Under the moniker Alivenique, Ali Beletic makes futuristic, vibrant music that falls somewhere between the sounds of L'Rain, Yeasayer, and Tune-Yards. Her latest single “Year of the Statement” is built upon syncopated rhythms and soaring vocals—think intense radio rock with a splash of hyperpop. Bubbling synths rest atop driving percussion, with Beletic blearily belting a powerful hook. “La revolución del arte,” she sings on the chorus, her voice drenched in warm distortion. The track serves as a rallying cry, and finds Beletic embracing her raucous femininity.
“This song is dedicated to the dreamers, the provocateurs,” Beletic says of the track. “It’s not about a medium, it’s about a spirit, a trickster. It’s about taking matters into your own hands and being provocative, but through action and change, rather than philosophical means. In a way it’s a call to action for my fellow artists, writers, creatives; it’s about not conforming ourselves. It’s a very self-empowered song; it’s about using your own hands to create what you want. Not using verbiage, and the beat reflects that. I produced it to riff on a super modern, badass, celebrational, and ultrafeminine sense of power.”
“Year of the Statement” hits streaming services today and precedes the album of the same name, which is due September 22 on Lightning Studios. Check out the title track and a brief Q&A below.
How did this track come to life?
I love writing music because some songs come together as if they were meant to be, where every move you make seems to be like magic adding in a new layer and you’re like, “This is great,” and others you have to gently work on and really nudge in the right direction over the course of many iterations. This one fell into the first camp, where I started with this iconic synth bassline that I’d written. I really love the swagger and badass emotion in there, and then the pointed, syncopated talking drum just totally fit in and all around the bassline and that contrast and interaction laid the foundation for the song. Then I laid down melodies even before I laid down the lyrics, so I was inspired by the sort of interacting parts of the verse, which then led naturally to the chorus where the beat really opens up into an anthemic space and synthesizes the whole song.
Then I wrote the lyrics to sort of translate what I was expressing musically—you know, with the darker, cool, badass tonality of the verse having this confident, defiant perspective, and the liberation and uplifting party-in-an-underground-warehouse feel of the verse echoing in the more liberating manifesto.
What was going on in your life that shaped it?
I have to say this song has a real personal narrative to it, that I think a lot of artists and folks in general can relate to. I’ve lived such an artistic life, where you really have to choose your own bold position and hold steady. You really can’t get blown over by all the static and words out there, you have to push through and really believe in some deep internal inspiration—and so many things will try to convince you otherwise. I have to say, personally, this is one of my major strengths as an artist as well as a person. I’ve always been super committed to some internal navigation and inspiration that I know. So really it’s less about me pushing against, and more about trying to send confidence into different communities that might need it, sharing that with artists, creative-thinking individuals that need that inspiration and boldness.
You employ a really interesting sonic palette. Could you talk a bit about the production process?
I’ve worked super hard on defining my palette and it’s a big part of my writing process. I was really interested in this concept I developed while in film school, that I refer to as the “hyper-real.” So if you can imagine in filmmaking everything—whether it’s the acting, the sets, the sound—is all creating something of a hyper-real. I wanted to bring this idea into music production. So I’m simultaneously pulling on different genres, different “languages of music,” and then juxtaposing them to create this new sonic palette.
When I switched from writing on the guitar and piano to writing electronically, this became an amazing process. I’m totally pulling on all the coolest, most fresh production techniques to filter, automate, and produce the sounds to be mixed in a mise-en-scène as if we were able to hear the chorus with a warehouse reverb, or certain sounds on my first single “Rain,” as if traveling through the forest and pairing that with instruments or melodic lines that have meaning—so working with different associations of all that and adding in an element of storytelling and the experiential of the hyper-real.
You describe the song as a rally cry. What would you say you're trying to proclaim?
I think I touched upon this a little earlier, perhaps it’s a bit more impressionistic, however it’s kind of like, “What if we took an inspiring, badass feeling and made it about being you, whoever you are, putting flowers on the altar of the artist, putting on a proactive stance and celebrating just that?” This song also has a bringing-the-avant-garde-into-pop-art idea baked into it, and asking the artists to not be discouraged, but encouraged, by the challenges and opportunities that are out there. That’s the journey, that’s the work. Kind of like punk-rock edge, you know.
What music were you turning to for inspiration while you made the track?
I listen to a super broad swath of music. I remember at that time we were listening to Bow Wow Wow in the studio and were loving their warehouse-party sound. I was also going through a Vince Staples phase and really digging his unique genius, and particularly his vocal production. We were jamming out a lot of Devo and having fun revisiting their art-pop, inclusive, brilliant music, lyrics and manifesto. And then at night I was listening to Orchestra Baobab, who I believe were a house band in Dakar, and enjoying the way it can really transport you to a time and place.
Also, while writing the record, I was digging into various orchestral recordings and how they really speak to cinema. I remember finding myself listening to Banda music, and I was obsessing over the sound of the brass sections and thinking about how that related to brass in orchestral recordings. Also, I remember when I was working on the vocal performance of the song, I was thinking back to when I was learning to play guitar and I would super slow down Jimi Hendrix recordings and I super loved his push and pull of rhythms on meter. So that certainly informed my vocal performance.
What's next with the project?
This is the title track from the album Year of the Statement, coming out in September. I’m releasing the music in a somewhat non-traditional way, as each song sort of has its own world, its own sonic perspective, and its own mise-en-scène. So that will be a super fun aspect of the project to stay in touch with as we release new songs each month leading up to the album release in September. I spent a lot of time giving each song a depth and making each song have its own perspective and story, as well as a visual landscape of sorts and even some associated merch items. I’ve got a lot in store.
