Quebec-Senegalese artist Alexiane Silla's musical world tour continues. After being number 1 in Russia and composing a song for the UN denouncing human trafficking in Africa, she teamed up with two well-known producers from Azerbaijan.
• Also read: A Quebecer serving the United Nations
The name of the duo Rauf & Faik certainly means nothing to you unless you are a connoisseur of electronic music, but on Spotify their songs with titles incomprehensible to anyone who does not read the Cyrillic alphabet are sold tens of millions of times played, even a hundred for one of them.
“They're huge. They have two million monthly users on Yandex Music [la plateforme d’écoute en ligne russe]» explains Alexiane, who recently met Le Journal in Quebec.
The artist, who became known with the song “A Million On My Soul” from the soundtrack of the film “Valérian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (this song dominated the Russian charts), is working with Rauf and Faik on a track “Homebound” , which will be featured on his next album, expected in 2024.
The need for collaboration
Her new songs will definitely have an international flavor, as the artists helping her build the 2021 follow-up to “Into The Sun” are spread across Los Angeles, Turkey, Germany, Senegal and Quebec, where they are with worked with the renowned Pilou in his studio in Saint-Adrien.
“Music knows no boundaries and I love collaboration. I need it,” reveals Alexiane, who also maintains connections with stars of African music.
In Senegal she will soon sing with Baaba Maal, a big musical name in her father's country. A few years ago she shared the microphone with Malian legend Salif Keïta for the song “Gold”, the remix version of which will be the first excerpt from her new album.
Ave Maria Electric
Until she presents her new creations, Alexiane has decided to join the club of artists who sing Christmas.
However, she did it her way. She recorded an electronic version of the famous Ave Maria, which is a lot more festive than the original, which was too sad for her.
“Why not?” Alexiane exclaims when it is pointed out to her that synthetic rhythms and Schubert’s classical composition do not form a natural alliance. “I just wanted to make people dance,” she explains.
The bet paid off, she notes. Renowned producer duo Blasterjaxx have already added the song to their performances. Others could follow.
- Alexiane's new album is scheduled to be released in autumn 2024.
- Since she is rarely seen on stage, she will also announce concert dates next year.