Dynamic alt songwriter Ayleen Valentine just shared her new moody & heavy single “ask nicely.” The song serves as a poignant statement on social constructs, and effortlessly toes the line between indie rock, third wave emo, and Deftones-esque nu metal. It was written and produced entirely by Ayleen herself, and delivers a powerful performance that steps outside of the softer vocal tones of her previous material. Ayleen also directed and produced the music video.
“I started to notice that men aren’t as aware of other people’s emotions like women are, and that was frustrating to me in my relationship,” says Ayleen. “I felt like men around me were constantly thinking about themselves and everyone else was an afterthought, whereas women are always taught to put other people first. So ‘ask nicely’ was me pleading for somebody to put me first. But even if I asked nicely, I would be met with disappointment.”
Growing up in Miami, Ayleen Valentine always had a passion for songwriting and art. She dreamed of working with artists like James Blake, loved the rawness of rappers like XXXTentacion, and respected Grimes for her ability to self-produce. The 22-year-old Valentine dropped out of Berklee College of Music, where she had a full ride for music production, to move to LA and devote herself entirely to music. Drawing upon her Argentinian and Peruvian background, Ayleen incorporates a fresh, distinct perspective in her songwriting mixed with her solid production style.
She recently released her debut EP tonight i don’t exist, featuring hits like “why do i do that” and “next life”, followed up by mesmerizing tracks “anesthetized” & “epitaph” just to name a few.
How are we feeling about Ayleen Valentine’s new single “ask nicely”?
