ALA.NI

Born in London yet now based in Paris, the chanteuse ALA.NI crafts and delivers wistful, lovelorn songs that draw on no sounds after the midpoint of the twentieth century. Her passionate but restrained voice, evoking Judy Garland and Billie Holiday instead of present-day performers, glides above minimal, close-knit settings for guitar or piano, while her bittersweet, seductive words spring from personal romantic encounters. ALA.NI first sang as a child, drawing partial impetus from her great uncle, the Grenada-born cabaret star Leslie Hutchinson. Background vocal work for an eclectic array of acts—among them Mary J. Blige, Blur, and Andrea Bocelli—gave her early industry seasoning. Persistent difficulties securing engagements left her dissatisfied with her professional trajectory, however. Time was required before she discovered her own expressive mode, yet the wait yielded rich returns once songwriting commenced, producing pieces that felt spellbinding and singularly detached from their era. Her first album, You & I, took shape in London, including sessions at Damon Albarn’s studio, after which she departed her native city for Paris. Beginning in 2015, the French imprint No Format issued You & I as successive seasonal 7" EPs, the complete collection following in 2016. International praise prompted an American release on Missing Piece Records in 2017.