Mina Alali

Alali, who has recorded two albums and two new songs this year, will perform at Morgan’s Mill on Saturday at 8 p.m. She added that this was her first time competing in the competition. She studies music and music business at Berklee College of Music and said she will continue to put out new, original songs. - Daily Democrat

"Mina Alali is a girl on a mission. She's only 19 but "Something About Her" is her 4th release in the last 12 months. While balancing a full credit college curriculum with appearances on network television and an upcoming summer tour, some would say her dance card is full. Mina not only says let the music play, but turn up the volume." - PR Log

Singer Mina Alali, a student at Berklee College of Music, speaks to millions of working women in “22 Cents or Less.” She belts out the chorus, “She will give it her best, short of twenty-two cents. No she won’t half sweat—seventy-eight percent. She will give it her all, wanna be standing tall. Though it’s hard to accept, she’s 22 cents less.”

Her song reflects the passion and determination of working women across the country who have contributed to the economy despite the gender-wage gap. Achieving gender parity could add a $4.3 trillion boost to the economy by 2025. - Artsphoria

Mina Alali is currently attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music. So what does she have to look forward to when she graduates? If history holds true she’ll probably be entering a job market where as a woman she’ll receive 22¢ less than her male co-workers doing the same job. While that would make most of us angry or frustrated Mina has channel her feelings about hitting this glass ceiling and turned them into music on an album cleverly titled “22 Cents Less” (Kick-A-Beat Records). - Hot Indie News

Who knew the gender wage gap could make such a catchy pop tune?

Berklee College of Music student Mina Alali’s new single, “22 Cents Less,” laments the 78 cents to the dollar that women make compared to men nationwide, all set to an irresistibly bouncy beat.

Alali, 19, who recently signed with a record label and has an album out soon, wanted to tackle the issue after learning about the size of the gap. - Boston Globe

As a species we've had to fight for more than our rights to party. Over the years in the USA women have fought for their right to education, to own property, to vote, to have reproductive rights, to work and earn equal pay. MINA, a student at the Berklee College of Music, acknowledges the reality of graduating college and working at a job that may pay her 22¢ less than her male co-workers. Her debut album, "22 Cents Less", shares some thoughts on this matter. - Music Industry News Network

Review Summary: More than a socially conscious songwriter, on "22 Cents Less" Mina Alali combines pitch perfect tonality with raw emotion and technique that one usually only hears from the major label divas.

As a woman this album really resonates with me, especially the title track. At almost every job I’ve been employed at during my working lifetime there’s been a pay gap between men and women. Can you guess which sex consistently gets paid more? Here’s a hint: it’s not women. - Sputnik Music

"What stood out to me the most when I watched her What I Want music video was not only the ease and honesty of her performance, as well as the sheer joy of singing that the camera captures, but also the candid shots of her laughing while working with her colleagues in the recording studio." - Hub Pages

Brief us the feedback you are getting from fans on your music.

Fans are definitely excited about the new music. One of the distinguishing characteristics about my music, I believe, is the attempt to incorporate important messages about meaningful topics, maybe talking about social issues in today’s society while keeping the overall vibe pop, friendly and easy-listening. “Like Boom”, my newest single, has kind of been an exception to that characteristic, however, and is more a cute love song with a fun electronic pop vibe, including a complex string solo section. I think diversity in music is important and “Like Boom” has been a nice change.

Discuss the relevance of social networking to music.

Social networking today has allowed to provide a more accessible and level playing field for all artists and musicians. It has been crucial in my artist career because there are fans that found me through these social media platforms. For example, I performed in a coffee shop in Billings, Montana just two weeks ago and three young adults drove an hour to see me because they had previously heard me on Spotify. Had it not been for social networking, we would have never met.

Tell us how you record your song.

I usually end up recording all my commercially releasable songs at my producer’s house in Sacramento. By that time, the instrumentation has been completed and I just sing over it. I’m obsessed with harmonies and background vocals and recording those parts is my favorite part of the recording experience!

Tell us the story behind the song.

“Like Boom” is a cute love song about getting those butterflies, or more so a “Boom” feeling in your stomach when you’re around the person you love. It’s that feeling that makes you stay.

State your musical skills.

I started singing very young, but also took up classical piano lessons around age 6. Now I use my piano skills to accompany myself. I’m also currently learning drums! I started recording and producing when I was 12, self-taught and quite amateur on Garageband, but now am comfortable on Logic Pro and produce a lot of my own original songs.

Tell us how long it takes to complete a song from the start.

It depends on the song, but the process for “Like Boom,” was really cool because it was me, my co-writer, and a producer all in a room; my cowriter first came up with the tempo and wrote the chords, then my producer put a drum beat atop those chords. At that point I started writing the main melody and lyrics, and the whole structure for the song, excluding some instrumentation was complete within a couple hours. It was the ultimate collaboration experience.

Go into detail on how you develop your lyrics and melody.

When I write my own songs, I usually lay down some basic chords at the tempo I’m feeling in the moment, and then just brainstorm some main melody ideas. Melodies are probably what come most naturally to me, followed by lyrics that I can write according to the vibe of the instrumentation. I love writing story-like songs, lots of metaphors and things that can be up for interpretation by the listeners. Keep people guessing.

Discuss music in full details.

Music I feel is its own unique entity in that it is a tool that artists can use to directly convey raw emotion, meaningful messages, or maybe spread awareness about important topics. There is something so powerful, about the combination of a rhythm, different instruments, a main melody, and lyrics that can make people feel something so significantly - if done correctly - that spoken or written words could never do alone. It is my goal to make people feel how I felt when recording a song when they listen to that song of mine.

State your five favourite genres of music with reasons.

Pop - it’s “popular” for a reason - the vast majority of people enjoy listening to it!

RnB/Soul - I feel like the early 2000’s was this genres time to shine, and the music produced at this time was so raw with honest lyrics, the feel-good and easy-listening vibe, and not to mention the insane background vocals!

Alternative/Indie - Constantly changing from year to year I feel, and it is the “experimental” genre, where artists can explore new sounds and listeners can find refreshing new music.

Classical - Classical music has always put me at ease and is the genre I turn to before a high-stress moment like an audition or interview. Piano ballads are my favorite.

Ska - the precursor to modern day reggae. A very feel-good genre, and what I turn to at 7PM when I’m driving with my friends in the car with the windows down and it’s 75 degrees outside!

Discuss your rehearsal.

Warm ups on warm ups on warm ups. My ideal time to sing is 4 or 5PM in the afternoon, after I’ve had a day of talking but I’m also not completely tired or worn out yet. But often my appearances are early in the morning, and I need at least a half hour to 45 minutes to warm up. Lip trills, slides, followed by me performing my songs in the mirror and critiquing my performance as best as I can.

State your favourite musical instruments.

Piano is a favorite – a true classic, and like I said before, classical piano ballads are what can help me calm down if I need it. I also love the cello – after the drums I would definitely like to pick up the cello and attempt to understand string instruments better. The richness and depth of the tone is so incredibly beautiful and soothing to me. And lastly, drums. I’ve wanted to learn drums for a long time and am disappointed I didn’t get into them earlier. I guess I always thought of them as being a “boy” instrument but a girl playing the drums is so bada**!

Describe the chemistry between you and your fans during a live performance.

A lot of eye contact – I find that this allows me convey messages and I’m always really happy with the attentiveness when I’m performing. It makes me feel like I’m making people feel what I’m feeling. I’m not a super show-offy performer with crazy dance moves, more so a performer who idealizes standing on the stage with a microphone and some good lighting and just having people listen.

Discuss your personality in full details.

I am very serious and passionate about my work whether that’s my artist career or my studies in school at Berklee College of Music. I set big goals for the future and am motivated by little achievements along the way. But I also have a crazy humor-intensive side that comes out when around my close inner circle of friends and family. I love being spontaneous and silly when the time allows for it.

Discuss your music career.

It’s ever-growing. I do music because it’s what makes me happy. To gain a fan base along the way is incredible, but it’s a side effect – not my main goal. I think it’s dangerous to think of music solely as a “money-maker.” People love music because it makes them feel something in a way that nothing else can. Music is emotional and unexplainable. I’ve been extremely lucky to work with a record label with a great vision for the future, and we have big goals for the future in terms of commercial releases and networking with more professional people in the LA/NYC area.

List your musical work.

In descending chronological order:
Like Boom – single, February 2018

Something About Her – album, 2017

No Lovin’ Me – single, 2017

22 Cents Less – single, 2017

Unique – 2015-2016, album

Give us the links to buy your music and contact you.
iTunes

Share your memorable experiences with us.

Seeing my single, “Something About Her”, on the Billboard Charts for Hot Singles for 5 consecutive weeks and its highest rank at #4 was absolutely insane and something I’ll remember forever. Another was seeing promotion for my music plastered on a jumbotron in NYC’s Times Square. The first time I had experienced fans driving an hour to come see me (in Montana!) was also a very special moment. Lastly, the last performance of my Summer 2017 tour was in my hometown of Davis, CA and the turnout was so much better than expected, and I remember everyone was vibing and dancing to the music the whole time. It was awesome to end an epic tour in my hometown and for all these people to come support local artists.

Share your press release and reviews with us.

All of my press releases are in my website:
minaalali.com

State the official date of release.

“Like Boom” was released February 1st, 2018.

State your artist’s name and elaborate on it.

My artist name is my full name, Mina Alali, but maybe will shorten to “Mina” because it’s not a very common American name. I am of Persian decent.

State the title of the song and the meaning.

My newest single is, “Like Boom,” is a cute love song about getting those butterflies, or more so a “Boom” feeling in your stomach when you’re around the person you love. It’s that feeling that makes you stay.

State the title of the album and the reason for choosing the title.

First album – UNIQUE (unique sound, not cookie-cutter pop)
Second Album (Released under Kick-A-Beat Records) - Something About Her (named after one of the songs). - WorkSender

Brief us the feedback you are getting from fans on your music.

Fans are definitely excited about the new music. One of the distinguishing characteristics about my music, I believe, is the attempt to incorporate important messages about meaningful topics, maybe talking about social issues in today’s society while keeping the overall vibe pop, friendly and easy-listening. “Like Boom”, my newest single, has kind of been an exception to that characteristic, however, and is more a cute love song with a fun electronic pop vibe, including a complex string solo section. I think diversity in music is important and “Like Boom” has been a nice change.

Discuss the relevance of social networking to music.

Social networking today has allowed to provide a more accessible and level playing field for all artists and musicians. It has been crucial in my artist career because there are fans that found me through these social media platforms. For example, I performed in a coffee shop in Billings, Montana just two weeks ago and three young adults drove an hour to see me because they had previously heard me on Spotify. Had it not been for social networking, we would have never met.

Tell us how you record your song.

I usually end up recording all my commercially releasable songs at my producer’s house in Sacramento. By that time, the instrumentation has been completed and I just sing over it. I’m obsessed with harmonies and background vocals and recording those parts is my favorite part of the recording experience!

Tell us the story behind the song.

“Like Boom” is a cute love song about getting those butterflies, or more so a “Boom” feeling in your stomach when you’re around the person you love. It’s that feeling that makes you stay.

State your musical skills.

I started singing very young, but also took up classical piano lessons around age 6. Now I use my piano skills to accompany myself. I’m also currently learning drums! I started recording and producing when I was 12, self-taught and quite amateur on Garageband, but now am comfortable on Logic Pro and produce a lot of my own original songs.

Tell us how long it takes to complete a song from the start.

It depends on the song, but the process for “Like Boom,” was really cool because it was me, my co-writer, and a producer all in a room; my cowriter first came up with the tempo and wrote the chords, then my producer put a drum beat atop those chords. At that point I started writing the main melody and lyrics, and the whole structure for the song, excluding some instrumentation was complete within a couple hours. It was the ultimate collaboration experience.

Go into detail on how you develop your lyrics and melody.

When I write my own songs, I usually lay down some basic chords at the tempo I’m feeling in the moment, and then just brainstorm some main melody ideas. Melodies are probably what come most naturally to me, followed by lyrics that I can write according to the vibe of the instrumentation. I love writing story-like songs, lots of metaphors and things that can be up for interpretation by the listeners. Keep people guessing.

Discuss music in full details.

Music I feel is its own unique entity in that it is a tool that artists can use to directly convey raw emotion, meaningful messages, or maybe spread awareness about important topics. There is something so powerful, about the combination of a rhythm, different instruments, a main melody, and lyrics that can make people feel something so significantly - if done correctly - that spoken or written words could never do alone. It is my goal to make people feel how I felt when recording a song when they listen to that song of mine.

State your five favourite genres of music with reasons.

Pop - it’s “popular” for a reason - the vast majority of people enjoy listening to it!

RnB/Soul - I feel like the early 2000’s was this genres time to shine, and the music produced at this time was so raw with honest lyrics, the feel-good and easy-listening vibe, and not to mention the insane background vocals!

Alternative/Indie - Constantly changing from year to year I feel, and it is the “experimental” genre, where artists can explore new sounds and listeners can find refreshing new music.

Classical - Classical music has always put me at ease and is the genre I turn to before a high-stress moment like an audition or interview. Piano ballads are my favorite.

Ska - the precursor to modern day reggae. A very feel-good genre, and what I turn to at 7PM when I’m driving with my friends in the car with the windows down and it’s 75 degrees outside!

Discuss your rehearsal.

Warm ups on warm ups on warm ups. My ideal time to sing is 4 or 5PM in the afternoon, after I’ve had a day of talking but I’m also not completely tired or worn out yet. But often my appearances are early in the morning, and I need at least a half hour to 45 minutes to warm up. Lip trills, slides, followed by me performing my songs in the mirror and critiquing my performance as best as I can.

State your favourite musical instruments.

Piano is a favorite – a true classic, and like I said before, classical piano ballads are what can help me calm down if I need it. I also love the cello – after the drums I would definitely like to pick up the cello and attempt to understand string instruments better. The richness and depth of the tone is so incredibly beautiful and soothing to me. And lastly, drums. I’ve wanted to learn drums for a long time and am disappointed I didn’t get into them earlier. I guess I always thought of them as being a “boy” instrument but a girl playing the drums is so bada**!

Describe the chemistry between you and your fans during a live performance.

A lot of eye contact – I find that this allows me convey messages and I’m always really happy with the attentiveness when I’m performing. It makes me feel like I’m making people feel what I’m feeling. I’m not a super show-offy performer with crazy dance moves, more so a performer who idealizes standing on the stage with a microphone and some good lighting and just having people listen.

Discuss your personality in full details.

I am very serious and passionate about my work whether that’s my artist career or my studies in school at Berklee College of Music. I set big goals for the future and am motivated by little achievements along the way. But I also have a crazy humor-intensive side that comes out when around my close inner circle of friends and family. I love being spontaneous and silly when the time allows for it.

Discuss your music career.

It’s ever-growing. I do music because it’s what makes me happy. To gain a fan base along the way is incredible, but it’s a side effect – not my main goal. I think it’s dangerous to think of music solely as a “money-maker.” People love music because it makes them feel something in a way that nothing else can. Music is emotional and unexplainable. I’ve been extremely lucky to work with a record label with a great vision for the future, and we have big goals for the future in terms of commercial releases and networking with more professional people in the LA/NYC area.

List your musical work.

In descending chronological order:
Like Boom – single, February 2018

Something About Her – album, 2017

No Lovin’ Me – single, 2017

22 Cents Less – single, 2017

Unique – 2015-2016, album

Give us the links to buy your music and contact you.
iTunes

Share your memorable experiences with us.

Seeing my single, “Something About Her”, on the Billboard Charts for Hot Singles for 5 consecutive weeks and its highest rank at #4 was absolutely insane and something I’ll remember forever. Another was seeing promotion for my music plastered on a jumbotron in NYC’s Times Square. The first time I had experienced fans driving an hour to come see me (in Montana!) was also a very special moment. Lastly, the last performance of my Summer 2017 tour was in my hometown of Davis, CA and the turnout was so much better than expected, and I remember everyone was vibing and dancing to the music the whole time. It was awesome to end an epic tour in my hometown and for all these people to come support local artists.

Share your press release and reviews with us.

All of my press releases are in my website:
minaalali.com

State the official date of release.

“Like Boom” was released February 1st, 2018.

State your artist’s name and elaborate on it.

My artist name is my full name, Mina Alali, but maybe will shorten to “Mina” because it’s not a very common American name. I am of Persian decent.

State the title of the song and the meaning.

My newest single is, “Like Boom,” is a cute love song about getting those butterflies, or more so a “Boom” feeling in your stomach when you’re around the person you love. It’s that feeling that makes you stay.

State the title of the album and the reason for choosing the title.

First album – UNIQUE (unique sound, not cookie-cutter pop)
Second Album (Released under Kick-A-Beat Records) - Something About Her (named after one of the songs). - Broadtube Music Channel