aleksiah: The Hit We’ve All Been Waiting For
With the recent release of her sophomore EP Cry About It and two smash hit singles ‘Clothes Off’ and ‘The Hit’, Adelaide’s pop starlet aleksiah is making major waves across the world. Ahead of her Adelaide show, aleksiah reflects on the project’s release, tour life, her music making process and what’s already brewing for EP three
Interview Millah Hansberry // Image Lucinda Corin
Spotify Billboards in Melbourne, smash hit singles garnering millions of streams in mere months and a sweep of wins at the 2024 SA Music Awards are just a taste of Adelaide’s rising star, aleksiah. Pair this with a manic year of Australian, European and UK tours with the likes of Beth McCarthy, Fickle Friends and Kelsea Ballerini – and she’s bordering on world domination. Off the back of the release of her sophomore EP and in the midst of her Australian tour, aleksiah jumped on a call with The Note to chat about it all.
Congrats on the release of your sophomore EP, Cry About It. After three whirlwind singles, how does it feel to have the whole project out?
It kind of feels like a relief! I feel like this EP was a stepping stone for me; the first half of the EP is one part of my life, and the second half is another part of my life. I’m working on EP three at the moment. It’s almost finished hilariously, and it’s definitely going into the realm of ‘The Hit’ and ‘Clothes Off’, which is the music that I enjoy making a lot more at this point in my career and life. So, I’m loving it.
How have you found the reception for all of this – especially with your last single ‘The Hit’ reaching one million streams within 2 months of its release?
I don’t understand how that happened! I kind of just put it out [and] didn’t really think that much of it! I wrote it because I was having a lot of feelings and conversations with people saying “you need to release a hit”. And I’m like, “you want a hit, I’ll give you a goddamn hit”. And then, hilariously, I named it ‘The Hit’. Manifested it! It’s just been nuts.
Since dropping the EP, you’ve been on your Cry About It tour around Australia. How has it felt first-hand seeing audiences connect with your music?
It’s been amazing seeing people know all the bloody lyrics to all songs, and singing back the chant bits that they’ve heard online. I’ve had a lot of amazing reception for one of the new songs that’s going to be on the new EP, people coming up to me and crying, because it’s a really sad song. Music is always so much more special when you get to see it be played and created. It’s just been so special and heartwarming to see people getting around it.
You’re known for your honest, raw lyricism that dives right in and leaves no prisoners. Especially with songs on this EP like ‘Batshit’ and ‘Clothes Off’ – which fall on opposite ends of the confidence spectrum. How do you find writing these ultra-confident bangers and then the more vulnerable pieces?
I wrote ‘Batshit’ in 2023 at Big Sound with Konstantin Kersting, who’s the biggest laugh. He was like, “What do you want to do today?” I’m like, “I want to write something that’s the opposite of me”. And he’s like, “All right, so something confident!”. We wrote that as if I had my Sasha Fierce moment, pretending to be someone else. When I left that bubble and came home, I was locked in my little house and was feeling like absolute dog shit. I started writing songs that were very, very, very true to me – like ‘Clothes Off’. I definitely lean toward that side of the spectrum more often than not.
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You market your shows as safe spaces of community making, creating style guides for fans to wear themed outfits and prioritising all ages gigs. Why does it mean so much to you to prioritise playing these types of shows?
I think it's accessibility. It's such an important thing that is not one talked about enough, and not done enough. For the style guides – I personally love a uniform. To adhere to a theme in some way. There was a guy that came to my Sydney show dressed as an inflatable gold star, and then there's people that come with glitter on their eyes. Both are in theme! It's forging a sense of community, but it's also pretty accessible.
The same goes with all ages. I remember being absolutely obsessed with going to gigs when I was younger, and before I was 18, I wasn't able to go to any of these shows. I'm gonna try my best in whatever capacity I have to make it fun for everybody. I get a lot of people coming to the shows that need a cane or are in a wheelchair, and I think it's absolutely bullshit if they can't come to the shows. One venue that we are [playing at on this tour] is not ramp accessible, and I had two people that aren’t able to come to the show because of that. So, they're coming to another show we organised, and I'm hanging out with them on the side, because it's not their fault. That's my goal for my next tours – all ages and accessibility.
In November, you’re heading off to the UK again to support English indie rockers, Fickle Friends. How has it been feeling playing to international audiences that are singing your words back at you?
It’s very special. I had the pleasure of playing a sold-out London show earlier this year in June. Everyone knew the words. It was so beautiful, so special. I’m so excited to head back, especially with Fickle Friends. They are all so lovely, and I’ve been a big fan of their music for quite a while.
You’re wrapping up your Cry About It tour here in Adelaide in August. How are you feeling about this and what should audiences expect?
A lot of dancing, a lot of singing, a lot of messiness, sore knees – it’s gonna be a fun night. It’ll be similar to all my other shows, where it’ll be wholesome, inclusive and a fun, loving space. It’s the biggest venue I’ve ever headlined, and it’s really close to selling out right now!
aleksiah plays Lion Arts Factory on Friday 15 August, supported by Chloe Parché. Tickets sold out.
