Alewya
Music has played a significant role in the life of the 25-year-old musician Alewya. Raised in Sudan before moving to London, Alewya’s exposure to music started from a young age as she was influenced by Ethiopian and Arabic sounds. Now signed by Shy FX, Alewya has recently released her first single ‘Sweating’ that beautifully encompasses female power in the form of movement and intimacy. DJ’s Honey Dijon and Breakage have both created remixes for ‘Sweating’ giving the song new levels of energies. Alewya has also collaborated with Little Simz on her track ‘where’s my lighter’. Read on to hear more from Alewya during her interview with Coeval.
What made you want to become a musician?
It was less of a want and more of a given.
Recently you released your debut single ‘Sweating’ that encompasses a feeling of movement, closeness and female power - can you go into more detail about how the song was concepted and produced?
“Sweating” was very organic - Busy Twist produced it and I had the flows, bars and guitar solo. Shy FX looked over it in regards to mixing and mastering and we were good to go.
The music video for ‘Sweating’ beautifully represents the connotations of the lyrics - talk us through the production of the video and who you worked on it with?
Thank you. It was a very standard procedure in so far as creating a video - it was a collaborative project and I worked with a fantastic team - Jack Bowden (dir) who understood what I wanted. The incredible Joel Honeywell who is so talented. My choreographers Kikz Katika and Tania who really managed to get everyone to understand this wasn’t a “performance” - they just embodied the song. My amazing stylist Lee Trigg who styled the whole cast and me. I could go on but the whole team played their role and I am forever grateful to them. It was magic.
Do you enjoying collaborating with other artists? I see you have featured on a song with Little Simz.
I like collaborating with artists organically but I am not a fan of forced interactions for the sake of collaboration. Little Simz is someone I adore, love and respect as a human and it’s so easy with her - we speak the same language and can go off into another world musically just for fun. If it’s as easy as it is with her then I’d totally do more.
You have worked with Honey Dijon and Breakage on remixes for ‘Sweating’ - how did this come about and how have these versions been received by your listeners?
In regards to the remixes, I take to music that doesn’t ask permission to hit you it just goes straight in there and moves you. Physically or spiritually or both. Honey Dijon’s sets, music and mixes do just that. It’s an instant shuffle from mine to her energy which is infectious and I am a fan of all she does. For Breakage, he is one of my favourites. This guy is a genius, he goes in on sound and his drums are second to none. I love drum and bass and jungle - again music that does not ask permission. This remix yeah… different levels of production. A lot more to come with Breakage!
What is the process and story behind the art pieces that you create alongside your music?
There isn’t much of a process, its second nature. I know what goes where and what needs to be created for what song or visual. All one energy expressed through different mediums.
Do you have any upcoming projects we can look forward to?
Yessir.
interview GABY MAWSON
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