I first came across ÁLI about nine months ago when I came across her beautiful song “Cocoon”, an impressive melding of the operatic and pop worlds, firm evidence that it is possible to mix the both without coming across as kitsch or a one hit wonder novelty act.
So seamless was the bringing together of these two musical genres, and so artfully and engagingly done that I included her in Now this is music #5 where I had this to say about her and her accomplished debut single:
“It’s very rare that an artist looking to re-invent themselves will bring any of their former artistic life along with them.
Well, at least not deliberately.The usual modus operandi is to strip everything back to basics and and start all over again, and any hints of what came before are seen as detracting from this re-invention.
Uber-successful Danish/Canadian opera singer, ÁLI, known to friends and family as Alexandra Beck,is having none of that.
Crafting a dancefloor ready song that powers along with all the energy and melodic intensity you would expect a Scandinavian pop gem to possess,she has made sure that anyone listening to it is familiar with her musical past.
It’s a joyful celebration of life that resonates with operatic vocals carefully placed where they will be most effective, and it’s clear throughout that ÁLI is thoroughly enjoying her move into pop.
As are we all.”
In the intervening period, my admiration for her talent has only deepened with the second single “All of You” echoing everything I loved about the first without being in the least repetitive.
ÁLI is an artist (and actress and cosplayer/designer who is currently working on a Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen outfit and bow handle) who knows exactly what her artistic vision is and executes on it perfectly every time.
Proof that she is onto something distinctively her own, is her newest song “Breakout Breakfree” which thunders along with all the melodic and vocal pop power you could ask for while still incorporating the operatic flourishes that have become her hallmark.
It is a winner on almost every count, powerfully surging forward with a hard almost tribal synth beat that is never in any danger of overwhelming her crystal clear, beautifully enunciated vocals.
The bridge builds and builds with goose bump-inducing intensity, amping up the sheer exhilaration of a song that will not be denied and the finish to the song is happily suffused with ÁLI’s divinely-inspired soaring operatic flourishes.
There isn’t a hint of the cheesiness that has accompanied other artists that have attempted to cross over from one genre to the other, and it’s eminently clear that ÁLI is a rich talent who will likely be the first artist I can recall who authentically merges two rather disparate genres and makes it sound like they should have been together all the time.
So go ahead, “Breakout Breakfree” and lose yourself in the music of an artist with a singular talent and the wherewithal to bring it to compelling, irresistible life.