Dear readers, listeners and supporters.

I want to have a moment to reflect on the passing year – what an amazing year it has been! I truly hope it’s been amazing for you too.

Sometimes in the daily rush it is difficult to appreciate the big picture, especially because the end of the year has been particularly difficult due to illnesses, children’s events and concerts, holiday season, which all take up a lot of energy. But this year there have definitely been big and important events. Among the main ones I can mention:

• Nomination for the GAMMA Music Award this spring;
• Receiving two Gold certificates for songs that have exceeded the threshold of 2 million streams;
• Releasing the album “Lightkeeper”;
• The song “Wednesday” reached 1 million listens on the Spotify platform.

On the personal front, these have been:

• Starting the construction of a family home – very exciting!!

which also leads to great challenges and inconveniences that must be endured for an unknown duration – family life in a small rented apartment and the absence of your own studio. It is difficult when you do not have your own space and doors that you can close to be alone. But all this in the name of the future, that one day I will have my own studio/space for work that won’t also be a bedroom at the same time, or a room for children’s games – such as flying pillows through the air.

Maybe now you understand better why creative trips are so important to me, especially at this challenging time in my life. I went on couple of creative trips this year and my conclusions were:

• a wonderful way to work productively and without interruptions, because you don’t have to stop for someone else, you don’t have to deal with cleaning, picking up after others, logistics, time planning and other daily things that occupy your mind. Reminds me of the times when I lived alone and was my own queen.
• Because the workload was unusually intense and outside my normal routine, it left me exhausted; my eyes hurt in the evenings (but I was always very happy with the amount of music work I did);
• Going to nature is a win-win situation, because you have both inspiration and the opportunity to work at the same time;
• Since my time was usually limited in terms of the number of days, there is undoubtedly pressure somewhere in the back of my brain that something worthwhile must be created. It would be cool if I could work without putting too much pressure on myself.

Things I did on my very little spare time this year:

Books:

Ok, you have to know that I read approximately one – two books a year (let me specify that I am here speaking about books for adults) and this year the lucky ones are:

Inga Spriņģe “Karsti” (“Hot”) – I bought this book because the topic is relevant (a guide for women navigating perimenopause) and I really like the way Inga approaches the issues with her journalism experience – haven’t finished reading it yet.

“Kā runāt, ja bērni neklausās” (“How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen”) by Joanna Faber and Julie King – some very valuable advises on parenting – love this book and cannot recommend enough.

I have additionally read plenty of children’s books, our favorite one this year being – “Dogman”, all the series, by Dav Pilkey.

Podcasts:

This year I have continued to listen to some of the podcasts I already listened before, such as : “Cilvēkjauda” by Laura Denler and “Pēcdzemdību Stāsti” by Marta Ābele and Vija Požarnova. But I also started listening to new ones, like: “Izgaismots” by Kristīne Garklāva and “Laika Kapsula” by Mārtiņš Spuris.

Films:

I loved the TV show “Ted Lasso” so much – not only for the humor, but also because it’s set in Richmond – that’s the exact same place we lived in London! How cool to see and recognize the streets we’ve walked and the parks we’ve hung out in. And another one I am watching this year is “Dimplomat” with Keri Russell, who I loved already when she was playing Felicity years and years ago. From my cinematic experiences, I would like to highlight the film “Tīklā. TTT leģendas dzimšana” (“Escape Net” in English) about the beginnings of the legendary Latvian female basketball team TTT. Wept like a baby.

Travel:

March: Austrian Alps – extended family tradition of skiing, this year also with our little boy!
May: Rome – my husband and I went to Rome to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Rome is breathtakingly beautiful!
July: Czech Republic – family road trip during summer school holidays.

I am going through my photos on my phone trying to find something to share with you all, and I have to admit that my phone is full of photos with my kids 🙂 haha.. but ok here are a few I want to share.

Thanks to each and every one of you who has purchased, streamed, or otherwise listened to my music this year — who shared it with friends and family, watched my stories and reels, commented on my posts, and supported me in ways both big and small. None of it goes unnoticed. 🧡

Creating and releasing music is often a very personal process, and knowing that these songs have found their way into your lives means more to me than I can put into words. Every listen, message, and kind word reminds me why I do this, especially on the days when it feels hard or uncertain. 💔

Your support this year has allowed me to keep creating, growing, and believing in what I’m building. I’m deeply grateful for the time, energy, and love you’ve shared with my work, and I don’t take it for granted for a second. 💛

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for being part of this journey with me. I can’t wait to share what’s coming next. 🤍

I wish you all health and happiness in 2026! Stay curious and productive!

With love, Aija