Born Alih Jey De Peña in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic twenty one years ago, this singer-songwriter, re-emerges in 2004 with her second studio album.
Alih Jey’s musical career began at the age of three in her native Dominican Republic when she toured with her family as part of the act La Familia Peña. As she grew into her teens, she ventured into TV where she co-hosted - alongside her older sister - the children’s show “Topi Topi de Fiesta. “ Even though she became a familiar face and ratings were good, Alih Jey knew her true calling was not in front of the cameras; rather it was behind a guitar, piano and microphone.
Alih Jey wrote her first song at the age of 14 as an answer to her high-school peers dealing with the fact that she was a TV star. Her father was so impressed that she continued writing; It’s Ok, the first single off of her debut album was the second song written. These songs, along with her devotion for music, and her parents’ faith in her talent, helped her get her big break when Jorge Taveras – an old family friend and famous producer in the DR - came to the Peña house one night looking for her sister and was greeted by Alih Jey, instead. Such was the impact on Taveras that two demo’s were made and sent to Universal Music Latin in Miami, where immediately she was signed.
Her family then packed up their belongings to move to Miami and pursue Alih Jey’s dream of becoming a recording artist. Her first album, Alih Jey, was received with much praise by critics and helped establish her as a driving force in the Latin music scene.
Alih Jey devoted her time to promote her album and then took a break to focus on school and life. During that time, she met Jodi Marr through Universal Music. It was this encounter that would proof fateful in the long run, as they began writing songs together, creating strong lyrics and beautiful melodies. Alih Jey was growing into a young, independent woman, and Jodi helped her channel all these emotions into new songs. So much was created that it gave them enough material to begin working on her second album.
Nowadays, Alih Jey is a force to be reckoned with, already composing songs for other artists.
As an artist, Alih Jey possesses a unique talent rarely found in our time; her incredible gift for songwriting and expressing her feelings in such an honest manner set her apart from her peers, and her overall capacity as a musician, dancer and performer make of Alih Jey one of a kind.
The Album
Two years after her official debut, Alih Jey is ready to launch her second work with Universal Music Latino. Influenced by The Pretenders and Blondie, the album is reminiscent of the classic rock era; evident in 10 of the 11 songs included. Even the two slow songs – Por Eso and Borrarte – have an early 80’s “power ballad” component to them, with powerful arrangements, deep, strong lyrics and heart-wrenching emotions.
The album was recorded in Miami with a live studio band and was produced by JMRS Productions, except for one song, produced by Randy Cantor. JMRS consists of Jodi Marr, Jon Merchant & Ritchie Supa, and is a relatively new group of young, up-and-coming producers, which Alih Jey was set on working with after she began writing with them on a few songs. As she describes it, Jodi and Jon helped her channel all the emotions into songs: “There is a lot of real feelings in those songs; things that really happened. They helped me pour my heart out into each one.” Alih Jey says this album is extra special to her because she was able to get involved in every step of the creative process, not only in the songwriting but also overseeing and contributing in the arrangements.
Each of the 11 songs - except for Mi Debilidad – was co-written by Alih Jey, thus, making it her most personal work to date. The album is a true portrayal of Alih Jey’s life during these past two years, reflecting the required ups-and-downs of a young woman coming to terms with life, love, career, personal relations and her own individuality. However, rather than focus on the negative, she masterfully turned every emotion into a positive anthem of hope, defiance and independence.
Muñequita Tuya – the first single - is the perfect example of this sentiment, rendering a strong message of independence and self-sufficiency to all young women. Other songs, such as Antes, Aquí Voy, and Tu Canción Feliz, with their upbeat rhythms, also depict these positive views, and although Por Eso and Borrarte (Poder No Es Querer) - probably the most personal song in the album – talk about broken hearts, there is till hope and optimism at the end. Te Lo Debo A Ti – a song originally written to a first love - became Alih Jey’s anthem to her parents and their relationship while Mi Debilidad – a song made famous by her father in the late 60’s – is Alih’s gift to her father.
Straying away from bubble-gum music, Alih Jey explores intense subject matters with songs like De Prisa, where a young couple is faced with the decision of letting go in pursue of their dreams. Vino En Tu Bar – the oldest song in the album, written by Alih Jey at the age of 16 – and Yo Lo Se deal with the hurt of unattainable love. The first is a passion-filled pop-ballad, full of intense metaphors and apparent obsession; the latter is a light-hearted look at a young couple playing with the possibility of a future, yet is afraid to take that step.
Unmistakably, each song is a true reflection of Alih Jey as an artist and as a person. With this album she has marked her territory as a bona fide artist, composer, and interpreter, which is here to stay.
