Meet Azura Onessa | Voice for the Wild hearted, Dreamer, and Serial Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Azura Onessa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Azura, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When I was 20, I felt completely lost. I had just graduated from pastry school—barely—and as much as I loved baking, my health made it nearly impossible to turn it into a sustainable career. My stepdad had paid for the entire program because he believed in me. It was one of the kindest things anyone had done for me, and I didn’t want to let him down.

Graduating took everything I had. I pushed through the pain to finish my final exam, and as soon as it was over, I stumbled into our walk-in and collapsed on the floor in tears from the pain. Still, I emerged with my degree and immediately launched my first business: an in-home custom bakery specializing in cakes. To my surprise, it took off right away. I was booked out a month in advance.

But success came at a cost. I was standing hunched over for 12+ hours a day, working in a hot kitchen, and my body was breaking down. I wanted to use the best ingredients, pour love into every detail, and create edible art—but in a world of Walmart pricing, I could barely break even. I was in pain, exhausted, and slowly realizing this dream just wasn’t sustainable. I felt like I had failed myself—and failed the person who had believed in me enough to invest in my future.

That’s when I made a decision that changed everything: I walked away.

I traded my apron for a leash and started offering pet sitting and dog walking. I posted every day online. I handed out flyers. I followed every lead like it was my full-time job. It was a huge risk—on paper, it made no sense. I had a culinary degree. I should’ve applied at a bakery. That would’ve been the safe route. But my heart was telling me to choose something that brought me joy, something that didn’t destroy my body.

Not everyone understood. I had people close to me question my choice. Even I struggled with guilt—especially knowing the sacrifice my stepdad had made for me. But the fire inside me burned brighter than the doubt around me.

Three months later, I had saved over $10,000 and moved out of my mother’s house into a beautiful apartment of my own. Within five years, I had built a thriving business, employed seven amazing people, and created a life that supported both my well-being and my bigger dreams. Eventually, I was even able to step back from the day-to-day and pursue what I had always longed for: music.

Looking back, the biggest risk I ever took was choosing myself—not the path that looked good on paper, but the one that felt true in my bones. And that risk? It opened every door that’s brought me to where I am today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It was difficult to be myself for most of my life. The world felt like a costume party where everyone had been given the dress code—except me. Years of therapy eventually lifted the curtain and revealed the truth: that trauma and adolescence had conspired to convince me I was “too much” for the world. But that’s a tale for another time.

I thought differently, moved differently, dressed and dreamed differently. So I did what many quiet warriors do—I shrank. I carved myself into bite-sized pieces, easier to swallow, more digestible for those around me. I committed myself to the art of blending in, not realizing the cost was my own voice.

It took me until this year to truly understand: the most extraordinary beauty lives not in fitting in, but in being. To exist boldly and unfiltered, to move through life as the truest version of yourself—that is where the magic is. That is where the power lives.

Music gave me the key to unlock that door. It gave me permission to stop pretending.

With The Craft, I become my spookiest self. I channel my inner Morticia, I dance with my shadows, embrace my darkness, and let my wildness reign free.

With Signs of Tranquility, I alchemize pain into melody, weaving stories from the threads of my life. It’s the project that finally let me marry my first musical love—opera—with the gritty emotional power of rock. As a child, Phantom of the Opera was my first introduction to Opera, I sung every song, every day; all day. Later, my mom introduced me to My Chemical Romance, which quickly became my first favorite band. Since then, I was drawn to Dark Rock with meaningful, deep, poetic lyrics. From there I always wondered if there was a way to Marry Opera with Rock/Metal, my two favorite styles of music. Signs of Tranquility has allowed me to flirt with both and live that dream.

And then… there is Lady.

Lady is not just a project—it is me. All of me. Everything I was, everything I am becoming. It’s where I let every layer shine: the softness, the storm, the theatrics, the truth. Through extravagant costumes, unapologetic lyrics, and powerful layers of instruments, I tell stories that I am hopeful people will be able to relate to, Hopeful that these lyrics are exactly what someone needs to hear to press on or not feel so alone. Lady is about unmasking—the slow, sacred peeling away of every layer I once built to survive, revealing at the center something wild, soft, and authentic.

What I discovered in all of this is something no one can take away: that being exactly who you are, no matter how the world receives you, is the path to joy, to freedom, to fulfillment.

I create for those who feel voiceless. I sing for those who are still afraid to take up space. I want to be a living reminder that no matter where you come from, what you’ve endured, or what haunts your past—there is always a path forward.

And it begins with this:

Follow your dreams.
Irrevocably believe in yourself.
And let your art speak the truth of who you are.

What makes my art different is that it’s born from the marrow of my being. I don’t follow formulas or chase trends—I create from instinct, emotion, and truth. Every song is handcrafted from the rawest parts of me—my joy, my sorrow, my wildness, my dreams.

I’m not here to top charts. I’m here to make people feel.
To remind them they’re not alone.
To show them that even the darkest stories can be turned into something breathtaking.

That’s the kind of art I create.
Not manufactured—remembered.
Not polished—felt.

Not designed for perfection, but for connection.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Gosh, My favorite thing to do is getting in my car and letting my intuition drive me! If I get in and I think Hmm.. go left, I do it! I follow where my mind tells me to go. I have found the coolest places doing this! I love checking out Mom and Pop Restaurants as a foodie and asking them to surprise me with their best or favorite dish to cook. Colorado is home to so many wonderful little pubs or superb family-owned restaurants.

My Ideal day would be traveling to the mountains, dipping my feet in the water in the beautiful river that flows through Conifer/Evergreen. Maybe a picnic in the forest or at a local restaurant, and a random photography/ adventure somewhere I’ve never been. Visiting the cute little shops, hiking a beautiful mountain, maybe fishing an elusive pond in the mountains or finding a hidden water fall and jumping in! I love that there is always an Adventure right around the corner!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To my best friend, Rebekah—when I decided to finally lean into the person I truly am, you not only accepted me, you celebrated me. You encouraged me to be the brightest version of myself and created a space where I felt safe to be fully, unapologetically me. In my darkest moments, when I disappeared into isolation, you showed up—every single day—reminding me that I was never alone. You inspire me to be a better person, simply because you deserve the world.

To my family—
To my mother, for showing me what unconditional love and unwavering perseverance look like.
To my other mother, for always showing up, and lifting me up in the moments I doubted myself most.
To my brothers, for loving me fiercely and showing up in all the ways I needed.
To my father, for teaching me the value of hard work, for helping me see that being different is beautiful, and for loving me exactly as I am.
To my cousin—my lifelong best friend and #1 fan—thank you for always believing in me.
To my aunt, for being there through every season of my life, for reminding me that family means something and defining what family truly is, and that I can do anything I set my heart to.
To my grandmother, who exemplifies kindness and taught me what it means to remain gentle in a world that is not.
To my French grandmother, for teaching me how to be boldly myself.
To my stepfather, who always believed in my wildest ideas—not asking “why,” but “how can I help?” I will never forget that kind of love.

To my partner— for listening to every business idea I have, and never asking why, or judging me for constantly changing my aspirations or goals, but instead trying to help me get there. For showing me that good people still exist, for making me into a better person by constantly leading with love, respect, and thoughtfulness. For being there for me in all the ways I’ve ever needed, and loving a wild stallion with a never-ending thought train. And for making me believe that true love still exists, and allowing me to feel it so deeply in this life.

To Signs of Tranquility—thank you for believing in me from the beginning. Justin, Sean, Dev, and Willie: you are more than bandmates, you are brothers (and my sister I never had) and lifelong friends. Thank you for fiercely having my back.

To the Craft—for believing in me

DI Records (Dakota)- For your contagious smile and unwavering belief in me and my mission.

To Anthony, the first musician who gave me a real chance and helped spark this journey—thank you for your friendship and faith.

To Eric, Robert, Jack, Hobo Smutt, Samantha, Darlene, Nina, Andre, Amy, Rylan, Thomas, Danica, Kayta, Ronnie, all of my singing coaches—and every soul who has believed in me, rooted for me, and walked beside me:

I love you. I need you. I cherish you.

Website: https://freshstart-art.com

Instagram: Azura Onessa

Soundcloud: The Craft, Signs of Tranquility, Lady (coming soon)

Facebook: Azura Onessa

Youtube: The Craft, Azura Onessa, Signs of Tranquility, Lady

Image Credits
Karlie Sorenson, Paige Hackathorn, Jesse Haswell, Active Light Photography, Mystee Lee Photography