ILA

Two years after their debut album Ayna, ILA is back with Motherland. On this successor, the band around frontwoman Ilayda Cicek sounds bigger, more powerful, and more ambitious than ever. With Met Turkije – the land of Ilayda’s roots – as a common thread, ILA draws inspiration from the work of the Turkish writer Elif Shafak and from the life story of Ilayda’s father, who came to Belgium by plane in the late eighties. The familiar recipe of tearing alt-rock and grunge, enriched with Eastern influences, was given a new dimension for Motherland thanks to the collaboration with top producer Mikko Gordon (Idles, The Smile). After their victory in De Nieuwe Lichting 2022, the success of the breakthrough single Leave Me Dry, and the critically acclaimed debut album Ayna, Motherland – which will be released in September – marks a new milestone in the story of this talented Belgian band.