single release on repeat, and from then watching her grow as an artist and hoping I could follow a similar path. She’s also been a big inspiration in my personal life. The way that she’s remained as strong as she has through all that she’s been through, and being able to talk about that openly with her fans, is really incredible.”

CS: I know you have collaborated with MattyBRaps in the past. Who is your dream collaboration in the future?
Auti: “Again, I feel like I mention the same artists in every article or interview I do, but Hozier has always been a dream writing collab of mine. I’ve also been listening to Shawn Mendes lately and harmonizing with his voice on his music, and I may be a little delusional, but I feel like our voices blend well together. I seem to have so much appreciation for many different artists, including artists of different genres or even different languages, that carry a similar pattern of being personal in their music, so I think being able to collaborate with anyone that also writes music in that way would be a dream.”
CS: What does the process look like when you create a song? Are there any quirks to your method?
Auti: “I’m a very situational writer, which, in a sense, just means that a writing process for me doesn’t really exist, but also everything that I’m writing is personal to what I’m feeling at the moment or what I’ve empathetically pulled from someplace else. I do find that I write better when I’m alone and when things are completely quiet.”
CS: What’s next for you musically? Do you have any releases we can expect in the near future?
Auti: “I’m headed back into the studio to record some of my favorite songs I’ve written to date, and with more being written every day, I’m hoping the world will get to hear them soon!”
CS: Can we expect an EP or an album soon?
Auti: “I think, once I’ve gathered enough singles that have been officially released, I’d be interested in doing something like that. For now, I want each song to kind of get their own moment, and then possibly put out an EP in the future. We’ll see!”

CS: Do you have any goals for yourself in 2023 career-wise?
Auti: “I’d definitely want to do a tour of some sort in 2023, or just more shows in general. I have these new songs out and new songs in the works right now, and I want to perform them, you know? So, hopefully more shows and more music!”
CS: Lastly, since we are Celeb Secrets, do you have any secrets about either yourself or your music that fans might not know?
Auti: “This is honestly quite sad, now that I’m thinking about it, but my biggest music secret would be that some of my songs, especially my more crush type-love songs, are completely made up from my imagination. So, not to drag on this answer because that’s the last thing I need to do, but I do pull a lot of inspiration from movies or TV shows, or even short stories I’ve read when writing love songs.”