Alewya – ZERO
Today, London-based Ethiopian–Egyptian artist, producer and visual creative Alewya releases her highly anticipated debut album ZERO via LDN Records.
Rooted in Ethiopian and Egyptian musical heritage while embracing the eclectic sounds of London she grew up with, ZERO draws from a wide spectrum of influences whilst resisting settling into a single genre. She also shares a new visual for the album’s title track “ZERO.”
ZERO is co-produced by Alewya alongside long-term collaborators Craigie Dodds and Dean James Barratt, with contributions from Busy Twist and executive production from Shy FX.
The title is in part inspired by Charles Seife’s Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea, the album explores the concept of zero as both nothing and everything, a place of limitless possibility, surrender and renewal.
The album follows a run of acclaimed singles including “City of Symbols”, “Night Drive”, “Eshi”, and “Selah” and most recently “Maktoub”, which premiered via Jamz Supernova on BBC 6 Music. Earlier this month, Alewya unveiled the striking visual for “Maktoub”, filmed in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Shot amongst one of the most extreme and geologically unique landscapes on Earth, where three tectonic plates converge, the video further explored the themes of roots, destiny and origin that sit at the heart of ZERO.
Describing herself as a painter who makes music, Alewya approaches sound as texture and feeling, allowing rhythm and emotion to guide the creative process before words fully reveal themselves. Throughout ZERO, that philosophy is ever-present. The album breathes with space and movement, balancing moments of intensity with stillness, confidence with vulnerability.
Earlier this month Alewya performed at We Love Green Festival in Paris and is set to celebrate the album with a sold-out headline show at The Lower Third in London on 13th July. Extending the world of ZERO beyond music, Alewya has also unveiled a series of original artworks inspired by the album, which she has been dropping across London, sending co-ordinates to her mailing list for fans to discover. This summer, she plans to bring fans together through immersive events built around the world of ZERO.
ZERO’s release feels less like an arrival than the first frame of something larger. A defining moment for one of London’s most compelling contemporary artists, with the promise of what is to come carried within the record itself.
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