Each Measure Feature: Amelina

FEATURE

Want to feel like a kid again this holiday season? Put on Amelina’s new release, “A New Year’s Wish.” 

If your idea of a holiday track is a saccharine-sweet audio incarnation of Hallmark greeting card, “A New Year’s Wish” will catch you by surprise. Part holiday jingle and part coming-of-age anthem, “A New Year’s Wish” taps into the edge and energy of the pop punk genre to deliver a fresh, youthful take on holiday spirit that’s will resonate with anyone who’s ever dreamed of growing into someone new.

Amelina is a relatively new name in the world of female pop singers, and her career so far has been off to an auspicious start. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter, the teenage singer brings a rebellious, high-spirited attitude to her craft. She’s not afraid to get a little loud when the situation calls for it, and more importantly, she’s not afraid to be herself. With it’s stand-out pop-rock hooks and expressive chorus, “A New Year’s Wish” is a perfect example of Amelina’s boundary-breaking artistry and youthful exuberance.

Conventional holiday tracks have a reputation for being superficial and sentimental. Representing a more metaphorical take on what the New Year can mean, “A New Year’s Wish”is a notable exception. In addition to being pure, foot-tapping holiday fun, “A New Years Wish” is a fantastic anthem of girlhood, capturing the moment when a young woman realizes who she wants to be and decides to reject conformity in favor of self-discovery. The song takes the form of her letter to Santa, but instead of asking for material things, she wants a chance to blossom into a new person and be a little rebellious. “I’m ready to break the mold, set my own pace / In this wonderland, I’ll find my new space,” she sings.

Transformation and new beginnings have always been major themes in Amelina’s work. In 2023, she left her native Russia and moved to Spain, where she found herself starting from scratch in a foreign country with an unfamiliar language. But instead of faltering, she saw the move as an opportunity to reinvent herself. Since then, she’s used her music as a tool to tell her story and let her personality shine.

The result: an imaginative and expressive catalogue of music that beautifully captures all the best parts of being young, including a holiday jam that’s anything but boring.

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