We recently connected with Aly Aleigha and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Aly Aleigha, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Oh, it’s impossible to pick just one! Every project takes on its own soul and life, which is an incredible gift to be a part of. There is such fulfillment and beauty in seeing how something you create expands beyond your own self, your own artistry, and intersects with the lives of so many others, even people you may never meet. Each song I’ve created meant something to me to begin with, but seeing how it takes on a world of new meaning for each individual who holds that song dear because it somehow connects with them in their own story & experiences…that’s incredible to behold. It is such a gift to me when I get to see glimpses of that whenever my listeners share their hearts with me, and share why the music resonates with them so deeply.
Usually the most meaningful songs are the ones I’m working on at that moment ha. Each one takes all my focus and creative energy to build something I’m really proud of. Currently I have several irons in the fire, so to speak.
Recently my music video for my song “PLOW” has been nominated for “Best Music Video” category at Festival Angaelica! I’m really excited about that — the song is about self-discovery and personal growth, and it was filmed in Duluth where I lived just before moving on to a new season of my life, so that is very special to me. You can check out the music video here: https://youtu.be/7s5fHqlBpUk?si=AkNCO_XWv3Zl3RIh
I’ve also been working on a bunch of different projects, including a full-length Christmas record (I’m so excited to share my re-imagined versions of Christmas favorites, both when I release it on streaming platforms this winter and also on my upcoming Christmas Tour! For tour dates or more info on booking my band to come to your area, please visit my website: ALY-ALEIGHA.COM)!
I’ve also been strategically releasing singles, which I enjoy because it allows me to give attention to each song as it deserves. I have two new songs (“Wait Out The Rain” & “Camino”) which are both inspired by my time hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a 2-week trek backpacking in the mountains. I released WOTR in April (because #AprilShowersBringNewMusic…) and I plan to release Camino sometime this summer (2025).
Another very special song I’ll be releasing this Autumn is called “Aurora,” and it’s a co-release with a really talented artist friend of mine, Brett Winters, who is my mixing engineer for this & some other projects of mine as well. “Aurora” came to life quite literally in my dreams. I’ll share a bit more behind this song…
I was long-distance dating my now-husband. It was the height of Aurora season. I had only ever seen the Northern Lights once, when I was a child, and it was a dream of mine to see them in my adult life. I drove out to the countryside alone one night, to where there wasn’t any light pollution, trying to put myself in a place of receptivity for the lights to find me–and I waited, observing the sky. I was giving my now-husband updates via text, saying I could only see clouds. He told me that sometimes it looks like clouds at first but it’s really the Aurora, and he said a good way to test it is to take a photo on your phone in Night Mode (long exposure), which would show the colors of the Aurora. I took a picture and sent it to him, saying “only a cloud…” but he noticed the lights at the top of the picture. I didn’t see his reply because moments after sending the text as I watched the sky, I began noticing the colors emerge. “IS THAT THEM??” I texted him. And it was! The glorious light show had begun. The Aurora was astonishingly active, filling the whole sky with colors I eventually was able to see with just my eyes, and the lights were dancing all around me. It was INCREDIBLE to experience. I called my now-husband, and I was exclaiming my joy and wonder and amazement while looking up at the sky. And even more amazingly, he could see them too! It was a very special moment for us to both see the Northern Lights while we were not physically in the same place, uniting us through time and space. It was nothing short of magical.
One night after that and while we were still long-distance dating, I was falling asleep and I heard the aurora in my dreams. It was beautiful. I was in that half-asleep stage where you’re between dreamscape and reality–and I wanted to wake up just enough to capture the beauty of this music without it slipping out of my grasp. Thankfully, I was able to wake enough to record some of it into the Voice Memos on my phone. I had a verse and the instrumental section, in which I wanted to capture the essence of the Aurora–energetic instrumentation with reverby vocals as if the voices were the dancing Aurora. Amazingly, when I awoke the next day, the recording still made sense to me ha (sleep-driven voice memos don’t always convey the vision later on…). But I only had these two sections of the song. Eventually I brought it to my friend Brett Winters in a co-write session, and together the two of us expanded the original idea into a duet, becoming a song that conveyed the longing of being with the person you love but something keeping you apart, and how the Aurora connected two lovers that night in spite of the distance.
At our wedding, my husband and I exchanged love letters. We read them aloud to each other and our videographer captured it. I had the idea of incorporating some of that audio from our wedding day into this song, tucked into the background subtly, and that’s what we did! When you listen to the song, see if you can hear us reading those love letters. The story behind this song is so special to me, and that element just wraps it all together with a bow so beautifully.
Fast forward a year, a few months after our wedding. My husband and I learned there was a chance of seeing the Northern Lights again, so together we drove to a spot by a lake to observe the sky. Suddenly, the sky came alive for us, vibrant colors moving all around — and this time we were blessed to experience it together in person! I rested my head on his shoulder and played the latest mix I had of my “Aurora” song as we took in the majesty of the Northern Lights together. I also set up my phone and we took a few photos, one of which will be the album art for the song!
It was such a joy to work with Brett Winters on “Aurora.” The elements he added and the magic he worked with the mix are so special.
And this song is an EXPERIENCE! Truly, it immerses the listener in a soundscape of a calm night by the water, and takes you on a journey to encounter your own Aurora.
I can’t wait for you to hear it!! Follow me on Spotify, Apple Music, wherever you prefer to listen — and you can Pre-Save the song when the link is available in my instagram bio.
(P.S., I am really excited to see this song as the soundtrack for your own encounters with the Northern Lights. Please tag me in all your Aurora reels & footage with my “Aurora” song! @alyaleighamusic on instagram)
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hey, I’m Aly Aleigha! I’m an Indie-Folk Artist & Worship Leader. I love adventuring (rock climbing, canoeing, camping, hiking, exploring the world), and spending quality time with my family and friends. My favorite moments are when I am breathing in fresh air, dangling over the edge of enormous, beautiful cliffs that plunge into the turquoise waters of Lake Superior (“type 2 fun” is the best! And probably where my inspirations for the best songs come).
I hope my artistry inspires others to step into their own calling, and to live fully alive as we are all made to!
I have always been a Creative, but my journey into my current form of artistry was definitely guided by divine intervention, because while I was pursuing a career in a different path, my life took an unexpectedly wonderful turn toward music. In 2017 I amicably left my job, went on a 2-week hike through the mountains of Spain, and began a full-time career in music. It was both a compelling call and a craft to nurture. Like any adventure, it requires risk and is not without its challenges, but the journey and the reward are absolutely worth it. I am grateful how music serves as a sort of “transcendental”– providing comfort, healing and joy to the listener (as well as the artist), while at the same time elevating our hearts and minds to something beyond ourselves, beyond our own experiences. There is something powerful and mysterious about it, and I love that my craft serves as a way to connect with others in a beautiful way.
My early works leaned into the healing nature of music, and lately my songwriting has developed themes of self-discovery, endurance. growth–recognizing purpose and meaning, and experiencing the joy of living fully alive.
As I continue to journey with my music, I want to invite you along. I hope my music brings you comfort in times of heartache or fear, compels you to conquer your own challenges, celebrates with you in your joy, and can be a soundtrack for all of your adventures.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of this work for me is definitely seeing how people come alive with music–how it can bring comfort where listeners feel the most alone or broken, move them toward deep inner healing, and at other times delight them in joyful celebration. I love how the music takes on it’s own new meaning for each person who listens, applying their own story to the lyrics. When listeners share what the music I have created means to them, it is such a wonderful gift to me.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Our work flow doesn’t look like a standard 9-5, but that doesn’t mean we don’t work hard! We have to make our own sacrifices, working at odd hours and weekends and late nights. There is some wonderful flexibility in creating your own schedule but also perhaps taking a gig means missing out when our friends and loved ones are off work when we really wish we could join. There are a billion tasks on the to-do list of an independent artist (so much of which is the logistics side of things rather than the actual fun part of creating), and we have to balance the grind with opportunities to find our peace, to just take in our surroundings and find inspiration sometimes in unlikely places. Even “boredom begets creativity,” as I like to say. Creatives (and, I would argue, all humans) require times of rest and rejuvenation to tap into our inner selves so our creativity can be free to flow–sometimes not even for the sake of trying to find something to create, but simply to be filled with the beauty and goodness of life, so that we are not living out of a deficit but are in a position of being ready to move when inspiration strikes. The work flow of self-employed or independent Creatives is a double-edged sword: we get to decide our own calendar and schedules which allows us a certain freedom, yet we need to battle our own temptations to procrastinate or falsely believe our ambitions cannot be met.
Any job is going to have aspects that are great and aspects that are really challenging. It’s about finding the work that is the most meaningful for you individually, so that even the hard parts of the job feel fulfilling or at least can get you closer to your goals. That’s what music is for me. We all need to find our place in this world, to discover what our gifts are and how we can best use our gifts to build up the most beautiful world around us that we possibly can. There is a deep sense of fulfillment in finding one’s gifts that both make us come alive and offer something special to the world. What’s yours?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aly-aleigha.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/alyaleigha
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyaleighamusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alyaleigha
Image Credits
From “Plow” Official Music Video – Carlos Mendoza Guillén
SPO Late Night Live Performance – Kelsey Green Photography, 2023 (Instagram: @kelseygreen.photography)
All other images taken by Aly Aleigha