Music Industry News

Celebrated New Zealand-born, LA-based artist Alisa Xayalith makes a welcome return to the realm of dreamy-indie-pop today with her brand new single, ‘Roses’.

One of the founding members of The Naked and Famous, Alisa made her mark as a solo artist in 2022 with her critically acclaimed EP, SUPERPOWERS (which features single, ‘High Fidelity’).

The award-winning artist and songwriter is now following it up with ‘Roses’ – a warm, lush track that brings Alisa’s signature blend of lush harmonies with warm synths and dreamy guitars, to the forefront. It also reinforces Alisa’s reputation as one of alternative-indie-pop’s most talented songwriters, with its irresistible hooks and relatable lyricism.

‘Roses’ is about enduring a difficult season”, explains Alisa.

“It felt very natural to me to use a garden as a lyrical metaphor to anchor the idea of burying fears, worries, the past – whatever it may be – into the dirt in the hopes something beautiful will metamorphosize and grow from it. I have a very wild garden where I live, so my environment also played a role in the making of this song.”

‘Roses’ came close to being included on Alisa’s SUPERPOWERS EP, but it didn’t quite work. Instead, it was set aside waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. Now with a few tweaks, she feels it’s the right time to release it to the world.

“A friend once told me ‘Roses’ was a very ‘me’ track. I had to sit with that for a while to understand what they meant. I think it’s because it feels sonically familiar with some of the previous work with The Naked and Famous, and now with the current solo project. I think it mirrors a lot of what I’m made up as an artist in general.”

It’s a strong hint that ‘Roses’ is just the beginning of Alisa’s next chapter.

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Born to refugee parents who left Laos from the overspill of the Vietnam war, Xayalith is one of seven children. While Xayalith faced many hardships in her childhood, one of the hardest was dealing with the loss of her mother at just seven years old – something, she says, has had an ‘immense impact on her’ as a human being. Her father later remarried, which added more layers to an already complicated life that the young Xayalith built a resilience to ‘survive’. But, she says, it is this resilience and determination that has carried her through her career. Music has always been her escape. Seeking it out through school choirs, vocal groups, musical theatre – then, at thirteen, learning to play the guitar, and write her own songs. The decision to pursue it as a career came when she returned to New Zealand after a year overseas. She enrolled in music school, which is where The Naked and Famous’ story began. Over 850 shows later, recognition around the world, and records we know and love, we now experience Xayalith’s solo story.