For her fifth studio album Cusp (out 9 Feb, AllPoints), Alela Diane taps into the nurture, strength and emotion of motherhood, a sentiment that travels movingly through the eye of a lens on her new video for Émigré. The inspiration for Émigré came via an image that shocked and moved many of us – that of a tiny 3-year-old’s body washed up on a Turkish beach. It was one of the most potent reminders of the suffering being brought upon families in the refugee crisis. The video which was directed by Michael Palmieri and Émigré is our Song of the Day.
I can feel the fear hang heavy on the water
Glinting sharply with the pale moonlight
Mothers hold on tightly to your children
As the waves are breaking violently tonight
Talking about the song she said:
“I wrote ‘Émigré’ to process the tragedy of the refugee crisis through the lens of motherhood. It was written after I saw the photograph of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi washed up on the beach of Turkey. My own daughter was about his age at the time, and it hit close to home, as it did so many others. The chorus sings: “Seabirds fly the salty wind, North to South – East to West, Can we go, as they go, across the borderlines?”
You’d think that in this modern day and age there would be a move away from the thin veneer of commercialism towards a greater appreciation of what really matters in life. Sadly, this is not how Alela Diane perceives the reception of an album about motherhood. “Even just by saying that, it feels like people will write you off. It’s like you’ve suddenly lost the charm of being youthful and even attainable––you’ve been commoditized as available. There is not a big place in the music industry for 30-something women with kids making music.” She adds with hope “Maybe we can create that space.”
The setting for this new album could not be further removed than that of her last (About Farewell, 2013). The songs on that album were written while on the road and represented endings – including the struggle of trying to maintain a relationship with her then-husband and bandmate. That must feel like a lifetime away now, she gave birth to her second daughter in February 2017 although this was not without complications during which she nearly lost her life. “I have never felt so grateful to be alive as I do now,” she says. “I hope that by exploring motherhood in song, I can help demand respect for the life givers we are. Talking and singing about the experience of motherhood is not something I can shy away from. It is the essence of who we are as human beings. This album is my version of women’s work.”
The 11 songs which go to make up Cusp were conjured during a three-week residency in a small A-frame cabin deep within Caldera’s snowy woods, alone for the first time since becoming a mother, she tended to a wood stove, made soup, rediscovered how to be on her own, and wrote songs. “I was just coming back to myself and learning how to take care of me,” she says. “It was really wonderful to be able to get back in touch with my creative side and just reflect on the intensity of what I’d been going through, becoming a mom––reflecting on that from a space where I wasn’t inside of it.”
Cusp was produced by Peter M. Murray and mixed by Noah Georgeson, the album features contributions from heavyweights including Ryan Francesconi (Joanna Newsom), Rob Burger (Iron & Wine), Peter Broderick, Heather Woods Broderick (Sharon Van Etten), Luke Ydstie (Blind Pilot), and Daniel Hunt (Neko Case).
Alela is hopeful that this album, as well as entertaining the listener, will prompt discussions about what we expect from women artists. “As women, our music is sold based on our sex-appeal,” she says. “There’s a lack of spaces for women to move into that aren’t based on appearance. Those are conversations I’m interested in having.”
We need more like this.
Pre-Order Cusp here: https://aleladiane.lnk.to/CuspALL
Alela Diane UK & European Tour
27 Jan: Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (Celtic Connections) – UK
28 Jan: The Mackintosh Church, Glasgow (Celtic Connections) – UK
29 Jan: Vondelkerk, Amsterdam – Netherlands (SOLD OUT)
31 Jan: St. Pancras Old Church, London – UK (SOLD OUT)
12 April: Union Chapel, London – UK
13 April: Vooruit, Gent – Belgium
14 April: Doornroosje, Nijmegen – Netherlands
16 April: Hauskonzerte, Munich – Germany
17 April: Brotfabrik, Frankfurt – Germany
18 April: Heimathafen, Berlin – Germany
19 April: Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg – Germany
21 April: Motel Mozaique, Rotterdam – Netherlands
22 April: Het Zonnehuis, Amsterdam – Netherlands
24 April: Theatre de L’ideal, Tourcoing – France
25 April: Stereolux, Nantes – France
26 April: La Cigale, Paris – France
Tickets here: https://aleladiane.com/tour/
Photo Credit: Jaclyn Campanaro