Beat Battle Profile: Molly Sierra
Molly Sierra collecting her prizes as the winner of the Vocalist Category in the 2023 SoCal Beat Battle.
Trust me: dedicate three minutes to Molly Sierra’s “The Fold.” It opens with propulsive fingerpicking and vocals that feel both elegant and effortless, then gradually layers in synths, horns, and ambient textures. Tension builds as it winds. Just after the two minute mark, Molly hits the big red button. The whole thing combusts into a rich, cathartic B section that’s imbued with the power of a Smashing Pumpkins record. She wrote and recorded the whole thing in her bedroom, submitted it to the Vocalist Category of the 2023 SoCal Beat Battle and won.
Molly in the music video for “The Fold.”
Vocalist judges Jae Stephens and Kenyon Dixon, artists with GRAMMY nominations and heavyweight résumés, named her track among their top three picks from hundreds of submissions. That earned her the first-place prize: a MacBook Air and a full suite of pro-level studio gear. Until then, she’d been making magic with an old laptop and entry-level audio gear. The new tools, mentorship, and confidence boost helped launch her into the next phase of her career: a gigging musician in New York City earning her degree at one of the most prestigious music programs out there, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU.
Molly and Jae Stephens right before Jae announced that Molly won.
Molly onstage in New York City.
Molly has been writing, recording, and sharing music online since 2020 with the launch of her TikTok, YouTube, Instagram channels. She has amassed over 30K followers across all platforms and millions of plays. The majority of her videos consist of her effortlessly playing piano or guitar and singing covers. Some of these videos, like her rendition of “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith, have gone proper viral. That TikTok has over two million plays!
As the 5th Annual SoCal Beat Battle gets underway, we wanted to check in with Molly and hear what she’s been up to since getting crowned a champion in 2023. I caught up with her as she was finishing her finals in New York:
Lawrence Grey:
For those that weren’t at the 2023 SoCal Beat Battle or haven’t heard your stuff, please let us know a little about who you are and the music you make.
Molly Sierra:
I’m Molly Sierra, a sophomore at the Clive Davis Institute at NYU. I previously attended the Los Angeles High School for the Arts, where I studied music. I’m a singer-songwriter and producer, and I make folk-pop music.
LG:
You won 1st place in the vocalist category for your song “The Fold.” What was that song about? How did you make it?
MS:
I wrote “The Fold” in the midst of an existential crisis—trying to make sense of my own mortality and faith. This song was an outlet to explore that blurry space between hopelessness and quiet acceptance, where you stop demanding answers and just follow the path, even if you don't know where it leads. I recorded it on Logic in my bedroom, starting with acoustic guitar and vocals. I stacked electric guitar and bass and added a bunch of midi parts; horns, synths, drums, and other random sounds. I wanted the music to match the emotional intensity, so the song really builds at the end.
LG:
You won a ton of prizes that night: a MacBook Air, studio monitors, a MIDI keyboard, headphones, and a microphone. How did all of that kit affect your creativity after the battle?
MS:
Up until that point, I had a very limited setup: my computer, a sh***y mic, and a Focusrite interface. It was really exciting to be able to expand my musical tool kit.
LG:
What would you recommend this year’s beat battle hopefuls do to break through the many hundreds of submissions we will receive?
MS:
Honestly, I had no intention of winning the beat battle. I submitted my song just as a why not. I’ve always considered myself a songwriter first, so to win a production battle really gave me a confidence boost to produce my own music. If I had any advice, it would be to focus on making something that feels like you rather than trying to guess what the judges want. Lean into your strengths, keep the arrangement clear, and don’t overthink it.
LG:
You studied music technology with YPG instructor Ian Ellison at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). What creative, technical, and interpersonal skills did you develop in that class? How have they served you post-high school?
MS:
Up until high school, I was strictly a GarageBand user, if that gives you any idea of my early production skills. I’d never considered myself a producer before taking Ian’s class at LACHSA. I had never even touched Ableton, so it was the perfect excuse to dive in and start learning from scratch.
I feel incredibly lucky to have gone to a high school that fueled my passion and exposed me to musical roles I’d never considered before. Having six hours a week dedicated to making music was such a formative experience. It taught me creativity under time constraints and how to collaborate and communicate with others about musical ideas. Those interpersonal skills were just as important as learning the software.
Now, as a student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, I carry so much of what I learned from that class with me. In DAW courses, engineering classes, and even when working alongside other producers, I know the language to communicate exactly what I want.
LG:
What are you up to now? How do you feel like your high school experience prepared you, or not, for what you’re doing today?
MS:
I’m about to release my second project, which I wrote and co-produced. I’m juggling being a college student and a working musician in NYC. My time at LACHSA was really formative–I learned how to experiment in a DAW, approach projects with both creativity and discipline, but most importantly, I got to be surrounded with other creative people. It gave me a place to fail, try new things and figure out my voice, which is invaluable now that I’m writing, producing, and making decisions about my own music. Above all, I gained confidence to pursue what I love.
LG:
What’s next for you Molly? What should people be looking out for from here?
MS:
I’m about to release my second song, so keep an eye out for that. I’m gigging in NYC venues but maybe you can catch me in LA when I’m back on breaks. Beyond that, I’m still writing and producing more of my own music and collaborating with other artists.
LG:
Anything else you want the people to know?
MS:
Stream my debut song “Joshua” !!
Molly and Lawrence with the other first-place finishers in 2023.
Ok–to recap, beat battlers, you need to
“focus on making something that feels like you rather than trying to guess what the judges want. Lean into your strengths, keep the arrangement clear, and don’t overthink it.”
And remember, her winning song was recorded with the tools she had before winning the beat battle. The judges aren’t looking for perfectly polished production, they’re looking for artists with something to say and a unique voice to say it with.
We couldn’t be more proud of Molly. The same work ethic, artistic voice, and raw talent that won her category in 2023 is now propelling her to an amazing career as an artist. Molly’s story reminds us that you don’t need a perfect setup to make something meaningful—you just need to keep your head down and grind. Whether you’re a teacher encouraging your students to take a creative risk, or a young artist wondering if your voice matters: it does. The 2023 Beat Battle judges saw it in Molly. Now it’s your turn.
Head to the SoCal Beat Battle page to get all of the details or head straight to the submission form to submit your music!
And don’t forget to follow Molly on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram!
The SoCal Beat Battle is a partnership between Young Producers Group and Soundtrap for Education.
