Aliza Hava moves out of the dark and Into The Light on her uplifting new single and video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
There are two kinds of people: Those who believe fortune cookie messages and those who don’t. Southern Oregon folk-roots musician Hava falls into the former. “I have a whole box full of them at home that I’ve collected over the past two decades,” she says. Not surprisingly, a moment of serendipity arrived with dinner while she was in the studio with producer Mikal Blue.
“We ordered Chinese takeout and Mikal got the fortune, ‘Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s facing your fear,’ ” Hava says. “I tripped out because that’s the line I wrote in verse two of Into The Light — ‘Courage ain’t the absence of fear, it’s the power to face it — straight clear.’ I couldn’t believe he got that as a fortune as we were just wrapping up the recording. Talk about a sign from the universe.”
Into The Light, written by Hava and Alan Roy Scott, is a powerful track evocative of Amanda Marshall, Melissa Etheridge and Brandi Carlile. The artist belts out the chorus with precision and soulful prowess, as its mid-tempo feel provides a great counterbalance to her stellar, rock-solid pipes. Meanwhile, its message is near and dear to Hava, who survived a traumatic childhood.
“It took a lifetime for me to find the courage to speak up about the painful things I’ve been through and start healing from extreme child abuse,” Hava says. “But developing that strength is exactly what helped me find my voice and use it to move the trauma out of my body. That’s why I was able to write this song.”
Into The Light was produced, mixed and engineered by Blue, and mastered by Daniel Rowland (Seal, Nine Inch Nails, Lady Gaga). Along with Hava’s glorious vocals, the song features Blue on acoustic and electric guitar, Toad The Wet Sprocket‘s Dean Dinning on bass and organ, keyboardist Dalton Cyr and drummer Gregg Bissonette. The video for the single, shot in Romania and directed by Andrei Zaitui and Kalman Eszter Antonia, has over 80,000 views.
Into The Light is also the leadoff title track to her upcoming album, a 10-track effort highlighted by Hava’s powerful vocals, heartfelt lyrics and musical craftsmanship. She co-wrote four songs with Roy and two with Marla Rubenstein. The album, recorded at California’s Revolver Recording Studios, also includes keyboardist and guitarist Jason Achilles, guitarist Jason Perno and cellist Giovanna Moraga Clayton.
“Into The Light is a thematic rock album that takes listeners on a profound, transformative journey from trauma to triumph,” she says. “The songs on this album are reflections on my healing process. They are raw, vulnerable, honest, and the best work I’ve ever done. People who have heard these songs live told me they’ve felt their own trauma lifting off their bodies as I sang, as if some form of transmutation was happening in the room.”
Inspired by artists such as Stevie Nicks, Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco and Janis Joplin, Hava has crafted a sound that blends raw emotion with powerful storytelling. In 2006, she released her debut album Rise. In 2017, she released her Songs for Social Change EP, followed by the album Natural State in 2020. She has shared the stage with everyone from Dr. John and Zac Brown Band to Loreena McKennitt, Pete Seeger and members of both Cheap Trick and Deep Purple. And she’s logged ample air miles with performances in North America, Europe, India, Israel and Palestine, South Korea and Morocco, among other locales.
Watch the video for Into The Light above, hear more from Aliza Hava below, and join her on her website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
