Ride Along is out now!
Image: She Is Aphrodite.
Alt-pop songstress AYLA recently unveiled her new single, Ride Along, accompanied by the news of her signing to Italian label Ego Records. To celebrate the release, the singer has shared with MILKY the artists and producers who have had the most impact on her current sound.
Speaking of the track, AYLA shares: “Ride Along is about not sitting back and being walked over anymore - not just going along with what people expect of you, but taking a stand and making things happen for yourself, and in your own way. I think a lot of people expect life has to go a certain way - get a job, get married, have kids etc - but I think we can do things in whichever order we want, as well as leave behind or add in anything that might have once seemed unconventional. It’s also easy to get stuck in a cycle of doing what other people expect of you. I think I’ve especially found that with my music career, as it is a different kind of path to take, so I didn’t really have any set guidelines and found myself leaning too heavily on what others thought I should do. I feel like this song and project marks the start of a new era where I’m doing what I want to do with my music. “
SARAH BLASKO
Sarah has always been the ideal reference for me in regards to the delicate balance she keeps between the ‘live’ and ‘electronic’ sounds in her music. Her beautiful voice is always standing at the forefront of her tracks, keeping her melodies and lyrics in primary focus - which has also been another guidance point for my own music. Sarah’s career trajectory is also something I admire; growing organically through true fans, to reaching household name status, all the while remaining true to the way she wants to produce her art.
LANA DEL REY
Lana has been an influence since I was young, and I've been playing her again a lot lately. I love how her music isn't just the background sound, but it is the story that makes your present the background. It transports you and puts you in its own world. I love Lana's attitude in her music, as well as her easy going vocals that let the enchanting melody and lyrics do all the work for them. I love the swelling guitars, layered and spacey vocals, and the off beat percussion.
T-SCARLET
T-Scarlet is a Brisbane artist I got to know at a show where we were sharing the bill. I LOVE his production and music, so I reached out and we started working on a song together. I love how his production uses real instruments like voice and guitars, and just puts a spin on them using production effects. He has a beautiful voice and weaves dreamy melodies, while still delivering power and emotion.
JOHN MAYER
John has always been one of my favourites. I’ve always admired his skills across areas; singing, playing and songwriting. I love John's story as well, how he went to Berkley thinking he wanted to be the best technical guitar player in the world, but then dropped out, realising he actually just wanted to make music people enjoyed listening to. I love John's songwriting and listened to his work while I was growing up in my mid-teens. I respect and try to reflect the use of clever imagery and lyricism, while still retaining pop sensibility.
GRAACE
I've been listening to a lot of Graace lately. I love the imagery and emotion she injects into her vocals. I find Graace also has a great mix of that electronic to acoustic instrumentation - about the balance I'd like to have, though she uses a lot more piano where I use more guitar. I love that some of her tracks have really sparse production, and yet still get the story across with such a hard hit. She has some interesting sentiments she writes about, as well as using some unusual wording, which has been an influence on me lately.
Ride Along is out now!