written by Rayana Anargya & Vidiandra Azzahra Hariadi
Newcomer in Indonesia’s music scene, Alya Syahrani, has just released her debut single – “Still You”, officially marking her musical career. The upbeat, yet easygoing tune of “Still You” unravels the emotions that are encased when emotionally stuck in the past. “Still You” tells the tale of someone who is unable to move forward, feeling trapped by their inability to let things go, and still dawning on what has happened in their lives.
During our interview with Alya, she emphasized that the best example that signified what “Still You” is about is one about being romantically stuck, whereby someone may have appeared to have moved on by seeing someone new, yet their emotional state is constantly filled with unspoken and complex feelings regarding their ex. However, despite the emotional depth behind the song, the tune remains upbeat and easy to listen to, signifying how Alya herself sees the past, as one not to regret, but one to cherish and gladly look back on.
The single itself is a reflection of the joys that are able to emerge from unforeseen circumstances, as the opportunity for her venture into the music industry was brought upon her yearning for productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this difficult time, Alya believes that the internet has really played a major role in the music industry. With the majority of people spending time at home and with little entertainment, Alya sees this as the perfect time to release the single, as that’s where the people are. The pandemic, despite its tremendously grievous impact, has somewhat sparked an opportunity for those with a creative mind, as they’re given this chance of staying at home and allow for the creative process to take place, truly showcasing how beauty is able to emerge from such grave tragedy.
With that said, the creative process of creating Still You is remarkably invaluable to Alya, as this marks her first experience of having full creative control in writing her first song. With help from her friend, Rafi Sudirman, in the production aspect of the single, Alya has proudly accomplished her first dive into the music industry as not only a singer, but also as a songwriter.
In terms of inspiration, Alya states that her new pop r&b single was primarily influenced by Lalah Hathaway, PJ Morton, and John Mayer. It’s quite reflected in her new single, and it explains a lot about where she gets the catchy beat in her song.
According to Alya, one of the best advice she’s gotten in relations to music would be to just start. When hesitating about the process, the most important thing to do is just start doing something, regardless of how significant it might seem, because once you have started, you’ll know where things are going wrong, what things you want to fix, and whether the results are good or not.
Making mistakes is a part of the process, and the important thing is to learn from them for the future. You will know what works best for yourself by pushing through. Secondly, she also believes in the concept of “go big or go home”, stating that if you are already working at something you like doing, do it wholeheartedly, and with all your strength, because otherwise you will lose to other people. You have to be responsible for what you have done and be proud of whatever it is that you’ve been able to accomplish.
Music, in Alya’s point of view, isn’t only merely something she enjoys. She believes that music is a medium of self expression and self exploration, allowing her to convey her emotions through her lyrics, which in the end, helps encourage self-discovery.
“Musik adalah salah satu media buat express yourself & explore diri gue biar kenal diri sendiri”
“Music is a media for expressing yourself and exploring myself so that I’m able to better understand myself “
Overall, what Alya desires from the release of her single is for people to hopefully accept and be able to enjoy the music she has created. She hopes that the lyrics and the message written within the single would be reflected upon, and the scenario of being will-fully stuck to something in the past is something that a lot of people are able to relate to.
“Still You” is available now on all digital streaming platforms.
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