aleksiah is an Adelaide pop artist who’s already a familiar face to Rolling Stone AU/NZ readers.
She featured in our Females in Focus feature in our March-May issue, sharing her vision for women in music alongside artists like Angie McMahon, BARKAA, and Phoebe Go.
Now, with her new single and video “Clothes Off” out and a massive rest of the year ahead, we thought it was the perfect time to get to know her better in our new series spotlighting up-and-coming Australian artists who look set to impress in 2025 and beyond. And aleksiah is doing just that.
She’s celebrating the launch of “Clothes Off” (and her birthday) at The Vanguard in Sydney on Friday, March 28th, as part of Great Southern Nights. Later this year, she’s set to take the stage at the world-famous Primavera Pro festival in Barcelona, backed by Adelaide City of Music.
“Clothes Off” follows a string of releases, including her debut single “Fern”, as well as “Ant Song”, “Pretty Picture”, “24”, and “Batsh*t”. Her rising momentum earned her a nomination for Unearthed Artist of the Year at the J Awards and saw her ranked as triple j Unearthed’s 10th most-played artist of 2024.
aleksiah’s “Clothes Off” is out now.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How did music influence you in your early life?
aleksiah: I grew up singing in church choir with my Nonna, so from a young age I was surrounded by music! I remember harmonising with the car radio jingles after school everyday and that’s when my parents were like, maybe we should indulge this!
What artists influenced you growing up?
I was always really influenced by a lot of songwriters growing up, like Sarah Aarons, Bonnie McKee, Cathy Dennis and Max Martin. Songwriting has always been my biggest passion and I’m just in awe of these people who can take normal human feelings and make them into something magical.
When did you discover your passion for creating music?
When I was 12 we were looking at poetry in my English class at school and from there I discovered songwriting!
What are some career highlights so far?
I think playing my first ever sold out tour last year was a massive highlight for me. It was so special to meet everyone and form so many beautiful connections while on tour with everyone that came to the shows. Also performing at Riverstage in Brisbane was I think the coolest experience!
Are you looking forward to playing at Great Southern Nights?
Very much so!! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to play a live show and I’ve been itching to come back!
And then you’re heading to Primavera! That must feel so exciting?
I’m super excited! It’s going to be a new experience for me for sure, I’ve got to start practicing my Spanish haha.
Tell us about your new single “Clothes Off”. What’s the track about?
This song started out as a bit of a diary entry for me. It’s about being scared of intimacy and sex – specifically not being able to take your clothes off because of self-esteem and hating your body, which I think is a pretty unspoken about topic but I know so many people that feel this way, so I thought I would share the song with the world and I’m so glad I did!
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
Definitely thick skin! Some people aren’t going to be very kind or very nice so you have to be resilient and believe in yourself. I also think it always pays to be a nice person, if someone goes low you go high!
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
Very poppy, like if Sabrina Carpenter and the 1975 had a baby! I think my songs are a mixture of a really fun catchy beat with secretly depressing lyrics – I can never seem to escape that genre.
What are your goals for 2025 and beyond? What can fans expect from you this year?
To keep growing, finding new people to share my music with and to find more time to write! Also, to be a bit easier on myself.
