alayna – Animal: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day
The incomparable alayna has started the year as she means to go on. The critically acclaimed singer and songwriter, who hails from Rotorua, has today released the simmering and sensual Animal – the next single from her exquisite new album SET HER FREE, out on February 13.
Here is the blurb with more:
Animal continues the powerful themes of self-love, romantic love and love in womanhood, which run throughout her upcoming second album. “This song embodies a liberated woman, fully understanding the power she holds, her autonomy, her ability to express her worth”.
“There’s a duality to the feminine – the soft nurturer and also the bold. I hope Animal helps the listener feel empowered and cool, to connect to their inner animal,” says alayna.
Co-written and produced by New Zealand’s Ben Malone (Luca George, Macey), working on Animal was the most fun alayna has had creatively with a song.
“There were a lot of happy accidents – I knocked over my water bottle and the sound was the same pitch as the song, so we recorded it in. The kick drum is actually Ben’s fist accidentally hitting the desk when recording something else. We also added in a tiger growl.”
The bossa nova-esque Animal also showcases a new side to the talented artist, which serves to amplify the messages that run through the 13-track SET HER FREE.
“I haven’t leaned in quite this far before. I loved using a different part of my voice and tapping into this part of me. I think it shows the multitudes and stories that we possess and how rich and varied they can be,” she explains.
The songs alayna has released in the lead up to SET HER FREE – ‘Mother’s Mother’, ‘But It’s Lonely’, ‘Softly’, ‘Hold Me’ and now ‘Animal’ – explore the aforementioned themes, with the album perfectly encapsulates the states of mind, body and heart.
Each of the songs have been depicted in a beautiful series of videos, created by the team at Westall Road, including the latest for ‘Animal’, which presents a striking performance piece portraying a woman’s metamorphosis as she embraces her primal identity through dance, featuring professional dancer Chloe Woodford (L.A.B ‘Casanova’ and ‘See The Light’, Troy Kingi ‘First Strut’, and Kaylee Bell ‘Boots ‘n’ All’), who moves between her own choreography and freestyle movements embodying a black panther.
Highlighting feminine strength, freedom and untamed spirit, the piece portrays the letting go of inherited expectations, of standards and rules and a woman embracing the act of becoming who she is meant to be – free and fully realised. The ‘animal’ is let loose as she commands presence, raw power, and the kind of confidence that radiates without asking for permission.
“Chloe is an incredible dancer who I have admired for years, so to have her in the video was really special. She absolutely killed it too,” says alayna.
The song and visuals for ‘Animal’ are the perfect segue to SET HER FREE, which alayna cannot wait to share with fans on February 13. Stay tuned for more exciting details surrounding the upcoming release.
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