audalei is an indie-pop musical artist with a love of dark, moody, underwater sounds, and simple lo-fi instrumentation. She combines the wholesome with the evocative and creates unique music that will induce shivers, teary eyes, and head bobbing all at the same time.
She used to write a lot of sad girl poetry and she loved to sing covers in her bedroom, but never thought to combine the two. In 2019, she became a very serious 9-5 working person who barely indulged in my creative side. Luckily, over the pandemic, she quit her 9-5 and began writing again.
audalei’s drawn to music because there’s something magical about it. “Music helps me connect and feel seen. If I listen to lyrics I relate to, it’s so validating,” she said. She wanted to do that for others so she strives to write lyrics that are authentic to where she’s at. “I chose to release my music because I figured if it can help one person feel seen, it’s worthwhile. It might be cool to be mysterious but I’m more interested in being true to myself and open so that maybe my experiences or lyrics can help someone.”
Citing musical influences such as Dido, Norah Jones, Daughter, Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey, and Ingrid Michaelson that inspired her musical admiration as a songwriter, overtime she noted that she is inspired by tons of musical artists including Clairo, Girl in Red, Billie Eilish, and Frankie Cosmos, as her tastes and moods change. “When I heard Lorde’s first album that was a turning point for me. Pure Heroine blew my mind and I wanted to make music like her,” she said. “I love soft delicate vocals over simple moody production.”
audalei feels at home when she is writing. She sets herself up with a coffee, sits in the quiet, and writes without judgment. “I write ‘stream of consciousness’ style daily so I have gotten used to writing without overthinking,” she said. There are lyrics in other artists’ songs that have changed her and they are always the lines that dared to be vulnerable. “If my purpose is to be transparent and genuine in my life so that someone can feel seen, then that’s perfect.” For a while now, she has felt whatever struggles she has overcome have left her uniquely qualified to help someone else through something similar. So, if she is singing about it, it’s like she is owning it and moving through it instead of remaining isolated and secretive, which feels lonely.
Her brand-new single, ‘meringue pie’ is infused with dark, emotional, bittersweet and heartbreaking tones that will capture the listeners attention from the very first note. The melancholy production on the track features drums, a ukulele, a tape machine, and special FX. This simple and powerful production paired with intimate and emotive vocals draws the listener in immediately.
“‘meringue pie’ is about being in the early honeymoon stage of a relationship and all the while having an undercurrent of dread that it’ll end just like other past relationships,” audalei said. She disclosed that she has been in an endless cycle of short flings followed by chaotic break-ups, which many will resonate with. The song goes from a cute ukulele love song (the short fling) to a darker night time energy (break up) and then returns to a light song at the end (the next fling). This light, dark, light cycle parallels the chorus which explores a metaphor of the “sun so sweet like ‘meringue pie/ But it won’t even last the night/ Wish it could always be this light/Let’s wait ‘till five and watch it rise”.
‘merguine pie’ stood out as the next single because audalei loved the cyclical feel. She felt strongly about the imagery and its overall lofi, dreamy, dark, and moody sound. “It is the perfect next song after my debut single ‘serotonin’ because it builds on the style from serotonin and takes it one step further,” she said. She is very calculated with which songs she releases in what order and the one following this particular track which will be building on this idea of light and dark light.
When questioned about future projects audalei has in the works, she will be shooting a music video for ‘meringue pie’ this month. She notes, “I’ll be flying to Canada to work with someone I admire and we’ve got a great concept. We’re going to play on the light, dark, light theme and I really trust that it’ll turn out cool.” After all of this, she plans to steadily release new music for the next year.
audalei’s music blends bedroom pop with indie pop, merging lofi qualities and pop music. For someone coming across her music for the first time, the music she has released so far has been pretty mellow with simple, laid back production. Both of her current releases 'serotonin’ and ‘meringue pie’ have simple instrumentation, of guitar and ukulele, with a focus on the lyrical content. “But I love to throw in a bridge that sounds like you plunged your head under water. You’ll have to listen to know what I mean by that,” she commented.
audalei wants listeners’ to take away from her music to relate to the content, in-turn, this would make her feel like it was a success. “ If they are listening and go “Ooh! That’s me!”, that’s all I can ever ask for,” she said. She believes we are all pretty similar as humans and she doesn’t want anyone to feel alone in what they are going through.
When asked what drives audalei forward as an artist, she said, “I seem to only do things with my life that I love and I am passionate about. The fire I have to create and improve on the last thing I created comes somewhere within.” She thinks a lot of artist’s have this sort of internal drive to feel purposeful in their creativity. She gets into a flow state when she’s writing, or recording. “I also love seeing talented people around me take what I’ve done and bring it to the next level like Tyler Gardosh (who added incredible production), Lucas Furseth (a multi talented instrumentalist, and my darling, sweet brother) and Dalton Ricks (genius in charge of the mix/master).” She noted she feels incredibly lucky to have a team around her who are as capable and cool as they are.
Social media plays a big part in today’s music unlike it’s ever been before. There’s more opportunities for artists. audalei comments, “I see a lot of music promotion on social media and take notes from anyone finding success with it. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to have fun with it.” She tries to frame it in a way that she gets to be creative in a whole new capacity. She lets her ideas run wild and create content that doesn’t take itself too seriously. “I also do believe that if your music is good and you put in consistent work, the right audience will find it.”
In the middle of 2022, audalei had a profound moment after she shared demos of music she had been working on with her manager. They listened to the tracks and gave her feedback in her little home studio while she sat on the floor of her carpet. “It was a small moment, but I felt so supported as an artist,” she said, recalling a musical highlight. From this, she felt that someone believed in her and it was the beginning of her journey in forming a supportive team; “Every now and then I get this rush of gratitude when I remember that people care about what I make and want to help me make more of it,” she closed out the interview.
Words by Danielle Holian