FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
that I want to include in this feature. Joy Crookes is among those that I am thinking of. One artist I have been following for several years now is Snoh Aalegra. The L.A.-based Swedish artist released her third studio album, TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES, in July. I have been a fan of Aalegra since her debut album, Feels, in 2017. In fact, I go back a couple of years before that. She is a tremendous artist who was mentored by the late Prince. There are not too many interviews with her from the last couple of years or so. I am going to quote a couple of reviews for TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES. A few of the interviews relate to her 2019 album, - Ugh, those feels again. I think that Snoh Aalegra’s latest album is her best work yet. A hugely powerful artist who has the likes of Tyler, the Creator in the mix, her music is funky, soulful, sexy and hugely memorable! The first interview that I want to source from is GOAT. They spoke with the rising and hugely talented Aalegra back in 2019. It is interesting discovering when her love for music was first struck:
“I know that your real name is Snoh, but what inspired the stage name Snoh Aalegra?
It took me a while to decide on a stage name to go with Snoh. Eventually, I came across the name “allegra” which means “joyful” in Italian. I switched up the spelling to make it my own with the two a’s. I wanted to bring a positive energy to my name since I really believe words are powerful.
When did you discover your love for music?
I knew my calling at a very young age. I would say I was nine years old when I made my first attempt to write a song. It didn’t make any sense grammatically since English is my third language, and I wasn’t too good at it as a nine-year-old. But the passion was always there from the start. I have an otherworldly love for music, something I have a hard time describing with words. It’s a strong feeling.
A few years ago in an interview, you mentioned you were signed to Sony at the age of 14. Would you recommend committing to a label at such a young age?
Things have changed so much since then, and I would definitely not recommend that anyone jump at a label deal. I would advise taking your time and building an organic, grassroots foundation. Now with the internet, there are endless opportunities and countless other ways to reach people.
PHOTO CREDIT: Angella Choe
You grew up in Uppsala, Sweden and also spent some time in the U.K. before moving to the U.S. and settling down in L.A. How do you view the difference between the U.K. music scene and music culture in the U.S.?
I really appreciate the music scene in the U.K. They have a great love for new artists and a great live music scene. I feel like they are always ahead of the game because they’re so much more open to new artists. The U.S. is tough. You’re always competing with what’s on the radio here, and I’m not really making the kind of music that is popular on the radio. But I can feel a slow switch happening. People are becoming more open to artists like myself.
Are you familiar with some of the rising U.K. artists like Ella Mai and Jorja Smith? Could you see yourself collaborating with either of them?
Yes, of course. Both of those ladies are super dope, and I could see myself working with both of them. I’ve actually already been writing in the studio with Jorja. We have great chemistry.
There’s a stigma that women in the music industry today compete rather than collaborate with each other. Is this something you’ve experienced?
This is something I’m definitely in my feelings about. I have the dopest queens in the world in my DMs congratulating me, telling me they are fans. Most are, like, 10 times bigger than me and have a huge voice with major impact on their social channels. I feel beyond happy when they reach out, but I can’t help but wonder why they don’t support me in public. If I love a female artist in my own lane, I scream loud with support and would be so happy if they did as well. In my eyes, the more people who do well with a similar sound to mine, the easier it gets for me to break through. I love good music, and I don’t discriminate in my support of it. Also, you never know; I was told Rihanna once opened for Ciara. You never know who is going to be who in the future. If female artists would collaborate and merge their brands the way that male artists and rappers do, our voices together would be larger than life and an unstoppable force. Shoutout to the handful of goddesses who do support on the regular. Not all females are that way!”.
NR Magazine chatted with Snoh Aalegra in 2019 to promote her second studio album. An artist who stands out and will be making phenomenal music for years to come, one can hear influences like Prince, Michael Jackson and other icons. I was especially intrigued by the question regarding how she puts songs together – and whether she begins with lyrics or the music:
“NR Magazine: First of all, it’s just been announced that you’ve signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation; how does that feel, and what does this mean for your music?
Snoh Aalegra: Yeah, I mean, I’m very happy about it all. Me and my team, we’ve been working our asses off, doing everything ourselves for so many years. And I have a really small team of like three people, and at some point, we were like, ‘Ok, it’s time to expand.’ I mean, we work around the clock and we needed to delegate some of this insane workload. Talking to labels was a natural next step in my journey, and our journey as a team. I think choosing Roc Nation was just the most organic way to go; there’s a pre-existing relationship and respect there already, you know. No I.D. [Snoh’s producer] is close with Jay-Z, TY TY, Jay Brown and everybody, and I feel like no matter how big their company gets, they still operate like one big family. And I think that’s something that’s very important to have for me, in contrast to other cutthroat, hype-driven labels. I look at Jay-Z, his close circle of people and see the insane careers they’ve built for themselves and the help they’ve given so many other artists. And as far as my creative process goes, that will stay the same. I mean, I always strive to evolve and learn, but I definitely have a particular way of how I like things to be done and that will probably never change.
NR: Something that interests a lot of people is that Prince was your mentor when he was alive; what do you think he’d say knowing where you’ve got to today?
SA: Yeah, it’s interesting cos he really told me to never sign with a major label, and when I met him, I was with a major label. He was like, ‘Get out of this deal!’ and I did; I went indie. But, funny enough, I know one person that he really respected and trusted, even with his own catalogue, was Jay-Z. So, I feel like I’ve made the right decision and he probably would have supported this too”.
NR: When it comes to the composition, where do you begin? Do you start with the lyrics, an idea or a sound?
SA: It really begins with me, walking into the room, knowing the mood – there’s always a mood. Sometimes, it’s just only me and an engineer, and I’m there writing the whole thing myself, either to a beat, or I make up melodies and lyrics – and then I have somebody come play for me. Sometimes I like to bounce off ideas with a co-writer or with a producer and work that way. I’m all for either ways. It’s really about myself and my life, so it’s super important that it’s all authentic to me. And if I bounce off with somebody, they need to know that it’s really personal to me. And that’s why I don’t really write with a lot of people. So, sometimes, I already have a lyric idea; sometimes it’s like, I’m jamming to a beat. My favourite is probably jamming to live music where I’m just jamming with live musicians. That’s probably my favourite way to work.
NR: Ugh, Those Feels Again was a year or so in the making: How do you know when something’s complete and ready to go?
SA: I think it’s just a feeling you have. Like, I’m ready to put this out; I’m ready for people to hear this. And it’s not always that it’s perfect, or that you feel like, ‘Oh I have a hit, I have this, I have that’. I had no idea how people would react to the album. All I knew was how it made me feel and that it was, you know, a good feeling. For me, it’s about what I want to have said on a project, and if I expressed these emotions. My projects are like time capsules of my life. So, this album that’s out right now, was the sum up of what happened after a break up and what I was going through – reminiscing back on why we broke up, how we broke up. Songs like Charleville 9200, Pt. II, songs like Love Live That and You, reflect on the break up. And then, I was single for a whole year making the album, experiencing new love or situations, so songs like Situationship and I Want You Around describe that feeling when you just met somebody new, and you want them to be around them, but you don’t really know where it’s gonna go. So, that’s a mix of a whole year for me.
NR: Being able to look back on the journey you’ve taken, is there anything you would have done differently – or something that you’ve really learned from that’s shaped who you are today?
SA: I’ve learned to not be a people pleaser; I used to be a people pleaser because, you know, I was signed for the first time when I was thirteen. And, I had a lot of respect for authority, listening to people telling me what to do, and what not to do. I didn’t have my own voice. Things were really different when I was thirteen, or even when I was eighteen, to being a teenager now. We’re way more educated, smarter, we have more access to information, to make music and to have a reach. When I was a growing up, there was no SoundCloud or Instagram. So, for me, I had to go through labels –that was the only option. I put a lot of trust in other people around me and I didn’t know what I was doing; I was a kid. So, I think yeah: that’s something I’ve learned – stop being a people pleaser. Do your own thing. Life’s too short to do something you don’t want to do. And, I stand up for myself more than ever and I don’t take things personal. It’s a whole big game for everybody in the industry; it’s not just about the artists – there’s a whole political game. For artists, nothing is set for us, basically. It’s crazy how it’s a whole world of politics, and artists get really affected by this. And now I work with family so I know that they would never fuck me over.
NR: Finally then, if you were to work on a film score of your own, what would be the ideal project for that
SA: James Bond. 007. That’s always something that’s been on the bucket list; if that were ever to happen, that would be super crazy. It’s been a goal of mine cos I’m a big fan of the James Bond soundtracks. License to Kill - Gladys Knight, Golden Eye - Tina Turner, or like, Gold Finger - Shirley Bassey: they’re some of my favourite songs and compositions. So yeah, that would be a dream cos I would want to make a song like that”.
Before coming to a couple of reviews for the fantastic TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES, there is a Stylist interview from 2019 that I want to include. It is more of a quick-fire conversation, where we get to discover about the firsts of a Swedish artist who is going to be iconic very soon:
“The first album I bought…
Was Robyn’s debut Robyn Is Here. That was the first CD I bought myself, but I had a lot of cassettes at home. My mum would always play a lot of music in the house – Shirley Bassey and Whitney Houston. And I was part of the MTV generation; seeing music videos like Michael Jackson’s Thriller was a magical thing for a kid.
The first gig I went to…
Was a Backstreet Boys concert. It was kind of crazy, there were a lot of people fainting and pushing each other. It was kind of dangerous, to be honest.
The first time I knew music was my future…
Was at a very young age. I grew up admiring Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin. They are the people who made me want to make music. R&B and soul is why I make music.
The first thing I do in the morning…
Is check my phone, unfortunately.
The first thing I do when I get home…
Is take my shoes off. I live in a small studio apartment in LA so there’s not much to do – I just come home, throw myself on the bed, take a few deep breaths and then take it from there.
The first thing I heard this morning…
Is one of my friend’s new songs, his name is Lou Val. He’s an artist from Toronto and I played his song Soul-catcher when I woke up.
The first thing I’ll spend money on…
Is probably make-up, I take all my make-up everywhere I go. I have a habit of drawing freckles on my face, I’ve been doing it since I was 14 but I’ve noticed it’s a trend now. Also good food – food over everything – and I’m into headphones and music gear too. I invest a lot in my music – as an independent artist you kind of have to.
The first person who inspired me…
Is Michael Jackson, he’s had the biggest impact on me. There was so much about him, he was so unique. His voice, his moves. And then there was so much in his artistry, so much he invented: the glove, the socks, the glitter. He’s my inspiration when I bring lots of glitz and glamour to the stage”.
I think that the next year or two is going to be pivotal for Snoh Aalegra. Having released three studio albums and with her profile rising, here is an artist that everyone needs to be aware of. Her latest studio album is a tremendously fun, fulsome and layered release where one will keep coming back. This is what NME said in their assessment:
“That’s the effect that Aalegra has on her bright and searching third full-length effort, ‘Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies’. From the spacey 808s of ‘Taste’ to the delicately layered harmonies of ‘Tangerine Dream’, she shows off her voice at its rawest over impeccable production, and even flutes up to a gentle falsetto on ‘Just Like That’.
‘Lost You’, a slick ode to the importance of learning to let go, allows her tender and forgiving vocals to whirl around a lush R&B arrangement. But it’s on ‘Dying 4 Ur Love’ where she really enthralls: a woozy number that gently taps into G-funk’s laid-back vibe, the song is effortlessly held together by the way she rarely rises above a sultry hush.
Throughout the rest of the album, Aalegra leans into her hit-making potential. ‘Neon Peach’ employs California’s Tyler, The Creator for a typically exuberant verse, while ‘In Your Eyes’, with its cheeky whoops and booming bassline, sees her occasionally stretch into a rap-like cadence for a repeated, mantra-like refrain of “Just know I don’t need your attention!”. It’s one of Aalegra’s most commanding moments.
‘Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies’ doesn’t broaden Aalegra’s sound or lyrical content greatly, and there are certainly points where she could push things further forward. But in continuing to be so open and expressive about love, hope, and loss, she makes it feel possible for the rest of us”
To conclude, there is an observant and interesting review from The Line of Best Fit that was impressed and hooked by what Snoh Aalegra put out with TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES:
“Featuring a coveted features from superstar Tyler, The Creator, and James Fauntleroy, Aalegra’s third outing captivates and enigmatically draws attention with simple production that is complemented perfectly with dazzling vocals. Normally a sought-out feature artist, Aalegra solidifies herself as a formidable solo artist with TEMPORARY HIGHS - an addicting 46-minute listen that grows with consecutive approaches.
The addiction of this album draws from the intoxicating themes: the confusion of the loss of love and the resulting emotions, the temporary high that love leaves you with, and the disillusionment of a breakup and the resulting clarity. “IN YOUR EYES”, traverses through the heart-breaking notion that the love, for Aalegra, could be nothing more than a disguise in search of something more from her faulty lover: “If you seek, you will find/What was there, the whole time/Was love in disguise in your eyes?”
The accusations quickly escalate in “NEON PEACHES” with Tyler, The Creator – perhaps, the best song of the bunch. Speaking of a relationship that has gone far beyond its expiration date, the song is strengthened by two verses from the explosive feature artist. The expiration is quickly recognized in the first chorus: “It's the things that you do/ I know we've gone too far/ When I think about the things that we do” While the song is indeed upbeat, the lurking deeper meaning adeptly counters this.
Similar to the late ‘90s and early ‘00s Alicia Keys, Aalegra is comfortable with her vocals being the forefront while the production is meant as a complimentary facet. Aalegra sticks to her signature sound throughout the entire journey – and while that’s not bad – it can become repetitive unless you consciously and actively listen. Sonically, it's comparable to her 2019’s Ugh, those feels again. As a result, you could consider TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES a “safe” album, though safe isn’t meant as derogatory – just the opposite of exploratory and experimental”.
One of my favourite modern artists, I love the fact that her influences are Michael Jsckson and Prince. She brings their funkiness and magic to her music. She is soulful and smooth, too. A great writer with an incredible compositional and literal voice, we are going to hear a lot more Aalegra as time goes on. To me, she is going to be one of the biggest modern artists. An influential female artist who is a real marvel. Go and listen to the majestic music of…
THE Los Angeles-based heroine.