Press
Alya left her native Russia to follow her American Dream. Drawing on her struggles and triumphs as an immigrant and artist embracing a new culture, the multi-talented singer/songwriter shares the experience on her latest track “American Beauty.”
Welcome Alya, thanks so much for taking time out to talk with us.
Thank you for asking. It was busy as usual, between kid’s home schooling and work to be done.
‘American Beauty’ started a new chapter for me as an artist, with a new producer, unique sound, and the whole new concept of mainstream music heavily connected with a social message. I do not consider myself an entertainer; I am more interested in telling stories and bringing attention to certain social issues that my family and I are passionate about.
‘American Beauty’ is a tale about the beauty of women immigrants enriching our country and first to help in difficult times. It was created together with an exhibit portraying the beauty of feminity through flowers of different continents. I am delighted that we got to the Billboard charts with this song. It is an important and timely topic to talk about
We’re actually still at work. I decided to postpone my second album release because of the pandemic and am trying to use the time smartly, adding a couple more songs.
Bill is a pleasure to work with. He is very respectful to one’s talents and vision and so down to Earth. I was nervous initially since I do not have all these legendary titles, plus I came from a different industry, but we made a great team, and I am in love with the results.
It is very different. Sometimes you have a spark, and sometimes you work it out. What unites everything, I guess, would be a sort of a mood board. I collect ideas, colours, little things, phrases, or quotes that I like, and they become a skeleton for the song.
Early on, I realized that musicians will be hit by the pandemic almost as hard as the restaurant industry. One of the first initiatives that my husband and I did was a donation to the Grammy Fund
If you had to choose, would you pick …
Honest or humble – Honest
Woodland walk or beach stroll – Beach stroll
Book or film – Book
Champagne or caviar – None of them
Jennifer Lopez or Jennifer Aniston – Aniston
Explore the latest music from the comfort of your own inbox
