{"id":2013154,"date":"2026-06-26T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2013154"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:00:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T05:00:41","slug":"alewya-zero-review-globe-spanning-sounds-from-a-singular-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2013154","title":{"rendered":"Alewya \u2013 \u2018Zero\u2019 review: globe-spanning sounds from a singular voice"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alewya-Credit-Lee-Trigg.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alewya-Credit-Lee-Trigg-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Alewya Zero Album review\" title=\"Alewya Credit Lee Trigg\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Alewya. Credit: Lee Trigg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Album Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Alewya \u2013 \u2018Zero\u2019 review: globe-spanning sounds from a singular voice<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The London-based, Ethiopian-Egyptian artist artfully blends diasporic sounds on her arresting debut album<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">3.5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> David Renshaw<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-06-26T09:00:41+01:00\">26th June 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>\u201cI know what I resonate with, and I know what I\u2019m made of,\u201d Alewya told <i>NME<\/i> in 2022, \u201cand that\u2019s naturally going to find its way out of me into whatever I touch.\u201d Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Sudan by Ethiopian and Egyptian parents, Alewya\u2019s sound is heavily influenced by her African and Arab roots while also speaking to the multi-diasporic London she calls home. Her 2021 debut project \u2018Panther In Mode\u2019 included Arabic scales sitting alongside amapiano rhythms and dub basslines, all offset with prowling melodies befitting the big cat of its title.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: NYC trio Chanpan make fresh, unpredictable alt-pop that plays by their own rules<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On her debut album proper, Alewya strengthens her genre-less sound and creates a collection of pan-global sounds underpinned by a stirring voice that defies easy categorisation. There is little musical throughline on \u2018Zero\u2019, which was co-produced with longtime collaborators Craigie Dodds (Sugababes, Rizzle Kicks) and Grammy-nominated mixing engineer Dean James Barratt with drum\u2019n\u2019bass icon Shy FX serving as executive producer, and it is this melting pot eclecticism that defines the kinetic landscape of the record.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u2018City Of Symbols\u2019 features percussion from Little Simz drummer eejebee and guitar by the classically trained Vraell, bringing together Ethiopian rhythms with lyrics exploring the transactional nature of big city life (<i>\u201cI know they see me as a dollar\u201d<\/i>). \u2018Selah,\u2019 meanwhile, ups the bpm with a hummed bassline and lyrics that reflect the move from head to body. <i>\u201cHeart on skank, skipped in lands, clap these hands,\u201d<\/i> she sings on the album highlight.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alewya - Maktoub (Official Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jwvheSc0wn4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Alewya\u2019s adaptable vocals illuminate the mid-tempo atmospheres heard throughout \u2018Zero\u2019. On \u2018Eshi\u2019 she is calm and considered, nodding to gospel sounds in a song about reincarnation and her hometown of Lalibela. Backed by Ethiopian artist Dagmawit Ameha on \u2018Night Drive\u2019, meanwhile, she switches into a more seductive mode as she purrs about desire and losing control. It is only on a handful of songs (\u2018Maktoub\u2019 and \u2018Guttah\u2019) when she delivers her vocals with a broad London twang, that you are taken out of Alewya\u2019s world and reminded of M.I.A. It\u2019s not that the songs don\u2019t work, per se, more that it deviates from what is otherwise an otherwise original sound.<\/p>\n<p>The job for artists with as broad a palette as Alewya\u2019s is one of curation \u2013 and it\u2019s something she excels at. \u2018Zero\u2019 is sleek throughout while the production provides enough left turns to ensure it never lapses into background listening. At 15 tracks, the album could do with a bit of a trim, however, as a statement of where she has come from and where she is heading, \u2018Zero\u2019 makes for striking testimony.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alewya-Zero-Album-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"alewya zero review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> LDN Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> June 26, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Alewya<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Peggy Gou taps the \u201cuplifting energy of summer\u201d for infectious single \u2018Wo,man\u2019 featuring Ayra Starr<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Charli XCX on her \u201cmini-break\u201d in Paris with Madonna: \u201cI found it very inspiring to hang out with her\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018House Of The Dragon\u2019 viewership is down for season three premiere<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Millie Bobby Brown to reunite with David Harbour for mysterious new project: \u201cTen years wasn\u2019t enough\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Edward Norton hung out with Brad Pitt at the USA vs Turkey World Cup match and everyone\u2019s making the same joke<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Check out Hayley Williams and Daniel James\u2019 two new singles \u2018Great\u2019 and \u2018Training\u2019 as Power Snatch<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>\u201cI know what I resonate with, and I know what I\u2019m made of,\u201d Alewya told <i>NME<\/i> in 2022, \u201cand that\u2019s naturally going to find its way out of me into whatever I touch.\u201d Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Sudan by Ethiopian and Egyptian parents, Alewya\u2019s sound is heavily influenced by her African and Arab roots while also speaking to the multi-diasporic London she calls home. Her 2021 debut project \u2018Panther In Mode\u2019 included Arabic scales sitting alongside amapiano rhythms and dub basslines, all offset with prowling melodies befitting the big cat of its title.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: NYC trio Chanpan make fresh, unpredictable alt-pop that plays by their own rules<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On her debut album proper, Alewya strengthens her genre-less sound and creates a collection of pan-global sounds underpinned by a stirring voice that defies easy categorisation. There is little musical throughline on \u2018Zero\u2019, which was co-produced with longtime collaborators Craigie Dodds (Sugababes, Rizzle Kicks) and Grammy-nominated mixing engineer Dean James Barratt with drum\u2019n\u2019bass icon Shy FX serving as executive producer, and it is this melting pot eclecticism that defines the kinetic landscape of the record.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>\u2018City Of Symbols\u2019 features percussion from Little Simz drummer eejebee and guitar by the classically trained Vraell, bringing together Ethiopian rhythms with lyrics exploring the transactional nature of big city life (<i>\u201cI know they see me as a dollar\u201d<\/i>). \u2018Selah,\u2019 meanwhile, ups the bpm with a hummed bassline and lyrics that reflect the move from head to body. <i>\u201cHeart on skank, skipped in lands, clap these hands,\u201d<\/i> she sings on the album highlight.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alewya - Maktoub (Official Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jwvheSc0wn4?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Alewya\u2019s adaptable vocals illuminate the mid-tempo atmospheres heard throughout \u2018Zero\u2019. On \u2018Eshi\u2019 she is calm and considered, nodding to gospel sounds in a song about reincarnation and her hometown of Lalibela. Backed by Ethiopian artist Dagmawit Ameha on \u2018Night Drive\u2019, meanwhile, she switches into a more seductive mode as she purrs about desire and losing control. It is only on a handful of songs (\u2018Maktoub\u2019 and \u2018Guttah\u2019) when she delivers her vocals with a broad London twang, that you are taken out of Alewya\u2019s world and reminded of M.I.A. It\u2019s not that the songs don\u2019t work, per se, more that it deviates from what is otherwise an otherwise original sound.<\/p>\n<p>The job for artists with as broad a palette as Alewya\u2019s is one of curation \u2013 and it\u2019s something she excels at. \u2018Zero\u2019 is sleek throughout while the production provides enough left turns to ensure it never lapses into background listening. At 15 tracks, the album could do with a bit of a trim, however, as a statement of where she has come from and where she is heading, \u2018Zero\u2019 makes for striking testimony.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3782516 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alewya-Zero-Album-Artwork.jpg\" alt=\"alewya zero review\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Record label:<\/strong> LDN Records<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release date:<\/strong> June 26, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/album\/alewya-zero-review-3953072&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alewya-Credit-Lee-Trigg.jpg&#8221;] Alewya. Credit: Lee Trigg ReviewsAlbum Reviews Alewya \u2013 \u2018Zero\u2019 review: globe-spanning sounds from a singular voice The London-based, Ethiopian-Egyptian artist artfully blends diasporic sounds on her arresting debut album 3.5 By David Renshaw 26th June 2026 \u201cI know what I resonate with, and I know what I\u2019m made of,\u201d Alewya told NME [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2013154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2013154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2013154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2013154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2013154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}