Laying awake on those summer nights, listening to cicadas chirp their hearts away and being free of those painful school obligations. Akira, also known as South Lakes student Ayala Albert channels this recent, yet nostalgic feeling in the title track of her new EP “Cicada”. 

Cicadas can be associated with a rebirth and the closing of an era. With Akira releasing the EP on her 17th birthday, one can only think of the way this all ties together. When asked about the process, Akira told me “it took a very long time to write.” She had previously made the tracks and they were valuable to her, so they had to be used for something special. The songs start off fun and energetic with “Liar” and “No Fun” then mellow out with “Cicada” and “Melt into Mine” and finish off with energy again, but a sad energy with “Something Else.”

“There are seven cicadas on the cover because I like the number seven because it’s green and green is my favorite color.” Akira says while trying to explain the thought process behind the art. All of her cover art is original, with “Kagome” (her first EP) and “Cicada”, she used the same color palette but changed the black to white to symbolize the ending of this year and era of her music. 

With this year slowly creeping to a halt, Akira’s music career isn’t going with it. Semi-regularly posting covers on her personal instagram,  @akirasalive. There is more to come, but for now, remember to stream “Cicada”, available on all major music platforms!