We recently chatted with Alya about her recent single Dreaming, her career and inspiration for writing songs.
1. Your new single ‘Dreaming’ takes us back to your childhood, when you would imagine what falling in love might feel like. What do you think your younger self would make of the life and love you’ve experienced since then?
Very interesting question! ‘If I knew then what I know now’, my younger self seeing all that I’ve gone through, would’ve kept me away from relationships knowing that all that glitters is not gold! She also would’ve told me to trust my inner voice and believe what I feel and would’ve devised a plan to skip straight to the happily ever after part.
2. You’ve spoken about growing up in a culture where romantic dreams weren’t necessarily encouraged. Did music become a way for you to explore those feelings and express things you perhaps couldn’t say openly?
Absolutely and of course. Music was my shelter and my safe place to retreat to whenever I wanted to go to “dreamland” and explore my feelings in the way that was prohibited culture wise. The funny thing was that when I shared my songs, people thought they were just good songs not realizing that I was actually revealing my feelings.
3. ‘Believer’ and ‘Dreaming’ explore two very different points in your life, but they’re connected by the idea of finding love. Was it always your intention to tell these stories together, or did that connection develop naturally as you were writing?
My project “In The Moment” that will be released in spring 2027 is my diary/life journal expressed in song. You will hear the ups, the downs, the longings, the pain, and the victories. These two songs are pages from that diary that I was finally ready to share.
4. You’ve described much of your upcoming album as coming from the “diary of my mind”, which is such a lovely way of putting it. Have you always found it easy to turn your thoughts and experiences into songs, or has that become more natural as you’ve grown as an artist?
More like the “diary of my life”! Turning my life into songs has always been my way of figuring things out, releasing emotions, and documenting my growth. If you really want to learn about who I am, listen to my songs, it’s all in there in a poetic way.
5. The idea for ‘Dreaming’ first came about while you were experimenting with instruments in your home studio. Do you tend to approach songwriting with a particular story or emotion in mind, or do you sometimes find that the music leads you somewhere completely unexpected?
My approach to songwriting is completely random. Most of the time it comes from what I’m dealing with or have dealt with that I’ll document and then the melody finds me. My approach to ‘Dreaming’ was different though. I wanted to challenge myself to come up with the groove and basic music and it worked out really well. My producer Tim kept laughing in disbelief, and now I’ve opened up a can of worms because he’s been pushing me to be more involved with the musical instrumentation aspect.
6. Your music draws inspiration from everything from Slavic folk to contemporary pop, and you’ve worked with artists from so many different musical backgrounds. How has bringing those influences together helped you discover your own sound?
I believe my “sound” is always developing. I never want to stay stagnant. I have found my niche so to speak in the room while working with the different artists and it seems to complement what they bring to the songs.
7. You’ve worked alongside some incredible musicians throughout your career, including Eric Clapton, and your collaboration with White Sun earned you a Grammy Award. Is there a particular piece of advice or experience from working with another artist that has stayed with you?
Each time I work with a different artist, I realize that the last experience doesn’t fit with the next one. The one thing I’ve learned is to stay consistent. Consistently be myself I would say is the lesson I keep coming back to and my biggest takeaway from these experiences.
8. Your journey has taken you from growing up in Eastern Europe to building a life and career in Los Angeles. How much have those different places and experiences influenced the stories you want to tell through your music?
I wouldn’t say the ‘places’ have influenced my songs and stories as much as the experiences I’ve had in those places. My song writing consists much more of the interaction I’ve encountered with people and what I had to do to navigate, grow and learn in those times no matter where they were.
9. Your upcoming album is set for release early next year, and you’ve spoken about how effortlessly the songs came together. Has creating this record helped you understand anything new about yourself, either personally or as a musician?
As a musician absolutely because I’ve been able to try things out that I never thought I would be brave enough to do. That comes from being in a comfortable environment which is why I love working with my creative team. They push me to reach outside of what I thought was the ceiling. Since 95% of the album is written lyrically from the diary of my life, I can absolutely see the growth from where I was to where I am.
10. Looking back at the young girl who spent her nights dreaming about love and imagining what her future might hold, is there anything you wish you could tell her now, knowing everything you’ve experienced and achieved?
Trust what that inner voice tells you. It’s almost never wrong. Believe what you see and trust in yourself. It’s the only way.
