- Can you please start by telling us who’s behind the name of ALI and how you started making music?
It’s just the diminutive of Alicia, who’s me. Everyone close to me calls me this way, my parents, my friends. So I chose to use it as a way to bring this intimate part of me to whoever is going to listen to my music.
I always loved music but never found myself writing songs till I had so much time to explore it during the quarantine. We all know those were really tough months, and for someone being so far away from home and family, that was a great escape. Thanks to that, I realised I really enjoyed all the process of creating songs and being able to share them with so many people.
- How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Really personal and autobiographical. It’s a direct reflexion on my journey since I moved away from home. The ups and downs of learning how things really work, in this thing called adulthood. In terms of sound, I’d describe it as mellow retro pop. I take quite care of the songwriting as well, a good balance between theme/story and music.
- What is your creative process like?
The way of writing songs has changed a bit during the years. My first songs were written a little bit as a test mode, and now I prioritise much more a concept or an emotion or situation on which to base the songs I write.
I’m also very lucky to be able to count on my producer Yuriy, to whom I can propose an idea broken down as a thousand pieces of puzzle and helps me develop and organize them, besides reflecting very well what I want to transmit with that song with the production and the sound. We tend to sit down on the piano with a brief idea and start laying the lyrics and melody around it, then we pass this whole concept to the laptop and try to figure out how the production can enhance the song itself.
- If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
I’d be honoured to be able to open a show for any artist. The simple idea of someone considering you to open a show it’s already mind blowing. Although I can’t hide that having any of my favourite artists like LÉON or Taylor Swift asking me to open a show for them would be something else.
- What’s the story behind your latest track ‘Lonely’?
‘Lonely’ is inspired by a moment when I felt completely abandoned, I was looking for a point of emotional grip that I could not find in anyone at that precise moment. I think that everyone can identify with the content of these lyrics, we all have had very low moments where we have felt this type of loneliness, in one way or another.
I would like to think that the song can serve as that emotional grip point that sometimes we can’t find, and somehow it can help those who listen to it to feel a little more accompanied.
- If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
As an independent artist, I feel the music industry has completely shifted from just writing amazing songs to writing amazing songs and becoming a marketing expert. It’s true that years ago was really hard for someone to share their music unless it was by being signed by a record label, but now, apart from the beauty of being able to share your music to anyone, the market has also expanded and it’s more competitive than ever. That’s why to be somehow relevant you don’t only need great music but to be able to stand out on any social media platform. Though I don’t mind it as I quite enjoy splitting my creativity on different fields, it gets hard to reach every aspect when you don’t have team behind you.
- What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on my next single which is gonna be released in a couple of months and I’m also planning on releasing my debut album later this year. So this 2024 is going to be pretty fun and intense!
Listen to “Lonely”:
