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Former Bahrain resident Alisha Vickers is living out her songwriter dreams with the signing of a deal that could put her music in new movies, as she continues to write and release new singles throughout the summer.
The 27-year-old British singer-songwriter from Rotherham also recently wrote and released I Am, to tie in with her aunt Julie Lewis’ book Uncharted Waters.
“I have been writing continuously over summer,” she told GulfWeekly.
“Overall I’ve written 15 songs, so expect a lot of released music these next coming months, and writing is my true passion, even more so than performing!”
To live out her true passion, the musician also inked a ‘sync’ deal with a UK-based label, which would get her music in TV and advertisements, as well as major streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
So far, she has worked on an advertisement for a major car marquee, writing a ‘really cool piece of music with a grand choral part’, and hopes to make it her full-time job.
For her aunt, the singer-songwriter drew on African and Latin influences to write a song centred on embracing change, building resilience and finding flow.
“I read the book to really understand the context especially for the lyrical content and I feel it flowed quite easily as soon as I heard the beat,” she added.
“I also wanted to add a modern touch on the pre-chorus - something people could easily sing along to - while having a positive influence with the mantra style lyrics.”
Having started writing and recording since she was 19, Alisha spent the last year performing in Bahrain at a venue in Block 338 before returning to the UK.
“I started my first rock band ‘Edited People’ when I was 21 where our music was very heavy but then over time found our love for electro pop,” she explained.
“A lot of writing is just trial and error, but now I have a very clear vision of what I want.”
Recently, she has also been seeing a surge in popularity of some of her older songs, like the three-year-old It’s Always Been You, which shot up to 12,000 plays this year.
“Other songs people love include Dream Chaser as well as Scared to be Alone which is a very personal song for me as I wrote it at a very vulnerable point in my life,” she added.
Despite being relentless in her releases of singles, the musician is not working towards an extended-play (EP) or album, because she wants to focus on promoting herself as a songwriter, rather than an artist.
“I just want to keep writing and releasing and we see where we go from there,” she added.
“I will also be working with two other girls to form our own girl group where our goal is to travel to China.
“But Bahrain is certainly somewhere I would like to settle down as it holds a very special place in my heart.”
For more details, follow @iamalishamusic on Instagram.
