Alya Michelson
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Alya Michelson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alevtina Schepetina Oryol, Russia |
| Other names | ALYA |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | Philanthropist, artist, singer, songwriter |
| Organization | Michelson Philanthropies |
| Board member of |
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| Spouse | Gary Michelson |
| Website | https://www.alyamichelson.com/ |
Alya Michelson, also known as Alya (stylized as ALYA), is a Russian-born philanthropist, songwriter, and singer. A vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning album Mystic Mirror by White Sun, she was formerly a special correspondent for Russia's international news agency, RIA Novosti,[1] and a news anchor for Vesti-FM and Mayak.[2] She is the co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies and a member of the California Film Commission's board of directors.[3] She released her debut album, Ten Years of Solitude, in February 2019.[4]
Michelson (b. Alevtina Schepetina) was born in Oryol, Russia in 1983. While in high school, she worked at Russkoe Radio and as a freelance journalist for local publications.[5] In addition to attending a traditional high school, she studied vocal technique at Oryol Musical School.[5]
Michelson attended Moscow State University, where she received a degree in journalism.[5] She earned a master's degree in economics from Moscow State Institute of International Relations.[6]
Career
Journalism and public relations
While in Russia, Michelson covered breaking news as well as business, politics, and the military as a special news correspondent for RIA Novosti.[2] Fluent in Japanese, she was initially based in Moscow, and later reported from Tokyo. As a journalist, she reported on stories such as the Kursk submarine disaster and the Beslan school siege.[7] She also contributed to the independent newspaper, Kommersant, and served as a news anchor for the national news stations Vesti-FM and Mayak.[8]
Michelson enrolled at Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2006. She graduated with a Master's Degree in Economics in 2008, and subsequently served as the press secretary for the vice chairman of a State legislative body in the ruling assembly of Russia, leaving in 2012 to pursue music.[9][10]
Music
In 2018, while living in Los Angeles, Michelson independently released her first single, "Animals".[11][12] She also directed the music video for the song, which won a Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood Award and the Best Music Video award at the California Women's Film Festival.[13] She followed "Animals" with “Half of the Sun"[14] and "Puppet Strings"; [15] "Puppet Strings" hit the Top 10 on the Euro Indie Music Chart and the Independent Airplay Chart.[16][17]
Produced and mixed by David J. Holman, Michelson released her debut album, Ten Years of Solitude, in February 2019.[18] In April, it was nominated for four Independent Music Awards, including Best Electronic Album.[19] Michelson released the single "American Beauty" in October 2019 and directed its accompanying music video.[20] Produced by Bill Schnee, a Dave Aude remix of the track charted on the Billboard dance club charts, peaking at #15 in February 2020.[21][22] In September 2021, she released the single "Pleasure is Mine", which was also produced by Schnee. It was the most added song on the November 23, 2021 Billboard Pop Airplay/Mainstream Top 100 chart.[23]
In 2022, Michelson provided vocals for White Sun's Grammy-award winning album Mystic Mirror.[24][25] In 2023, she released the single “Crazy” and the EP Crazy Remixes. The EP was #1 on the iTunes dance charts for several weeks. Her December 2023 holiday EP featured "Silent Night", a duet with Eric Clapton. It charted in the UK and Germany.[26] Her song "Hope" was released in 2024. A second version of the song, "Hope: The Sequel" (featuring Erica Campbell and D Smoke), debuted on the Billboard digital gospel chart in May 2025.[27]