"Puppet Strings" - Official Music Video

Alya’s “Puppet Strings” Is A Haunting Braid Of Pop & Darkness

 LA-based artist Alya plays with our heartstrings by
taking us into the deep psychological layers of emotional manipulation
with her hauntingly gorgeous visuals for “Puppet Strings.”

Built on taut and dirge-like production, the track
swings between ghostly pop and psychedelia where she hovers closely
around a dreamy state. The rustling synths and gritty riffage cast a
hypnotic, harrowing effect that feels paranormal. Drifting between
glass-cutting and fraying vocals, Alya dissects the helplessness and
bewitching way someone can exercise control over us. “With puppet
strings, I am tied up with you” she chants.

“Puppet Strings” opens with baroque classical strings
flowing into an indie-pop vibe. Brightly streaming colors flow overhead,
as burbling synths hold down the middle, and a syncopated rhythm
cements the foundation. The music builds, assuming multiple sonic layers
shimmering with surging energy. It’s cliché to say so, but it’s a
potently beautiful song, ethereal and brawny at the same time. Alya’s
voice is mesmerizing, reminding me of the best qualities of both Cyndi
Lauper and Dolores O’Riordan – penetrating yet graciously melodic. It’s a
magnificent voice, lush with pristine timbres.

Alya has been making buzz across in the indie pop scene
with her previous single “Animals,” which was playlisted across various
radio stations.

With two versions of her debut album (one in English,
the other primarily in Japanese) just around the corner, Alya’s sound
has been likened to Bjork-meets-Massive Attack, a sound blending pop,
Japanese folk, trip-hop, electronica, surf rock, jazz, and classical
music. It’s a multifarious sound, misty and polished, elusively familiar
yet simultaneously sui generis.

Born and raised in Russia, Alya knew she wanted to be a
singer early on. Excelling in music school and a school for the gifted,
she was preparing for college, where she hoped to study music. Her
parents insisted she be more realistic in her choice of profession. She
enrolled in journalism at Moscow State University.

Proving to be a brilliant journalist, Alya was a
special correspondent for the state news agency, RIA Novosti, and later
the national anchor at VESTI, followed by the position of spokesperson
for the vice chairman of the state legislative body in the ruling
assembly of Russia. In her spare time, she created her first musical
project, Japanica, a fusion of pop and traditional Japanese melodies.
Preferring to work collaboratively, she put together a team of talented
individuals.

In spite of her apparent success, Alya felt empty. In
2012, she attained personal resolution, choosing to pursue music
fulltime. Two years later, she was married, living in Los Angeles, and
working with producer David J. Holman.