ALA.NI - Sunshine Music (Album)

ALA.NI Returns with Sunshine Music.

After five years away, British-born, Paris-based artist ALA.NI has returned with Sunshine Music — her most radiant and adventurous album yet. Co-produced with French jazz-fusion musician Clément Petit (of Asynchrone), the record is a warm, free-flowing mix of calypso, bossa nova, jazz and timeless songwriting, carried by her unmistakable voice. Mojo has already praised it as “her third, and best yet… a glorious travelogue brimming with warmth and life-affirming joy.”

The new single “Tief”, released alongside the album, is one of its boldest moments. Blending militant soul, calypso and jazz, it samples Trinidadian legend The Mighty Sparrow’s The Slave to confront the legacy of colonial theft and the case for reparations. ALA.NI explains: “There has to be a point where these precious goods are returned to their rightful owners… those past crimes against humanity have to be compensated if we’re ever to be truly equal.”

Much of the record was inspired by an extended stay in the Caribbean, where time spent in Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica reshaped her sense of identity and creativity. In Jamaica, she even persuaded legendary drummer Sly Dunbar out of near-retirement for an impromptu session. The heat and spirit of those years now infuse songs that glide between reggae rhythms, bossa nova whispers and bursts of carnival brass.

From the golden glow of “Summer Meadows” to the shimmering intimacy of “Something You Said”, and the reggaeton-laced “Ton Amour”, the album is steeped in memory, resilience and light. Though often labelled as a jazz singer, ALA.NI resists categories: her sound is rooted just as much in showtunes, calypso and reggae as it is in classic songcraft.

Since her 2016 debut You & I — a spellbinding set of torch songs that led to an appearance on Later… with Jools Holland — ALA.NI has carved her own distinct path, whether layering vocals on 2020’s ACCA or collaborating with artists as varied as Iggy Pop, LaKeith Stanfield and Mary J. Blige. With Sunshine Music, she opens a new chapter: one that carries light through shadow and joy through hardship.