Alela Diane

In the organizer's words:

More than a decade into one of contemporary folk's most quietly extraordinary careers, Alela Diane returns on May 22 with Who's Keeping Time? via Fluff & Gravy Records / Loose Music.

The Portland songwriter's seventh studio album was born out of intuition, chance and community. On April 1st of last year, folk legend Michael Hurley passed away at the age of 83 - a defining figure in Portland's music scene. "I was completely devastated," says Alela, who not only adored Hurley but also knew him well. At a tribute concert for him, she found solace and new inspiration in the collective grief. "It was a kind of epiphany to realize how much I missed my community. At that moment, it was very clear to me what I wanted: I want to be alive. I want to experience live music. I want to play it."

After working more solo on her last releases, Alela was looking for a new path. While making music every day in the attic of her 1892 Victorian house, new songs emerged in the dusty light - and the desire to bring them to life together with others.

One evening at Clay Street Studio, she met drummer Danny Austin-Manning, who brought her together with co-producer Sam Weber (Madison Cunningham, Anna Tivel, among others). Together with Sebastian Owens on bass, they recorded fifteen songs in less than five days - live, in the same loft where they were written. Anna Tivel contributed backing vocals and violin, Peter Lalish from Lucius added guitar parts. Other contributions came from Pacific Northwest musicians Kati Claborn and Luke Ydstie of Blind Pilot and AC Sapphire. Alela's vision of unbridled, collaborative music ushered in a new creative phase for them.

The result is an 11-song album that alternates between gentle, raw and cinematic, carried by Alela's melodious, moving voice. Her lyrics testify to a special strength - the ability to face pain without losing herself in it. She has developed this quality over a lifetime of songwriting, during which time her multi-layered work has been celebrated by media outlets such as Pitchfork, NPR Music and The Guardian. UNCUT described her craft as "insanely beautiful, with the strength and delicacy of spider silk" and ranked her work among the "50 greatest singer-songwriter albums of all time" - right up there with John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Paul Simon. Consequence also emphasized her importance: "Her sound is timeless, that of a wandering troubadour - a voice that appears only a few times per generation."

With Who's Keeping Time? Alela Diane transforms grief into community and reaffirms her place as a vibrant, defining force in contemporary folk - rooted in proximity, presence and the enduring power of song.

On 2.11.2026 Alela Diane returns to the Mojo Club in Hamburg to present her latest work live.