On October 3rd, Latvian instrumental music composer Aija Alsiņa releases her third studio album “Lightkeeper”. It is a deeply personal and emotional piece of work, in which piano compositions intertwine with the timbre-rich sound of a string quartet and subtle touches of ambient and electronic music.

The album reveals the musician’s inner journey between motherhood and self-realization, between doubts and the strength to continue. Each piece is like a step closer to the light — even in moments when it seems it will go out. “Lightkeeper” symbolizes the small but persistent flame that continues to burn, inspiring Aija to create and share her music.

“Lightkeeper is the most honest thing I’ve written. It comes from the constant struggle between being a mother and being an artist. I love composing more than I can explain – it’s where I feel most alive – but my children will always be my first priority. That means my dream of fully dedicating myself to music often has to wait. Some days it feels like I’m standing on a shore, watching that dream drift farther away, knowing I can’t chase it without letting go of something even more precious.” – says Aija.

With this album, Aija continues to prove herself as a sophisticated, emotionally powerful composer, whose works touch the listener’s heart, creating space for reflection, peace and a sense of light.

The compositions from the new album were created during Aija’s various creative getaways in Latvian nature. She produced them in her home studio, but both Latvian and foreign specialists were invited for post-processing – Pauls Dāvis Megi mixed the four tracks that feature strings, Martyn Heyne at Lichte Studio in Berlin mastered the whole album. The String Quartet NŌNA participated in the recording, and artwork for the album was created by the talented Latvian artist Linda Valere.

Aija Alsiņa has been nominated for the new Gamma Music Award in 2024 in the category “Artist/Group of the Year in the Instrumental Music Genre”. Two of Aija’s compositions, “Collecting Memories” and “Lullaby”, have reached the 2 million threshold on digital music streaming platforms, thus receiving gold certificates presented by LAIPA.

Aija has released two prior studio albums: Domum (2017) and Creation (2021, also on vinyl).

Listeners can get the new album, as well as T-shirts with the Lightkeeper design, on Aija’s bandcamp site: https://aijaalsina.bandcamp.com/merch

Listen to Lightkeeper here: https://open.spotify.com/album/61qoilVXYgnMelgKrogIyH? si=rGEobtKhS3ij14RvcTePIA