The 21-year-old musician Alena Mae captivates listeners with her warm voice, which feels like a secret being shared. Her atmospheric indie pop blends stripped-back arrangements with layered harmonies and emotional storytelling. Through her songs, she gives voice to what often remains unspoken, creating space for doubt, longing, and the strength that can be found in vulnerability.
With “I See You”, Alena Mae releases her debut single on November 13, 2026. Her debut EP is set to follow in spring 2027.
Growing up in the small village of Hägglingen in the Swiss canton of Aargau, Alena Mae discovered the stage without ever setting out to find it. On long family road trips, she and her sister would sing P!nk’s “What About Us” – the soundtrack to her childhood. Later, she found her way into theatre and joined her school band. The defining encouragement to start writing her own songs came from her godmother. Having heard Alena sing and read her poetry slam pieces, she inspired her to turn her thoughts into music.
For her birthday, her godmother and her husband gifted Alena a studio recording session with Benji Alasu, co-producer of Nemo’s Eurovision-winning song “The Code”. For the first time, Alena’s inner world was professionally captured in a song – one that took her to the finals of the m4music Demotape Clinic in 2022, when she was just 16 years old.
After spending time in Biel and Bern, Alena Mae moved to Thun in 2025, where she lives today. As a psychiatric nurse, she supports young people navigating mental health challenges. As a musician, she gives voice to her personal observations and emotions. Encounters with different realities and perspectives shape both sides of her work. The themes that move Alena Mae also find expression in “On Common Ground”, a project accompanying the creation of her debut EP.
Over the past few years, Alena Mae has steadily developed her presence on stage. After performing as a support act – including opening for Jeremy Loops at Mühle Hunziken in 2025 – she went on to play her first headline shows and festival performances. With “I See You”, she releases her debut single on November 13, 2026, followed by her debut EP in spring 2027.
Together with her team, Alena Mae has created “On Common Ground”, a participatory music and art project that brings together people of different generations and backgrounds through collective creativity. In workshops, children, teenagers, older adults, and participants from social institutions crochet individual granny squares. Alongside these workshops, Alena Mae performs intimate concerts at the participating institutions, bringing her music directly to the people involved.
The individual crochet pieces will come together to form a large-scale stage backdrop, unveiled to the public at the launch show for Alena Mae’s debut EP. The project creates spaces for connection, encourages cultural participation, and highlights the idea that every story deserves a place. It also raises awareness of mental health and shows how individual contributions can come together to create a strong sense of community.
Instagram: @alena.mae.music
Tik Tok: @alena.mae.music
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