On one hand, some musicians create music. Then there are world-builders. Romanova fits into the second category without a shadow of doubt. The true chameleon of sounds, with her boundless creative freedom from the majestic grandeur of a whole orchestra up to the futuristic edges of innovative electronic compositions, Romanova has dedicated her career to the defiance of genres. From conducting the orchestra pit to creating intimate chamber music and manipulating progressive techno, soul, jazz, and pop-rock into her own will, her talent lies in complete emotional control over her listeners. Today, Romanova comes to our lives with a storm of the summer season, the Fourth of July, and gives us her latest track titled “9/8”, something to hear and feel.

From the very first second, “9/8” draws you in with a dizzying wash of dark cinematic tones and tantalizing textures which actually render you breathless in their effect. It is a hook like no other, and in addition to being a musical one, it is one of intense intrigue that leaves you utterly paralyzed in the most wonderful way possible, craving the great music that will follow.

What ensues is an incredible, innovative cinematic instrumental performance in which Leyla masters an entire universe in the rare time signature of 9/8, turning rhythms into something that is both mesmerizing and organic. What she performs here is the interweaving of an intense, earthy story told by the full symphony of an orchestra, where the rumble of the double basses and the warmth of tubas smoothly blend into the soaring sound of the violins and the victorious trumpet sounds with otherworldly electronic sounds that seem to float among the stars. This is an amazing clash of two worlds made even more impressive by the virtuosic and beautiful cascading sounds of piano played throughout the song.

Cultivated deep within the scholarly worship of grand concert halls and painstakingly crafted scores, yet resolutely ahead of its time, she makes no effort to straddle the fine line between classical elegance and cutting-edge electronic sound. It is precisely this kind of magic that has won her countless international awards; her extraordinary skill for creating landscapes saturated with atmosphere and compelling drama that evoke vivid mental imagery. In “9/8,” the talent is fully showcased in the way that the piece transitions, evolves, and changes as the melodies transform from one movement to another, always maintaining the connection with the original theme. Instead of hindering the experience, the incredible evolution adds ten times more to the journey by creating an array of beautiful sounds for one to get lost in.

A classically trained musician who is proud to have graduated from the famous Bulbul Music School of Baku, Azerbaijan, Leyla’s background rests on the rigorous discipline of traditional academia, with her remarkable compositions for orchestra and chamber ensembles resounding at international festivals around the world ever since she was young. But artistic creativity calls for revolution, which Leyla achieved by breaking boundaries and switching between worlds with ease to create organic colors of orchestral music interlaced with beats of electronic music, ranging from pop-rock and pop-jazz to various genres of electronic music. Throughout everything, one golden thread connects everything she writes through: a majestic sense of cinema and unwavering dedication to the power of narrative that turns each work into something bound for the big screen, bringing her story to vivid life before your very eyes. I cannot begin to describe how utterly enraptured I am; having fallen into her realm of sublime genius is like hitting the jackpot, and once I’ve discovered her, I can never, ever let go of her music again.

Stream “9/8” on Spotify

Follow  Leyla Romanova here and her socials:  Facebook, Instagram, YouTube