By: Ally Brewster
Earlier this year, Naliya, singer, songwriter and producer, released her dreamy debut single “Handshakes.” The debut song about heartbreak and moving on was an introduction to the artist’s personal, unfiltered songs.
On July 7th Naliya is set to premiere the music video for her debut single “Handshakes.” Being her first music video, it will establish the artist’s visual identity as she works on her first album.
As the video begins, Naliya emerges from a body of water, glitter surrounding her acting as sun-reflections, creating an ethereal feel. The scene then cuts to Naliya in a setting with tile walls and plants all around, these scenes visually showing the lyric “’Til you left me with the wave, I just made it back to shore” from the song.
The video continues to be filled with effects, such as glitter and lens flares, continuing the dream-like quality, matching the smooth vocals of the song. It draws clear inspiration from Euphoria’s aesthetic with its makeup, wardrobe, glitter and colors. It’s filled with bright pops of colors, with a pink, yellow, and brown color scheme, creating a soft and sultry palette for the breakup song.
The song and music video are written and produced like a letter to the boy that left her as she tries to move on from him and rebuild herself. Throughout the music video, Naliya looks into the camera, as if talking to the boy as she sings lines like “I can’t forget your face,” and asks, ““Tell me, do you really think you’re better off without me, on your team?”
Though the song is about a break-up, the video pairs that theme with Naliya vibing to the catchy beat of the song, dancing and feeling herself; a reference to part of the hook “Now I’m fucked up at this party,” as she tries to move on from the boy, but isn’t able to.
The music video is beautiful and dreamy with its glitter, coloring and lights, pairing well the ethereal and angelic hook and melody of the song. The video sets a the tone for what her style and intentions are as an artist: to be raw and honest, and still showing the beauty in it.
The music video for “Handshakes” can be viewed here.
Her single “Handshakes” was just a taste of what the multi-talented artist has to offer as she continues to work on her debut album throughout the year.
ABOUT NALIYA
Naliya personally touches every element of her music. Behind a desk running Ableton Live by herself, she’ll conjure up a beat before picking up a pen to write lyrics and finally grabbing a microphone to bring the production and words to life. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer architects an unfiltered and undeniable take on pop warmed by handcrafted beats and lyrics so intimate they could be a DM. She spent the first eight years of her life in Calgary before the family moved to Paris where she resided until 16. Returning to Vancouver Island Canada for high school, she admittedly didn’t have many friends and felt like an outcast. Staving off feelings of depression, she downloaded GarageBand one day and started making beats of her own. Fast-tracking her degree, she finished Berklee College of Music in just three years, got a Visa, and relocated to L.A. Releasing a series of early singles and collaborations, she repeatedly achieved six-figure streaming numbers. During a Shark Tank-style Instagram Live hosted by powerhouse songwriter J Kash [Maroon 5, Charlie Puth, Selena Gomez], she shared a composition and landed a deal. With Kash in her corner, she co-wrote Jason Derulo’s Lifestyle [feat. Adam Levine] and Tate McRae’s Rubberband. After amassing nearly 2 million streams independently, she formally introduces herself on a series of 2021 singles for Interscope Records led by “Handshakes.”
Stay connected with Naliya:
Instagram – Twitter – Facebook – Youtube – Spotify – Apple Music – Soundcloud
