Chicago-born songwriter Alaina Stacey understands that life rarely moves in a straight line. After gaining early recognition with the trio Maybe April—including a celebrated Audiotree session and features in Rolling Stone and Billboard—Stacey has transitioned into a solo career marked by grace and introspection. Her latest work, a trilogy of EPs titled Dawn, Day, and Dusk, captures the shifting emotional colors of a decade of growth.

What began as a way to record a backlog of music during the pandemic evolved into a thematic exploration of life’s stages. Stacey curated nineteen songs, ranging from high school compositions to recent reflections, and categorized them by their emotional resonance. This collaborative process resulted in a cohesive narrative that spans "the dawn to dusk of our lives," allowing Stacey to navigate genres from folk to Americana without losing her core identity.

Stacey’s work often touches on the "bittersweet feelings" of past chapters. In her song "Think of You," she reflects on the lingering memories of old relationships, noting that even when happily married, "a little part of your heart... stays broken". This vulnerability extends to her most poignant track, "Stan," written in high school about her grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer's. By writing from his perspective, Stacey captures the heartbreaking "sundowning" of a mind in transition, observing those fleeting moments where "he had enough cognition... to realize his confusion".

Despite the challenges of the music industry and a period of burnout, Stacey remains driven by a deep curiosity about the human experience. Now a mother and a student of early education, she finds herself fascinated by how "people become who they are". For Stacey, music is the ultimate "universal language" for this exploration, a way to build a "heart connection" that bridges the gap between the artist and the listener.