On her new album Higherselflove
We often only understand the value of something when it begins to slip through our fingers. It’s a lesson most of us learn the hard way at some point in life. Painful, yes. But sometimes also clarifying. A reminder to pay closer attention, to care more deeply, to move differently.
With Higherselflove, Ayelle turns this realisation into music — exploring what it means to rebuild trust with yourself after things fall apart. Over the past years, health challenges reshaped not only her body, but her relationship to herself and to the world around her. As she shares, “So much has been revealed and taken away in the last few years through the health challenges I’ve had to face, and how deeply they’ve changed my life and my sense of self. But they’ve also brought me closer to what truly matters. And amidst the grief, joy reappears. I’m learning how to let both exist side by side.”
Higherselflove feels like an ode to self-trust. To caring for oneself. To softening. To loving others from a place of deeper alignment. Sonically intimate yet emotionally expansive, the album moves between hope and reflection, grounding and release — inviting listeners to return to their own bodies and inner knowing.
We’re happy to reconnect with Ayelle and dive into the layers behind this deeply personal body of work. Step inside the conversation below.
photography by Heyner Hernandez
Hey Amanda! It feels like we all come together around your music every couple of years – it’s really special. (smiles) I’m so happy you have a new album out! Which track on Higherselflove is closest to your heart right now, and why?
I think right now it would be “Safe Again” as it’s been a very current theme in my life over the past few years. I wrote it at a time when I was starting to realise just how unsafe I had felt in my own body for a long time. I learned self abandonment at a young age and moved through life often overriding my needs and pushing through exhaustion or discomfort. Add a couple of years of intense health challenges on top of that and it became something I could no longer ignore. This song is basically like a love letter to my body, promising to slow down and learn to listen to what it needs in order to feel safe again.
Your music has always felt minimal yet deeply emotional. Do you leave space in the production so listeners can bring their own stories into it?
I wouldn’t say it’s a conscious decision. Making music has always felt like a deeply intuitive process and I can never be quite sure which way it will take me, which is what I love. I always just hope that my music will reach those people who need it the most and that they feel seen by it.
‘Like You Used To’ carries such a romantic tone for me. What does romance mean to you, and what lies behind this song?
To me, this song is all about reclaiming agency. I wrote it after living in LA where I had begun to feel increasingly distant from myself. The music industry can be cruel, and dating in LA can be too. I had a number of experiences that felt quite dehumanising and decidedly unromantic – so I guess this song was a way of reminding me of all the beautiful, romantic experiences I had once had and reclaiming that for myself. Romance to me is about being met with deep care and respect. There’s nothing sexier.
You wrote this record during and after several years of health challenges. In what ways have those experiences changed not only your music, but also your relationship with yourself and everyday life?
They’ve changed everything, down to my very core. How I relate to the world, myself and others. And of course, how I make music. I think they’ve stripped away anything that wasn’t completely true or in alignment. I am no longer able to tolerate being in certain environments if they don’t feel conducive and I’m also not interested in achieving the same things I once was.
Everything has been narrowed down to the things that are truly important to me. Creating music for the love of it and exploring polyvagal-informed sound therapy methods for healing. Spending time in nature, lots of it. Being around people that feel like home, where I can truly be myself. Being around animals. The past month I’ve been going to a farm every weekend to spend time with the goats (laughs) – my idea of fun has significantly shifted.
“Romance to me is about being met with deep care and respect. There’s nothing sexier.”
Songs like ‘Better Days’ feel very hopeful to me, and I love that! I think it’s so important to hold on to the beautiful things, even when it’s hard. Would you say the album is a kind of bridge back to softness and trust?
Yes, it’s exactly that. I wrote “Better Days” as a kind of message from my higher self to hold onto hope. Even at my lowest points I feel like there’s always this greater presence behind the doubt, pain and fear. But it can be really hard to tap into when it feels like life just won’t let up. Thankfully, music has been a great tool for me to tap back into it. This album has definitely helped me keep reaching for the light, and to insist on softness in the face of whatever I might be dealing with.
You have Iranian heritage, and the events there are heartbreaking and painful for many people around the world. Many feel powerless watching what’s happening in Iran. From your perspective, what are meaningful ways for those outside the country to truly help – through solidarity, donations, or raising awareness?
I think one of the most powerful things people can do is simply to keep talking about it, keep posting and keep sharing. You don’t have to know all the ins and outs or be perfectly informed to support the people of Iran’s right to freedom. I think too many people police themselves for not knowing enough and choose not to post instead, which is a shame, because global awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal right now.
“Music has been a great tool for me to tap back into hope.”
Speaking of that theme – “Woman Life Freedom” is a strong title. What emotions did you carry while writing a song connected to such a powerful movement?
I think it started out as rage at how women in Iran were being treated and stripped of rights – even the right to sing or dance in public. And in that rage there is such a powerful collective of emotions and experiences that we as women all share. So I took that rage and channeled it into imagination instead. Imagination of a world in which women everywhere can live their lives with freedom, dignity and joy.
You once called yourself ‘a bit of a nomad,’ rarely staying in one place for long and not really having one fixed home. That was some time ago – do you still relate to that feeling, or has your sense of home changed?
These days I’m definitely not moving around as much. I think that even though I’ve always loved traveling, I spent a long time running away from some part of myself, never able to truly sit still in one place. I now live in Spain but I also spend a lot of time in Sweden, as I grew up between the two. So, I guess in a way I’m still between worlds but I’m slowly starting to feel more rooted in myself.
And if you had the chance to have one free wish fulfilled for yourself, what would it be?
To live with continued good health. There’s a saying that goes “A healthy person has a thousand wishes, but a sick person has only one”. If there’s anything the last few years have taught me, it’s the importance of taking good care of myself and my health.
Listen to the full album now ➤ distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ayelle/higherselflove
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