Anastasia Solay ’s latest album, Heart of a Star, invites the audience to enjoy and ponder life’s questions through a spectrum of tracks, from the playful “Nice To Be Nice” to the introspective “Tell the Sky.” Central to the record is the theme of love in all its joy and complexity, portrayed in songs like “Candlelight,” each resonating uniquely with listeners based on their personal experiences.
The opening track, “Bloom,” is inspired by nature’s metaphorical journey of growth and rebirth, mirroring Anastasia Solay ’s own artistic and personal evolution. This theme is further explored in “Now I’ll Learn,” which reflects on self-reliance and learning from the past. With an emphasis on resilience and the power of choice, Heart of a Star is a message about the significance of love and the impact of our decisions.
Heart of a Star traverses a spectrum of emotions, from the playful “Nice To Be Nice” to the introspective “Tell the Sky.” How do you hope listeners emotionally navigate through this journey?
I hope listeners can simply enjoy the music and dream of the sonic universe, while pondering some of life’s questions.
Love, both its joy and complexity, seems to be a central theme in your album. How do you think your portrayal of this intense emotion in songs like “Candlelight” and “Heart of a Star” resonates with the contemporary listener?
Each listener will have their own experiences, emotions, and thoughts. Therefore, it will resonate differently with each person depending on what they’re going through.
In “Bloom,” you start the album with a metaphorical journey of growth and rebirth. Can you share a personal experience that directly inspired this song, and how did you translate that experience into music?
Spending a lot of time observing the lake and mountains, I was inspired to work on my music as a natural landscape, thinking about how water would sound if it was an instrument, for instance. This also made me think about how the ash from wood fires was good for the soil, just as our past may help us bloom our present moment.
“Now I’ll Learn” presents a narrative of moving on and self-reliance. How does this song reflect your personal growth as an artist and individual, and what message do you hope listeners take from it?
Creating this song and expressing what I was going through at the time helped me grow as an artist and individual. Listeners will find their own message. A few of the ideas were about being aware of the choices we make, learning from our experiences, and keeping kindness regardless of how difficult situations are.
Being heavily involved in composing, writing, and producing, how do you balance your creative vision with collaborative inputs from sound engineers and musicians?
I have clear visions and create demos. I was lucky to work with a talented sound engineer, who is also a musician that brought my music to life with his expertise, belief, and patience. When I invite musicians to play, they bring their own touch of magic.
With Heart of a Star, there’s a strong emphasis on resilience and the power of choices. Beyond entertainment, what message do you hope your listeners take away from this album?
I hope listeners take away a moment; a message that love is the most important thing. Also, that our choices create our life and influence the world around us.
Your music reflects a wide range of influences. How do you see your work contributing to and evolving the legacies of musical icons?
For the moment, I see that I will keep working and contributing. Time will tell the rest.
Listen to the full album below:
