Alif Hilal (formerly Lyra Pramuk; born September 20, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter and performance artist.
Alif Hilal | |
|---|---|
 Hilal in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 20, 1990 |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels |
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Early life and education
editHilal[1] grew up in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.[2] As a young adult, she performed on stage in church choirs, orchestras, and with musical theater groups.[2] Hilal who grew up as a boy, said she didn't feel the need to "come out as a gay man" because "it was dangerous to be different."[3][4] Hilal moved to Rochester, New York, where she attended the Eastman School of Music and participated in a program that required her to complete daily vocal exercises in six different languages.[2] During her studies, she spent several periods abroad in Berlin, where she made contacts with various musicians and artists and became acquainted with the city's techno scene.[2]
Career
editAfter graduating from Eastman, Hilal moved to Berlin in 2013 and released her first vocal pieces via Bandcamp.[2] She collaborated with sound artists such as Holly Herndon and Colin Self and attended artist-in-residence programs in Tokyo and Stockholm.[2] At this time, Hilal also publicly came out as transgender, which she documented thoroughly on her Instagram channel.[2]
In 2020, Hilal's debut studio album, Fountain, was released on the Icelandic label Bedroom Community. The remix album Delta followed in 2021,[5][6] featuring reworkings of her tracks by Valgeir Sigurðsson, Colin Self, Hudson Mohawke, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Caterina Barbieri, Eris Drew, Ben Frost, Gabber Modus Operandi, and Tygapaw.[7] Her second studio album, Hymnal, was released in 2025 on the German label 7k!.[8]
Hilal teaches "Experiments in the Future of Performance" at NYU Berlin.[9]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Fountain |
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| Hymnal |
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Remix albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Delta |
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References
edit- ↑ Eede, Christian (10 June 2026). "Lyra Pramuk Changes Name to Alif Hilal After Converting to Islam". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 11 June 2026. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Torres, Eric (23 June 2020). "Lyra Pramuk's Surreal Songs of the Self". pitchfork.com.
- ↑ Spevak, Jeff (12 August 2020). "Lyra Pramuk's transition, in music and life". wxxinews.org.
- ↑ Scheder, Beate (9 April 2020). "Posthumanes Singen". taz.de (in German).
- ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Lyra Pramuk Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ Cetin, Marissa (27 March 2025). "Lyra Pramuk announces new album, Hymnal, shares 'Rewild': Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ Yalcinkaya, Günseli (28 September 2021). "Lyra Pramuk's Delta album takes the concept of the remix to bold extremes". dazeddigital.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ↑ "Lyra Pramuk – Hymnal review". Mojo. No. 381. August 2025. p. 86. ISSN 1351-0193.
- ↑ "Lyra Pramuk". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
External links
edit