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AYA YVES & LUCY SUGERMAN
team up for acoustic duet
‘FEELS ALRIGHT’
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Photo – Image on left: Jenny Wu Photography, Image on right: Chris Walsh
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Starting off 2022 gently, long time friends and collaborators, Aya Yves and Lucy Sugerman prove there’s power in fragility, teaming up for the emotive duet ‘feels alright’. Following up on a huge year for both artists, who released their debut EP’s in 2021 (AYA YVES – ‘What We Look Like With The Light On’, Lucy Sugerman ‘hurt that’s man made’) ‘feels alright (acoustic)’ pays homage to their singer/songwriter roots.
Though understated, the track holds weight not only in its performance – but largely in creation. Co-written by Australian songwriting heavyweights Bri Clark & Alex Lahey and accompanied by the delicate piano performance of Jessica Arlo Irish, the song leaves a lasting impression. Which is exactly how it ended up in Aya’s hands, or vocals for that matter.
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Produced and mixed by Grammy nominated, ARIA award winning producer Adrian Breakspear (Gang of Youths, Boy & Bear, Pharrel) the track shows just the right amount of restraint.
“The story of how ‘feels alright’ came into my world is a funny one. One night I watched a snippet Bri had put up of her singing the track on her stories- it was what has now become my favourite lyric- ‘You only remember your tea when it’s cold, you tell the same jokes but they never get old, the lines on your face when you talk about where this will go’.
Immediately I went straight to google and scoured the internet because I needed to hear this song on repeat. When I couldn’t find it – I realised Bri must have written it. We spoke about it, she sent me the demo and I listened to it constantly for the next 6 months. With her and Alex’s blessing – I (originally) recorded it solo, with a very electronic based production.
Fast forward to a show at the Oxford Art Factory my usual keys player couldn’t make – I asked Lucy to fill in. We ended up coming back on stage for an encore, playing a version very similar to the one you’re hearing now. It was a beautiful way to close the night – and again a moment that had a lasting impression on me. It felt right (excuse the pun) to honour the song’s original acoustic demo, and that night’s performance – so it was a very natural step to ask Lucy to lend me her vocals for a stripped duet.’
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AYA YVES Bio:
Hitting the ground running since the release of her debut EP What We Look Like With The Light On produced by Xavier Dunn (Jack River, CXLOE, GRAACE, Carmada, Peking Duk) , Aya has amassed over 700,000 streams, was selected to showcase for the Apra AMCOS & Mardi Gras Express Yourself- Queer Discovery Showcase, performed multiple times for Isolaid, opened for Hands Like Houses, played Canberra’s very own Live in Ya Lounge and packed out two shows at the iconic Oxford Art Factory- no small feat for an independent emerging artist. Add in a collaboration with industry icon Boy George and it’s easy to see why Aya has taken the industry by surprise.
There’s no doubt that with her otherworldly vocal abilities and honest approach to songwriting, Aya Yves is quickly becoming one of the premier emerging faces in Australian pop.
Aya Yves
Follow AYA YVES
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Lucy Sugerman Bio:
Bold and unafraid to speak her mind, twenty year old Lucy Sugerman writes about her coming of age experiences of modern love and life, inspired by her songwriting heroes from the 70s. With a knack for
confessional storytelling tied with assured pop hooks, Sugerman’s addictive and youthful energy perpetuates her music, even in her most vulnerable moments.
In 2020, Lucy was the recipient of one of APRA AMCOS’ Women in Music Mentorships as well as a part of their first ever Song Generations writing camp at ANU School of Music. Sugerman released I’d Do It All Again with LANKS as a part of his hotly anticipated double album Spirits. She then released her debut single ‘i wanna kiss boys cos i’m bored’ (co-written and produced with Hauskey and MUKI), premiered and spotlighted on triple J Unearthed and added to Spotify’s New Music Friday AU & NZ and Indie Pop playlists.
This was followed by ‘colour blind’, co-written and produced with Dylan Nash (Dean Lewis, Eluera, Shannen James, The Million), with a sold-out single launch at the Lord Gladstone in Sydney. Lucy was also selected to be a part of APRA AMCOS’ SongHubs Melbourne 2021, the first ever all women and non-binary identifying songwriting sessions of its kind, alongside the likes of Alex Lahey, Eilish Gilligan, Ninajirachi, Odette, Tulliah, Woodes, and guest writers Montaigne, G Flip, KLP, Lisa Mitchell and Anna Laverty curated by Gretta Ray. She also opened SummerSalt Festival in Canberra, joining a lineup alongside Montaigne, Boy & Bear, John Butler, the Teskey Brothers and the Cat Empire. Lucy released singles, the cheeky and triumphant ‘golden boy’ and the captivating ‘trust nobody’ ahead of her upcoming debut EP ‘hurt that’s man made’ out November 18th.
Sugerman lets people into her world through relatable tales of her struggles and triumphs in romance and growing up, showing that they are not alone and cathartically capturing the spirit in learning from your own experiences.
Lucy Sugerman
Follow LUCY SUGERMAN
YouTube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram
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