10 Questions with Ally Salort
The grass isn't always greener on Ally Salort's sophomore EP, Isn't It Sweeter?
By: Spencyr Aronson
August 5th, 2026
Sounds by Spencyr: Hi Ally! You began by posting covers online before finding your voice as a songwriter. Looking back, was there a specific moment when singing someone else's song made you realize you needed to be writing your own?
Ally Salort: Yeah, definitely. I was always writing songs in my room even when I was just posting covers, but I was just too scared to post my originals. I think covers gave me a great jumping-off point to get comfortable posting online in general.
Your debut EP was called 'Change of Plans', and now you've released 'Isn't It Sweeter?'. Looking back, what was the original plan, and when did you realize it had changed?
AS: 'Change of Plans' was made during a very transitional period in my life. I was starting to realize how little you can plan out as an artist and learning to surrender to that. I think that EP was the start of a new direction for me sonically, and the sessions I did during that time were me finding my voice as a songwriter.
Also just in my life, a lot of the personal themes on that EP were situations that ended up taking a turn in unexpected ways, and the tracklist order kind of takes you through that story.
'Isn't It Sweeter?' feels like you're asking yourself a question. Sweeter than what, and who are you asking?
AS: 'Isn't It Sweeter?' is a lyric taken from track 5, "A Little More Fun." It felt like it summed up what the EP represents to me. I wrote a lot of this project while in a new city, and it made me hone in on the concept that wherever you are, you're still you. I was still thinking about the same things a million miles from home, and so that lyric felt similar to the phrase "the grass is always greener": isn't it sweeter in a new city, isn't it sweeter if I just run from my problems, etc.
The answer is obviously no, but I think it is a bit of a question I'm asking myself.
"I've Never Met Her" is about outgrowing a past version of yourself. What did that version of Ally believe about the music industry that you don't anymore?
AS: I believed there were people who knew the only way, and I had to follow whatever they told me in order to get to where I wanted to go. It wasn't until relatively recently that I discovered how much I can take into my own hands, especially now with social media and being able to directly connect with listeners and share music on a whim.
I'm all for that realization! Is there a song on this EP you're nervous to put out, or one where you thought, "Maybe this is a little too honest?"
AS: Honestly, not as much on this EP. Maybe I'm getting more comfortable in that way. I'm finding that there's actually something so empowering about being brutally honest in songs.
If I were to pick one, maybe "A Little More Fun," just because that was the most recently written song for this project and the story I'm telling is still fresh.
You've said performing for people you know is a completely different ballgame than performing for strangers. Which one actually tells you more about whether a song is working?
AS: Love that question. Performing for strangers, probably. I find the people I know personally always have a favorite [song] that's different from the ones that end up being more "popular." Strangers are just more able to hear songs for what they are without associating them to a person.
That makes total sense. Looking ahead a bit, you've spent much of the past year opening for Charlie Puth. Now that you've had this experience, do you have a clearer idea of what your dream headline show would look like? What do you hope people walk away feeling that they can't necessarily get from seeing you open for someone else?
AS: I hope people walk away feeling a closeness that you can only really achieve by having more time. I want to be able to give each song a deeper meaning with set pieces and big visuals, building a world for the music, and just being able to talk more, whether it's speaking directly to people in the audience or giving more context for each song.
I can't wait to see [that] happen. Has a fan ever told you what one of your songs meant to them in a way you never intended?
AS: Yes! I recently saw someone say they resonate with my song "Proof" because of their relationship to a parent. I think it's so cool seeing people apply my lyrics to their lives in whatever way they need, even if it's not the same reason I wrote it.
Who are some of your favorite up-and-coming artists right now?
AS: Ethan Regan, Absolutely, Holly Humberstone, Ryan Beatty and Annika Bennett.
If you had to pick your four favorite movies of all time, what would they be? Have any of them influenced the way you think about storytelling or visuals in your own music?
AS: I love 'Good Will Hunting', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', and 'Bruce Almighty', though that one is more of a nostalgia favorite. I grew up watching it on road trips.
I definitely gravitate towards grounded, intimate, and contemplative shots, which 'Good Will Hunting' does so well. Those warm, autumnal color palettes are so beautiful to me, anything that feels organic but beautiful, giving room for the storyline to speak for itself.