Thirty-year-old Ali Tamposi—the 35X platinum Grammy-nominated songwriter-slash-musical powerhouse who’s written for Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Kelly Clarkson (she’s the mastermind behind “Stronger”), Justin Bieber, and Cardi B., to name a few—has been spending the last few months staying put in Malibu and kicking-off something very near and dear: the Creative Waves Foundation, an organization she’s co-running with her mom that provides music scholarships and lessons for under-privileged youth. We recently caught up with Tamposi, who shared her desert island SPF, go-to hair repair, adult-acne cure and what’s bringing her “deep fulfillment” in a time of turmoil.
What have you been doing to stay centered during all of this?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and off-balance with so many uncertainties in the world right now. However, this time has given me the opportunity to reevaluate how I live my life. I feel that routines have always played an important role in staying centered, but I’m also trying to be easy on myself and eliminate unnecessary pressures. Fortunately, I live in California where the climate is conducive to outdoor activities, so my fiancé and I have been surfing and spending a lot of time outdoors. I always feel more at ease when I’m connected to nature. Eckart Tolle has also been a wonderful guide; as well as working on my foundation, Creative Waves, which has brought me deep fulfillment.
You’re a beach girl, based in Malibu and a surfer. What does that mean for your beauty routine?
The ocean has so many therapeutic, healing qualities for both inner and outer beauty. It feels like the world stops and I’m one with nature when I catch a wave. I feel very fortunate to be able to wake up in the morning and surf Point Dume because it always helps to balance out my day.
Because spending long periods in the ocean and the sun is a big part of my daily routine, it definitely affects the products I use. Most importantly, I always make sure to take really good care of my skin and wear sunscreen with a high SPF—I swear by Supergoop PLAY Everyday SPF 50 with Sunflower Extract. The saltwater can be super disruptive on my hair so I use Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector to combat this. Funny enough, the saltwater is alternatively therapeutic on my skin, as well! Throughout my adult life, I’ve struggled with hormonal acne. Through the combination of the saltwater and my dermatologist Dr. Madh Chadha—who is a literal skin-savior—we’ve been able to find a routine to keep it under control. My nightly routine consists of my resurfacing cleanser, triple rebalancing moisturizer and vitamin C serum.
Part of your job is going to awards shows on the regular. Do you miss doing the whole glam routine?
There’s always an equal element of stress and excitement with award shows. The glam routine for these shows is always a lot of work, but throughout the years I’ve grown to find new ways of enjoying them. For example, I started working with my best friend Axi Mines, a Miami-based producer, and stylist who I grew up with. Axi has put together some of my favorite looks, and I always trust her to be spot-on with my taste. Most importantly, she knows me well enough to know what I’ll feel the most comfortable in.
What projects are you most excited for as the year winds down?
In the past few months, I’ve been very fortunate and excited to collaborate with some of the artists that have inspired my career. Most of my creative community has adapted to working virtually from home so we’ve been utilizing the downtime to write as much as we can.
Besides songwriting, a lot of my focus has been on my foundation, Creative Waves. My mission is to help underserved children with a passion for the arts. I partnered with my mother, Candace Tamposi, a longtime school administrator with a commitment to the arts in schools and a history of fundraising for children. Our purpose is to assist artists in their pursuits by providing scholarship money for studies and proper equipment. We’ve funded many individuals but our major commitment has been to the migrant worker children in the farming community of Belle Glade, Florida. By partnering with the First Haitian Baptist Church, we’re on track to build a new Enrichment Center as their current building is condemned.
Along with Creative Waves, I’ve partnered with my close friend and founder of Nvak, Tamar Kaprelian, to develop a free music education platform called “Song Start.” We’ve gathered Berkeley and Columbia graduates as well as top music industry professionals to help develop the e-learning curriculum. Our mission is to provide access to quality music education to students around the world. Especially in a time when schools lack funding and proper resources. My Instagram will have all the updates as we prepare to launch some of our initial lessons in the coming weeks.
