Aline Happ, the frontwoman of the Symphonic Metal band Lyria, has surprised her fans with her debut solo album, “Branching Out”. The album is a collection of folk and Celtic Rock versions of songs from famous Rock and Metal bands, as well as original Celtic Fantasy Rock compositions by the artist. The album showcases Aline’s versatility and creativity, as well as her enchanting voice, musical, and production skills.
During the pandemic, Aline decided to record videos of her covers at home and share them with her followers. The videos gained popularity and also attracted new listeners, who asked for an album. Aline then launched a crowdfunding campaign that exceeded her expectations and raised more than 6 thousand dollars from supporters around the world.
“Branching Out” is not just an album of covers and originals, but also a personal and emotional expression of Aline’s musical influences and inspirations. She says that she wanted to create Gothic/Folk/Celtic versions of songs that marked her life, both in rock and metal, and to show a more intimate side of her art. She also says that she wanted to bring some magic into people’s lives through music, and to take them into a fantasy world.
“When I started posting my covers, I got a lot of support and positive feedback from my fans and new listeners asking for an album. I also realized that my versions had a sound identity and could be put together in a more complex and cohesive work, like a full album, so I did a crowdfunding for that. In fact, the initial idea was for the album to be just versions, but during the process, I composed several songs and chose four to be part of ‘Branching Out’. A full album has great artistic and symbolic value, as it represents the artist’s musical and emotional journey. And my fans really like albums, mainly physical material like CDs and LPs”, evaluates Aline.
Aline Happ has always relied on the support of her fans to make her musical dreams come true. Before launching her solo album, she had already crowdfunded two albums with her Symphonic Metal band, Lyria. The first one, “Catharsis”, came out in 2014 and raised 8 thousand dollars. The second one, “Immersion”, was released in 2018 and surpassed the previous record, reaching 13 thousand dollars.
With “Branching Out”, Aline Happ expands her musical horizons and explores folk and Celtic sounds, without losing her Rock essence. She invites her fans to enter a magical world, accompanied by the harp, the flute, the guitars, Celtic percussion, choirs, synthesizers and more instruments.
“The expression “branching out” means to try new things, to expand your horizons, to explore new possibilities. That’s exactly what I wanted to do with this album. I wanted to experiment with different styles of music, especially folk and Celtic music. I also wanted to show my fans a more personal and intimate side of my art, and to share some original songs that I wrote during the process. The name “Branching Out” also has a connection with nature, which is a source of inspiration and magic. I chose this name because it represents well the concept of my solo project. I wanted to bring some magic into people’s lives through music! In Lyria, I talk a lot about feelings and, in the solo project, I also want to awaken sensations for a fantasy universe. This new album is a mixture of nostalgia and innovation, of tradition and modernity, it is a journey into a world of magic and mystery!”, declares Aline.
Aline Happ created “Branching Out” with intuition and emotion, expressing her joys and sorrows through music. The first original song, “Flower of Light”, was a tribute to her grandmother who passed away in December 2021. She then wrote three more songs for the album that also contains renditions of classic bands like Linkin Park, Kansas, Nightwish and Scorpions, and it is influenced by artists such as Sarah Brightman, Enya, Celtic Woman and more.
Aline faced many challenges in the production of the album, from personal loss to technical and logistical issues. She did almost everything by herself: recording vocals, programming instruments, playing tambourine, creating arrangements, mixing and mastering songs, recording and editing videos, promoting and managing the project on social media, designing the album cover, writing lyrics and music. She counted with Patrick Happ for the photos and the lyrics of “Join Me”, “Sea of Dreams” and “Home”, and Rod Wolf (from her band Lyria) for the guitars of “Join Me”, “Sea of Dreams”, “Home” and “Stairway to Heaven”.
“I’m grateful for the support of my fans, who backed me up on Patreon, and of course, for the crowdfunding supporters, who made this project possible. I asked Rod Wolf from my band Lyria to add some Rock n’ Roll flavor to some of the songs and he did an awesome job! He was on board with my solo project from the start, joining me in the first video on my channel, and he understood exactly what I wanted for each track. I also had the help of my husband, Patrick, who is part of Lyria’s creative process too”, says Aline.
“Branching Out” is an album that showcases Aline Happ’s artistic growth and diversity, but it’s not a break from Lyria, it’s a complement. As she sings in “Join Me”, one of the main singles of the album, one of her goals is to invite fans of rock, Celtic music, folk and classical crossover to discover her music.
Aline Happ is one of the most famous voices of the new generation of Symphonic Metal, being known worldwide for her role as founder, vocalist and songwriter of Lyria. In her solo project, she writes original music and also records Folk/Celtic versions of rock and metal songs that are available on her YouTube channel and on streaming platforms. Lyria was founded in 2012 and it has released two albums with crowdfunding support, Catharsis (2014) and Immersion (2018). The band has also performed in several cities and has been a pioneer in streaming online concerts with worldwide ticket sales.