Emirati singer, dancer and actress Alya is introducing her music with debut single Lemonade.
The 21-year-old singer, dancer and actress blends pop, R&B and Arabic-influenced rhythms on the first single from her upcoming debut EP.
Emirati singer, dancer and actress Alya has made her official entry into music with Lemonade, a debut single that brings together contemporary pop, R&B, dance and Arabic-influenced rhythms.
The 21-year-old artist, who was born and raised in Dubai, is using the release to introduce the musical direction of her upcoming debut EP. The project is being released through gamma, with Lemonade serving as its first single.
For Alya, the track represents a new stage in an artistic career that already includes dance and acting. Those disciplines are also part of how she is developing her music and its visual presentation, bringing her performance background into the debut.
A sound shaped by Emirati roots
Alya sings mainly in English, while drawing on her Emirati heritage for a sound that also embraces contemporary global pop. On Lemonade, those influences sit alongside R&B and dance elements, giving the release a mix of styles rather than a single musical reference point.
Born to an Emirati father and a British mother, she is introducing that combination of influences as she seeks to reach listeners beyond the UAE. Her debut brings her cultural roots into a pop framework, with Arabic-influenced rhythms forming part of the track’s musical identity.
She describes the song as an introduction to the direction she wants her music to take: playful, self-assured and capable of surprising listeners. That approach connects the single to the broader artistic phase she is now beginning.
Los Angeles recording and choreography
Lemonade was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Afterhrs, a creative team whose work includes projects involving Teddy Swims, Maroon 5 and One Direction.
Reflecting on the process, Alya said she enjoyed both the recording sessions in Los Angeles and the development of the choreography. She also highlighted working with creative talent in the UAE and internationally as part of bringing the single together.
The attention to choreography links the release to her experience as a dancer. Alongside her acting background, that experience is feeding into both the musical and visual sides of her work as she moves into recording.
First step towards a debut EP
The single opens the rollout of Alya’s planned debut EP through gamma. It offers the first introduction to a project that draws together her pop, R&B and dance interests with influences from her UAE roots.
As her official first music release, Lemonade establishes the starting point for that project and for her effort to introduce herself as a recording artist to audiences outside her home country.
