New Music from Allison Leah, Alex Skye, Sarah Suarez, Ava Dallas, Haley Montelaro, Stephània, and Sabrina Ponte

"I Didn't Know I Was Growing Up" - by Allison Leah

Release Date: May 1 2026

What You Should Know: "I’ve had this song in my pocket for over a year now and have been waiting for the right moment, and grad season just felt right. This song is also the first single off my NEW EP, Mirror, releasing this summer. It’s a 5 song collection of reflections, musings on growing up, and self-identity. These five songs are some of the most vulnerable I’ve ever written & sharing them right now feels so right. "

Find It: Spotify, and Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "What I'm Missing", "24 Years Down", "Sorry For Myself", "i gave u my number"

Previously on Section 36: "Allison Leah Visits Section 36 Music!", "Allison Leah's 36 Favorite Things"

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"Never Have I Ever" - by Alex Skye

Release Date: April 30, 2026

What You Should Know: "This song is a hyper-pop, dance, house song that is for an upcoming project… BUT I am releasing it under my name first. Here is a break from the sad indie folk"

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Alex Skye Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Hairline Fracture" - by Sarah Suarez

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Sarah Suarez Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Easy" - by Ava Dallas

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Ava Dallas Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Out of Our Control" - by Haley Montelaro

Release Date: May 1, 2026

What You Should Know: "I cannot express how surreal this is. My younger self knew she wanted to be an artist and a songwriter, but didn't know how to get there. Every year of middle and high school I would say "This is the year I'll release music" but had no idea what steps to take.

Now at the age of 19 I can say I have 9 tracks out, 6 of which are in this EP. Life is crazy."

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple and Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Haley Montelaro Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Every Kind of Way" - by Stephània

Release Date: May 1, 2026

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "It's 2026 in Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Stephània Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Back In Boston" - by Sabrina Ponte 

Release Date: May 1, 2026

What You Should Know: A version of this song like you've never heard before!

Find It: Spotify or Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "Songs that Cover the Bases", "It's 2025 In Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Sabrina Ponte Visits Section 36 Music!"

Haley Montelaro Visits Section 36 Music!

We get to hear from another visitor to Section 36 Music!  Haley Montelaro is a fantastic singer. You'll want to check out her entire catalog, including her recent single, as soon as you can. You won't regret it. I was so excited she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, her goals, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

So, let's see what happens when Haley Montelaro visits Section 36 Music!

Your recent single, “Compulsive Cleaner” is just outstanding. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much! It’s a really special song to me because I’ve been holding onto it since senior year of high school. I would perform it on occasion and finally decided that it would be the perfect song to release as the first single in my EP project. I wrote it during a time where I was super overwhelmed with college applications and finals and it felt like anything I did would make or break my entire future. I tend to be a little bit of a control freak sometimes, so I got really scared by the idea that I didn’t know what the future held for me. It’s extra special because it was the first song of my own that I got to do production on. We recorded all of the instrumental live in Berklee studios, as well.

You attend Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

Towards the end of high school, I was extremely torn between coming to Berklee to study songwriting or going to another school to become a choir teacher. It was a hard decision for me because I had been planning on being a teacher for all of high school, but when I learned about Berklee, I was super excited about the opportunity to get into the industry and focus on my artistry. The biggest thing for me was the campus tour, getting to walk the halls and see classroom upon classroom filled with students learning about music. I thought it was the coolest thing and I knew that I had to come here. Getting to move from the west coast to the east coast was a plus too, because I really wanted to experience something different.

What do you enjoy most about performing on stage in front of an audience?

I would say my favorite thing about performing on stage is having the opportunity to connect with a live audience. It’s great to have an outlet to speak personally to a crowd, explain the heart behind my songs and artistry.

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical inspirations?

My current biggest inspiration is Claire Rosinkranz! I love how playful and light-hearted her songs are. For my current EP project, I’m quite inspired by Lizzy Mcalpine, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo. Moving forward, though, I’m looking to move into more of a jazz-inspired pop sphere that resembles artists like Beabadoobee, Lindsey Lomis, Olivia Dean, Eloise, and Laufey.

If you could cover any Disney song, which one would you choose? Why?

I would cover "I See the Light" from Tangled! It’s my favorite Disney movie and I think it’s such a sweet song.

What are your immediate musical goals?

I have several musical goals at the moment. Currently being at music school, I’m really trying to sharpen my songwriting skills, as well as my performance and production skills. In addition to that, I’m collaborating with as many people as possible during my time at Berklee. Lastly, I’m working on recording and producing my debut EP, which we’re aiming to release sometime in the spring.

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I am definitely excited for new music!

As always, I want to thank Haley for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview. 

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again, Haley, and good luck reaching your goals!