MusicsWeek: Who or what are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
ALYA: Some of my biggest musical influences includes individuals like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey.. All the great singing divas. I would say even though I don't have a voice as big as theirs, they gave me hours and years of constant practice to be a better singer because they really inspired me. Also they had such great songs that I was really inspired to sing because of the songs and the meanings behind them.
MusicsWeek: Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics, a melody or something else?
ALYA: Songwriting for me is different every time.. Sometimes it's a nagging melody that won't leave me alone, even in my sleep! Sometimes it'll be a piano melody that I'll sketch out and send to my partner (Tim Carmon) or sometimes, he'll send me a track and I'll write out some ideas.. Some of our favorite songs have been from us just talking and then an idea comes up and we'll jump on it. As in my song Hope, we had a conversation about the bad things that were happening in the world and all of the sadness and trauma and the song was literally written in about 10 min.. It was soooo effortless and is one of my favorite songs ever written.
MusicsWeek: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your music career and how did you overcome it?
ALYA: Challenges come up all the time! Trying to figure out how to break through as a new artist on the scene has been a real challenge and I'm still overcoming it.. I see the break of day coming as each time I reach another person, I get a chance to show my heart to them and hopefully through my songs they understand my heart behind what I do.
MusicsWeek: How do you connect with your fans and what role do they play in your creative journey?
ALYA: I'm very active on my social media channels and as they reach out.. I interact with them. This year we have plans to have even more fan involvement so they can get to know me even more. The fans play a significant role as they help me shape what they enjoy from my songs as I release them. I can do so many styles that I would put out a different sound everyday but the fans responses have also help me understand what they want to hear from me most.. However, when they come to my show, they will get a little bit more of who I am musically and the different styles I enjoy performing.
MusicsWeek: Of all the music you’ve released, which project or song are you most proud of and why?
ALYA: "Hope" for sure is the song that I'm really proud of because it's a song I feel that's needed right now and beyond. This world seems as if it's becoming darker and Hope is a reminder to us all that instead of giving up or in to the sadness etc that we're given and seeing all the time, let's fight to continue to show and give light to this world. The world will be a much better place if we continue to push the narrative of kindness and love.
MusicsWeek: If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and what kind of project would you envision?
ALYA: I would love to have Celine Dion sing on my song "Hope".. I feel that her beautiful voice and heart behind who she is would be the perfect "marriage" or compliment to the song.. For me ... I would just pass out if that dream came true!
MusicsWeek: Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey through your music?
ALYA: The message of "Hope" and love is the message I am pushing and will continue to. It's the only message that can save our world!
MusicsWeek: What do you enjoy most about performing live and how do you prepare for a show?
ALYA: I love how the audience responds when performing live. It's the best feeling and such a rush to know that they enjoy my music and as they sing with me.. It's so overwhelming to know that people are actually listening and learning my music. Soooo rewarding.
Preparing for a show usually is done with working with my vocal coach Nic Cooper (The vocal corner store) and then my partner (Tim Carmon) we get together and talk about what the show's theme is and how we can best address it through our songs.. Then we talk about how to keep it flowing and interesting.. It's many moving parts. I have an all girls band but sometimes they're not all available so sometimes that's also a challenge to figure out who's the best fit for the missing piece. Plenty of praying and meditation is definitely on the list!!
MusicsWeek: How do you see the music industry evolving, especially with the rise of streaming and social media?
ALYA: I feel at this moment everyone in the music business is trying to figure out what to do and no one has a complete answer so we're all searching for our individual answer. It's becoming a wild west out there because there are so many choices.. Good AND bad and the person has to comb through a lot to find the good.. So on one hand it's good and on another it's a challenge because everybody is an artist.. It'll be very interesting to see what it evolves into..
MusicsWeek: What can fans expect from you in the near future? Are there any upcoming projects or tours that you’re excited about?
ALYA: Right now, we'll be releasing "Hope" the sequel in March which will feature some of my industry pals and it's veeeery unique and cool. I'm certain that people are going to really love it. We will also have the "Hope- a letter to God" challenge where we will challenge artists everywhere to jump on our "Hope" track and do their song, rap, spoken word or even instrumental challenge to the track and we wanna hear the creativity that they come back with. I also have a number of tv performances coming up and my own talk show.. So please keep your eyes peeled as I'll announce everything going on, with my IG account for now.. I'm looking forward to meeting all of the cool fans soon!
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