Hailing from a quaint town in west Catalonia, Spain, ALI embarked on her musical journey by relocating to London at 18 to immerse herself in the vibrant arts scene of Europe, honing her craft in songwriting. With her debut single "When the Summer's Back" dropping in May 2023 followed by "Hourglass" in August of the same year, she swiftly captured listeners' hearts. Now, on the brink of releasing her latest single "Lonely" on January 19th, 2024, ALI continues to enchant audiences with her poignant melodies.
Inspired by luminaries like LÉON and Taylor Swift, ALI crafts a contemporary pop sound imbued with a serene, soul-stirring quality. Her music serves as a conduit to profound and nostalgic narratives, delving into the intricacies of everyday life for someone far from their roots. As an independent artist, she meticulously oversees every facet of her musical odyssey, from inception to production to release, infusing each creation with her boundless passion and authenticity.
Was there something (an experience) or someone in your life that was the "catalyst" for you to start writing or performing music? Tell us about it!
I’d love to say I always knew I wanted to do this, but I’d be lying. I never quietly knew what I wanted to do. I always loved music and theatre 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 realized I really enjoyed all the process of creating songs and being able to share them
with so many people.
So, how do you approach songwriting or 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 prioritize 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.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Indie Artists today? Or, if you could ask the music industry to change one thing, 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.
If you could share the stage with one other artist or band, who would it be and why?
I’d be honoured to be able to be on show with any artist. The simple idea of someone considering you to share a show it’s already mind blowing. Although Ican’t h ide that having any of my favourite artists like LÉON or Taylor Swift
asking me to open a show for them would be something else.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! If three words just aren't enough, then tell us more!
Really personal, mellow and autobiographical. It’s a direct refection 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 80s/retro pop. I take quite care of the songwriting as well, a good balance between theme/ story and music.
Pick one song that was your greatest challenge to write. Tell us about it!
Each song is a challenge on its own. I might have a clear idea of the topic of the song but at the same time not a single clue on how to lay that idea down onto the paper. Or I might be obsessed with some melody I can’t give words to.
I’d say the firsts songs were somehow tricky as I didn’t have a direction in which I wanted my music to go, now I sometimes find it hard to get the songs to align to the direction I’m taking or for them to meet the expectations to at
least be as good as I know they can be.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else? Tell us why.
I love the songwriting process. I like that moment when you can start to see the song take shape, that the ideas you have start to connect to each other. Though I’d say the most exciting part for me is recording the vocals, to give a
proper character and personality to the lyrics I’ve written. I love creating harmonies and adlibs that might not make it to the track but in a way they lay down the idea of what the final harmonies will be.
What's coming up in the future 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!
Visit ALI's website to learn more.