360 GRADI MAGAZINE (English Version)

loyal supporters of my
singing and always
make me laugh in local.
They are always really
friendly with each other
and welcoming to new
people. Honestly they’re
the best thing about
singing in SL.
The thing I dislike is I can
never hit that US evening
crowd as for me it’s 3/4/5
am in the morning. I’d
love to be able to sing
when the main crowd
in SL is relaxing and
listening to live music.
Van: According to musical
connoisseurs’ widespread
opinion and not, your
performances are very
high in the inworld music
scene. Are you aware
of this, or do you not
pay much attention to
success?
Aley: I feel extremely
lucky to have the success
I do in SL and I am always,
always grateful to the
amazing people that
come and listen day after
day. They support me and
support the venues and
keep music alive in SL. I
never take it for granted...
my manager and hosts
will tell you I’m always
nervous (still!) that no
one will show up to the
venue to listen and I work
really hard to always
deliver to the best of my
ability. I take my job as an
artist in SL very seriously.
If I’ve made the venue
owner and the people
listening happy with my
performance then I view
that as a success.
Van: A prerogative of
your performances is
the covers of famous
and/or successful songs.
Customizing a piece is a
natural process for you, or
do you need a thorough
knowledge of the author
of that song first?
Aley: No, generally
all I need is to feel a
connection to the music.
If the music resonates in
me then I think I can do a
good job covering it and
interpreting it in my own
way.
Van: Your repertoire
is vast both in terms
of musical genre and
diversity of artists. You
can quickly move from
rock to soul, from R&B to
musicals with masterful
interpretations. Where
does your knowledge
come from, and what are
the musical influences?
Aley: My parents both
had very diverse musical
tastes so as I was growing
up I was exposed to all
sorts of different styles
of music and that has
continued into my adult
life. My dad loves reggae
while my mum is more
into soul. So I had artists
like Bob Marley and
the Wailers alongside
soul legends like Aretha
Franklin- it was great. I
also grew up performing
musical theatre (as many
of my listeners will tell
you I love singing!) and
being a 90s kid I also
listened to a lot of pop.
I think everyone would
find something they
like to listen to on my
songlist- it’s definitely
eclectic! I’ve even
recently added some rock
covers! Have a look on my
website and see if you
can see anything you’d
like: www.aleykat.com
Van: Would you like to
sing together with two or
three other established
singers in SL? If yes, with
whom?
Aley: I absolutely love
dual streaming with
other artists in SL. In
the past I’ve sung with
Maximillion Kleene, Toxic
Darkmatter and Djembe
Dragonfire among others.
I’d love to sing with Tony
Slade in the future- he’s
a newish singer on the
scene and our voices
78 360 GRADI