AySay — the Copenhagen-based trio blending Anatolian folk, Kurdish tradition, and Nordic electronica — return with their new single “Malala”. It’s the title track of their new album to be released March 27th via V2 Records.
Led by vocalist and composer Luna Ersahin, the band continues to explore the intimate space between softness and resistance — where personal stories intertwine with global struggles.
“Malala” is a reflection on activism, survival, and the imbalance of who gets to live and who does not. The song draws inspiration from Luna’s reading of the biography I Am Malala about the Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban and survived.
“Reading Malala’s story in her own words changed how I understood activism,” Luna shares.
“She didn’t suddenly become an activist — it was a lifelong commitment to bettering her world. Malala survived. Her Kurdish sister in Iran, Jina Mahsa Amini, didn’t. I carry that contradiction with me.”
The lyrics acknowledge this emotional weight:
MALALA, Jina Mahsa Amini
One died, the other didn’t
Life moves on
The final chorus expands the personal into the collective:
I AM MALALA
YOU ARE MALALA
WE ARE MALALA
The refrain suggests that none of us are separate from these narratives — the struggles of women and Indigenous peoples against oppression are shared beyond borders.
The title holds deeper meaning: in Kurdish, “Mal” means “home.” With MALALA, AySay not only pay tribute to two young women but point toward a collective home of resilience, grief, memory, and continuation.
Alongside the new single, AySay announce their third studio album, also titled "Malala", to be released Spring 2026 on V2 Records. The album continues the band’s exploration of identity, movement, and the emotional landscapes that shape belonging. Through the Danish/Kurdish/Turkish heritage of lead singer Luna, they create a musical space where boundaries are broken down to leave you only with a raw human experience - in the spectrum between hope and hopelessness. As she grew up between these different worlds, she doesn’t see these identities as separate, but interactive and challenging and inspiring each other. A living hybrid of emotion, storytelling and history, showing that identity doesn’t have to be either/or but can be layered, fluid and powerful.
Tour Announcement
To accompany the album release, AySay will embark on a European + Turkey tour in 2026, bringing their multilingual, cross-cultural sound to stages across the continent:
- 09.01 - Store Vega, Copenhagen, DK
EU Tour
- 20.03 – Cabaret Sauvage, Paris, FR
- 21.03 – Villa Anamma, Ghent, BE
- 22.03 – AB, Bruxelles, BE
- 24.03 – Knust, Hamborg, DE
- 25.03 – Club Gretchen, Berlin, DE
Turkey Tour
- April 1st to 12th – venues and dates TBC
DK tour
- 17.04 - Fermanten, Herning
- 18.04 - Harders, Svendborg
- 22.04 - Huset, Aalborg
- 23.04 - Voxhall, Aarhus
- 24.04 - Gnisten, Ry
- 25.04 - Platform K, Horsens
- 30.04 - Dexters, Odensen
- 01.05 - Kulturhus Gimle, Føllenslev
- 02.05 - Svanekegaarden, Bornholm
- 07.05 - Tøjhuset, Fredericia
- 08.05 - Kedelhuset, Silkeborg
- 14.05 - Godset, Kolding
- 15.05 - Bygningen, Vejle
- 16.05 - Kulturloff, Ebeltoft
- 21.05 - Templet, Lyngby
- 22.05 - Aksen, Asnæs
- 23.05 - Underværket, Randers