ALA.NI returns with new music

UK-born and Paris-based artist ALA.NI has always walked her own path in the musical world. She first dazzled listeners back in 2016 with You & I, a self-produced series of releases that felt like it was whispered straight from the past; minimalist, soulful and utterly timeless. It was a collection that earned critical acclaim and even a spot on Later… with Jools Holland, but more than that, it announced an artist whose fierce independence translated into truly a compelling musical vision.

Since then, she’s moved with quiet confidence through the music scene, unpinned by genre and guided instead by instinct, storytelling and a deep sense of place. Her 2020 full-length record ACCA unveiled an exciting new chapter, built almost entirely from layered vocals and beatbox textures, it was an album as daring as it was intimate. With collaborators like LaKeith Stanfield and Iggy Pop, ALA.NI expanded her sound without ever diluting her voice.

Across collaborations with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Andrea Bocelli, Chassol and Jon Batiste, she’s built a career guided by her own compass. Now, after a five-year stretch of creative recalibration and personal transformation, she returns with “Something You Said,” a brand new single that sees her return in emphatic fashion while announcing an upcoming album on the horizon.

Co-produced with French jazz fusion musician Clément Petit, who’s known for his tributes to Ryuichi Sakamoto and work with Roseaux, the track introduces a looser, sunlit sound via a free-flowing blend of calypso, jazz, bossa nova and vintage songwriting, anchored by ALA.NI’s stunning vocals. The song began with a simple guitar idea from longtime collaborator Marvin Dolly and from that point, ALA.NI spun it into a fluttering meditation on early attraction, framing that weightless moment when emotion blooms and time briefly softens around you.

“Something You Said” comes after more than two years living across Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica, time away from Europe that offered a geographical shift as well as a spiritual one, deepening her connection to herself and to the musical traditions that shaped her early life. The result is a breezy jam of gentle pop melodies, swaying rhythm and alluring vocal performance, offering a playful and upbeat listening experience that’s equally intricate and catchy.

Built on a smooth rhythmic shuffle and wrapped up with airy acoustic guitar arrangement, dashed with subtle touches of warm strings and elegant flute, ALA.NI’s silky voice glides above layers of dreamy backing vocals to craft an original and truly enjoyable outing that sees her return at the very top of her game. Paired with the single is a music video directed by ALA.NI herself, offering a vibrant and engaging visual counterpart that perfectly compliments the music.

Watch the music video for Something You Said below

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