16-year-old, Toronto-based singer-songwriter, AJA has unveiled her single, “Nerve”. Although she’s been writing music since the age of 8, “Nerve” comes with a big step forward sonically and could be called a new chapter in her music career. The lyrics for “Nerve” are catchy, and you’ll find yourself singing along almost immediately, especially the chorus. This is a song that many of us can relate to, in one way or another, and I highly recommend you take a listen right now.
Check out the single below and find out more about AJA via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m AJA, I am 16 years old and I’m a singer/ songwriter from Toronto, Canada. I’ve been writing, recording, and performing since I was 6 years old. I guess I would say music has been my entire life.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
I love writing songs about my life experiences. I’m constantly writing lyrics down. I write independently and sometimes I co-write with other writers, which I really enjoy. I have learned so much from working with songwriters over the years. It has helped me grow as a writer and an artist. I love how every writer has their own way of writing songs. For me, It usually starts with an emotion and I build my lyrics around that emotion. My music style has evolved over the years but I would say my music consistently has had a soulful pop sound. I really like challenging songs as I admire vocalists like Beyonce, Whitney Houston, and Ariana Grande. But stylistically I connect with artists like Jessie Reyez and Rhianna.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
At the moment I do not have any scheduled live shows as those have been globally put on hold for all artists during this pandemic. I love live performing and miss it so much. I have done 2 tours in 2019 in over 30 North American cities. I opened for Alex Aiono and on another tour 4th Ave. I would describe my live performance as interactive, passionate, and energetic. It’s amazing to connect with my audience. I feel at my most confident when I’m singing and performing live.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
NERVE! I feel that everyone will be able to connect to Nerve. The lyrics will mean something to everyone. It is my latest song out and I feel it represents me the most.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
I am a huge fan of many Canadian artists. I really love Jessie Reyez, Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber. I recently performed with the Tenors who I think are amazing talents, and I wrote and recorded a song with Chantal Kreviazuk who is an incredible vocalist and songwriter.