Ben Anlamam is another new track taken from ILA’s debut album Ayna — out on April 26, 2024 via [PIAS] Recordings.
"Ben Anlamam" is the first song I wrote in Turkish”, singer and songwriter Ilayda Cicek explains, “It became a significant part of my grieving process following the earthquake that devastated my father's hometown last year. The song expresses a refusal to accept injustice, while also mourning its existence in society.”
Flirting with psychedelic rock, Ben Anlamam is a hypnotic and tense beast of a rock song. Guitars cut & screech and Ilayda screams her lungs out while you can almost hear the devastation and destruction that the earthquake caused.
The video for the track is part 2 of a 3 part story.
“We worked from the Turkic myth Aynalı Magǎra; we told this story but from a queer perspective, in which a king wants to get his daughter married, her who is too beautiful for people not to lose their minds as they take the veil off her face. Until true love comes through, but the passion makes them perish in flames”, Ilayda elaborates on the video trilogy. For ILA and Enfant Terrible Films, it’s important to tell Mediterranean tales, beyond the mainstream Greco-Roman mythology. “We wanted to retell our stories, especially queer stories, to literally marry breath-taking visuals with an explicit political stance. The whole cast comes from a Mediterranean diaspora and we have been working together, from our own experiences and roots, to translate in images the emotions told in the songs.”
Pre-order the debut album Ayna here: ila.ffm.to/ayna
Watch the video directed by Ila Pittaluga (Enfant Terrible Films) here:
LA is a Belgian alternative band led by Turkish-Belgian singer-songwriter Ilayda Cicek, accompanied by Sam Smeets on guitar/bass and Cas Kinnaer on drums. Together, the trio seamlessly merges Turkish and rock influences to create a unique and dynamic sound.
The band gained national recognition by winning De Nieuwe Lichting, a prestigious music competition hosted by Studio Brussel. They entered the mainstream with their hit single Leave Me Dry, holding the number 1 spot on the De Afrekening music chart for an impressive 3 weeks. Their second single also reached the top 5, solidifying their place in the Belgian music scene.
ILA has performed on stages of renowned festivals, such as Rock Werchter and Lokerse Feesten, in addition to Into The Great Wide Open (NL), Sniester (NL), and Vestrock (NL). The 2022 tour concluded with a sold-out show at the AB Club in September. Additionally, ILA contributed music to Wim Vandekeybus's latest project, Infamous Offspring, collaborating alongside Warren Ellis.