Singer-songwriter Amy Allen will play ‘Music with a Mission’ on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Amy Allen, the Windham native who’s making a name for herself as a singer-songwriter, is coming back to her hometown for a performance Saturday night at the North Windham Union Church.

Allen, who was on tour last month in Chicago, grew up in Windham and attended Windham schools before moving with her family to South Portland at age 15. Now 22, Allen is working hard to win a loyal, local fan base and hopes to keep playing and performing to larger and larger audiences nationwide.

Her music has been compared with Adele, Nora Jones, and Taylor Swift, and her most recent EP, “Other Side of Somewhere,” was just released last month to great reviews, said Dr. Rick Nickerson, minister of music for North Windham Union Church.

“Amy has become a real favorite with audiences throughout southern Maine, and we are very excited to welcome her back to Windham to perform this summer,” Nickerson said. “Her career has taken off in recent years, so it will be fun to showcase her talent for local fans and summer visitors, too.”

Allen has played on WCSH Channel 6’s program “207,” at the Old Port Festival, the L.L. Bean concert series, and has opened for Ben Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, and many others. She also appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “The Voice” and recently completed her third CD release.

The Lakes Region Weekly caught up with Allen between summer performances to ask her about the upcoming Music with a Mission performance in North Windham.

Q: Are you looking forward to coming back to Windham for a performance?

A: Yes! Windham will always be home to me. My grandparents actually still live here, so I’m lucky enough to get to come back and visit every so often!

Q: Did you have any local influences growing up?

A: I have always looked up to the Jerks of Grass, a local bluegrass band, because they always play from the heart and taught me how to play guitar! Also, I have to give some credit to my elementary school music teacher Mrs. [Nancy] Cash Cobb, who ignited my love of music at such a young age.

Q: You chose the Windham Primary School Playground Fund as the beneficiary of the concert. Was that because your mother, Melissa Allen, taught there?

A: I chose the Playground Fund because some of my fondest childhood memories took place on that playground. Even after school, my parents used to take us to that playground and we’d just run around and play for hours on end. I can’t help but smile whenever I think of those swings, and the seesaw, and the curving monkey bars, and I want other children to grow and say the same.

As for my mother, she is an amazing woman who inspires me on a daily basis. She is without a doubt the strongest woman I know and continues to give back to the community via her volunteer work with Houses of Healing, which is a program she teaches to women at the Maine Correctional Center. On top of that, she continues to serve as in incredible role model with her unending love and support as a mother and friend, as well as a stellar triathlete. So proud to be her daughter.

Q: You’re making a name for yourself performing regularly around Maine and on TV. Where else have you performed and what are your ultimate goals in the music business?

A: I love performing in Maine because it’s always nice to see family and friends in the crowd. However, this summer I have been touring quite a bit and hitting other locations such as Boston, New York City, Chicago and many others. Right now my goal is to write and perform my songs as much as possible so that I can create connections with others through music and give back to the world around me.

Q: You write your own songs. Where do you find inspiration?

A: As an active college student and one of three sisters, I often find myself on material overload. The reason why I love songwriting is because it allows people to connect and find common threads with one another. We all experience love, sadness, happiness, rejection, etc., so I’ve come to realize that the more honest I can be about my stories in my lyrics, the more people can relate to and appreciate my songs.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My sisters, my parents, and, of course, my friends. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by all of these amazingly talented people who can teach me about the world and about myself. Every relationship I have serves as continuous inspiration for my songs.

Q: What are some of your favorite songs or lyrics that you’ve written?

A: I have definitely written some of my favorite, most personal lyrics in the past few months. Most are in songs that I am still in the process of writing, so we will have to wait and see how those come out! But in general, out of the songs I have released to date, my two favorites are “Rip Up Your Heart” and “So It Goes,” both found on my newest EP “Other Side of Somewhere” available at Bullmoose!

Q: You were in Chicago last week? What was that like? Are you getting used to traveling around?

A: I loved Chicago. Such a beautiful, welcoming city. And of course, the fact that I was there to listen to and perform music definitely added to the experience. I’ve been so lucky to be on the road with two of my best friends (Adam Kronowski and Dave Colicchio, the other two-thirds of my trio), and the three of us have really shared some amazing experiences this summer playing around the country. So far so good with life on the road.

Q: Is this your full-time job? Are you going to school? What else is going on in your life?

A: This summer, playing, writing, recording and touring is my full-time job. However, starting in September, I will return to being a full-time student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I’m a songwriting major.

Q: What songs will you play in Windham?

A: In Windham I’ll be playing a mix of newer and older tunes. I like playing a little bit of new and old material because some of the first songs I ever wrote still mean the most to me. It’s also fun because I get to put new spins on songs of mine that some people will hopefully already recognize.

A CLOSER LOOK

At 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, Amy Allen will perform at the North Windham Union Church in the seventh installment this year of the Music with a Mission concert series. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $12 for adults and $10 for students, children, and seniors. The box office opens at 6:15 p.m. and the doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The North Windham Union Church is located at 723 Roosevelt Trail. For more information, call 892-7149 or email [email protected].

Amy Allen, a Windham native, will perform Saturday night at North Windham Union Church as part of the Music with a Mission concert series.