ALIUS Hennessy & Wine Interview

A lifelong musician, ALIUS, is what the industry likes call a triple-threat virtuoso- an artist that produces, song-writes and sings with equal prowess. Now, they're releasing the final single "Hennessy & Wine" off their debut album The Art of Self-Reflection.

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, ALIUS is on a mission to breathe depth into pop music. Uplifting melodies married with razor-sharp production are the telltale signs you are listening to an ALIUS tune, laced with relatable lyrics that play on the listeners heartstrings.

Original releases like "Caught Up," "Fraction" and "Impossible To Love You" have already clocked up over 45 million streams on Spotify alone, while his remake of the Dawson's Creek theme song "I Don't Wanna Wait" was picked for the Ministry of Sound Summer Anthems release, living comfortably in iTunes Top 10 Charts for several weeks.

ALIUS taps into a wide range of relatable stories of the human experience: friendships, family, aspirations, expectations, hope and disappointment. "This project is about the real experiences of life," ALIUS says, "It's not just about the whole love thing, or hate, or partying. It's about the complications of life, its contrasts, and how we unpack that in our soul. It's an expression of the stories that I've gone through and I feel as though other people have gone through as well".

The result is music that will make you feel as much as it makes you move. Welcome to the inner workings of ALIUS, we invite you to take a musical journey that will move you.

Interview with ALIUS

Question: How would you describe your music?

ALIUS: Pop based, emotional anthems that go straight for the feels through combined melody, lyric and production.


Question: What inspired Hennessy & Wine?

ALIUS: In my past I went through experience of masking my pain or challenges I faced with vices or distractions such as partying or drinking so I thought that I would make this universal as I feel people can connect to this. We all face challenges problems in our lives and people use vices in order to survive. Some people use these vices to deal but sometimes it can turn into addiction if not dealt with properly. It may seem all fun to start with such as a drink here and there at a party but then it can spiral out of control. It's about acknowledging when you can't cope and that people are there to help you so stop trying to mask whatever it is that you cant.


Question: Can you tell us about your new album 'The Art of Self-Reflection'?

ALIUS: The album is catalogue of my creations over a long period of time. It a journey of the many years of different experiences I went through with certain situations, feelings and emotions. It's the way that I would deal with what I went through some could some expressive therapy. Its written in a way so its universal to people so a sense of connection can exist.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

ALIUS: Just that every emotion that we feel as individuals are valid. What we experience, think and feel are unique but the beauty of this is that as human beings we share these experiences to help one another to understand them.


Question: Can we expect any upcoming shows?

ALIUS: Unfortunately, no upcoming shows are on the horizon. The COVID experience has really made it difficult and at this point is just not feasible.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

ALIUS: Expressing what needs to come out basically. I would sit down ready to write and produce either by myself or with another vocalist or writer with a theme or even song title in mind and allow the flow.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

ALIUS: Strangely, Im listening to a lot of K-pop, amazing music. No one in particular.
A few particular ones, Benson Boone, Justin Bieber and Anitta.

Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

ALIUS: A huge part of the inspiration goes to producer and writer Max Martin. His iconic for creating his own sound in pop with Britney Spears, NSYNC* and Backstreetboys.
Also, other artists such as Aqua, Steps and Vengaboys cut through as well.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

ALIUS: I would love to collaborate with Ryan Tedder.
He has such a strong sense of melodies, great ideas and concept in lyric and always something fresh with production.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

ALIUS: I started music when I was 16 so I came into it only knowing what I saw and it was this success in artists faces and all the glamour but there is so much more than that.
As I developed I learnt that the glitz and glam didn't really have much value and satisfaction as there is a lot of hard work involved with ups and downs. Understanding the wins int the challenges was a great reward and that people connected to my art was really what mattered most to me.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

ALIUS: The ability to do what I love to do as "work" and also sharing these experience with people who connect and express appreciation for my music.

Question: What's a typical day like?

ALIUS: Wake up, go to the gym, eat a well-rounded meal with a shake and then jump on the computer either to work on music just by myself or jump in a session with someone else, mostly on Zoom these days due to how COVID changed things.


Question: What's next, for you?

ALIUS: More music… More creativity. more connectivity. Sharing as much of me as possible.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

ALIUS: Spotify 
Instagram 
Facebook 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort