Having worked with artists including Iggy Azalea and (frequent Rihanna collaborator) producer Alex da Kid, Swedish songwriter and producer Alessandra has just released her debut EP, If I Was Brave. The title track from the EP is a heartbroken ballad drenched in sadness and affection, swinging from quiet vulnerability to moments of huge, anthemic emotion.
On If I Was Brave, Alessandra hopes to evoke classic, iconic artists of the 60s and 70s like Joni Mitchell and David Bowie, alongside contemporaries London Grammar, Niki & The Dove and Lana Del Ray. And you can certainly hear that in the restrained yet delicately sparkling production exhibited here... The piano melody gently moves alongside Alessandra’s rousing vocal, strolling when she sings solo, then pounding like an insistent toddler with the soaring harmonies on the chorus and then the bridge. This is the kind of song that both feels simple and incredibly dramatic. It all hinges on Alesandra’s incredibly emotive performance, which feels like it has every bit of her inside it.
The song itself is about love and control, as described by Alessandra:
“If I Was Brave is about losing self-control. It hopelessly romanticizes hopes of a simpler world - to run from someone or something without understanding why. The whole project assumed this theme of chasing an impossible idea of love. The process became a lot more personal when writing music for myself.”
The EP, If I Was Brave, is out now on KUMLA music. Check out the total track below.