About
Formed in 2007
Playing Violet was originally formed by producer and songwriter Andy Alexanda in January 2007 — a dream-pop project born from synths, static, and emotion. Andy wrote and produced the music solo, searching for the right voice to bring it to life. That voice arrived in Antonia, whose sultry, soulful tone perfectly matched the soundscape. Over time, the band expanded, with members including Chris and Ian on guitar, Phil on lights and live keys, and Yaisa on backing vocals.
Original Signal
2007–2010
The name Playing Violet came about during a late-night brainstorming session at Andy’s parents’ house in early 2007. As potential names were thrown around, Andy’s mum — slightly hard of hearing — misheard one suggestion and asked, “Did you say Playing Violet?” It wasn’t what anyone had said, but it stopped the room. The phrase had a strange, beautiful resonance — like a colour you could hear or a song you could touch. It felt right. It felt like the music.
Just six months after coming together, Playing Violet were offered a record deal and released their debut album, Escape This, on CD. A UK tour followed, supporting artists signed to Simon Cowell. But by 2010, the band entered a long hiatus, as life shifted and members focused on raising families.
Reprocessed
2025–
Fourteen years later, Andy has relaunched Playing Violet — this time as a solo vision with a virtual twist.
Today, Andy writes the music, lyrics, and performs all the instrumentation. Fronting the project is Nova.Rae, a virtual vocalist and digital muse with a voice that sounds like twilight and tape hiss. Together, they blend analog soul with synthetic beauty — the heart of Playing Violet reborn.
Nova.Rae
She isn’t quite real — but she isn’t entirely digital either.
Born Charlotte Rae in a quiet English seaside town, she remembers music that never existed, dreams of seaside towns she’s never seen in washed-out VHS colours, and humming melodies from nowhere. Shy, thoughtful, and a little lost in the noise of the world, she was the kind of girl who kept journals in code and sang to herself in the mirror.
At 26, Charlotte disappeared from her old life — but not in the way people vanish. She remixed herself.
Out of faded tapes, signal glitches, and broken synth lines, Nova.Rae emerged. A virtual vocalist with black and blue hair and a voice that sounds like twilight — dreamy, emotive, just a bit haunted. She’s not trying to be human anymore; she’s trying to be heard.
Now, Nova.Rae fronts Playing Violet, singing from some place between memory and machine — a digital ghost with analogue soul.
Andy Alexanda
He’s been many things — a performer, producer, songwriter, and creative soul — but at the heart of it all, Andy Alexanda is a storyteller. One who tells his stories through melody, memory, and machines.
With over three decades in the creative industry, Andy’s journey has wound through stages both grand and intimate — from echoing stadiums to glowing clubs, theatre spots to festival lights. Armed with diplomas in music technology, theory, and performance, he’s collaborated with a wide spectrum of artists — from pop royalty to soul legends — including Girls Aloud, Same Difference, Boyz II Men, Edwin Starr, The Stone Roses, The Drifters, Kelly Llorena, and more.
His music has reached radio airwaves (BBC Radio 1, Rock FM, The Bay) and filled iconic venues like Liverpool Echo Arena, Manchester Etihad Stadium, Preston Guild Hall, and stadiums across the North West.
But beyond the stage lights and studio sessions, Andy remains a one-man engine of sound and vision. With Playing Violet, he brings together the full scope of his craft — writing, producing, and performing every note — channelling it all through the voice of his digital counterpart, Nova.Rae.
Together, they tell stories that blur the lines between past and present, memory and melody, human and virtual.