Alih Jey —born Alih Jey de Peña Jiménez in Santo Domingo on 5 May 1984— is a Dominican singer, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles, whose work moves between rock, pop and folk-tinged Latin music. She is the daughter of the singer Aníbal de Peña.

A family of singers

She started singing at three, travelling with her relatives in a family group known as La Familia de Peña, and as a teenager co-hosted the television programme «Topi Topi de Fiesta» alongside her older sister. Her first song, «Deal with It», dates from the age of fourteen. Jorge Taveras recorded two demos of her music, and Cholo Brenes managed her at that point.

Universal Music and Paulina Rubio

Her debut album, «Alih Jey», came out in 2001 with the single «It’s OK». She then paused to study and began writing with the songwriter and producer Jodi Marr, with whom she made «Gotas de Piel» (2004), recorded in Miami with a live band and produced by JMRS Productions, the trio of Marr, Jon Merchant and Ritchie Supa. Both albums appeared on Universal Music. In 2005 she opened the United States shows of Paulina Rubio’s «Pau-Latina» tour, and a concert at the Fortaleza Ozama in Santo Domingo was planned around it. «Gotas de Piel» includes her own version of «Mi Debilidad», the song her father had made popular.

«Necia» and independent work

«Necia» (2007) earned her a nomination at the ninth Latin Grammy Awards, in 2008, for Best Rock Solo Vocal Album. Press coverage has described her as a three-time nominee, but the Latin Recording Academy’s own database lists this as her only nomination. Her catalogue continues with «Tarte» (2011) and, according to her official website, «Car Trouble» (2014).

Songwriting from Los Angeles

After settling in Los Angeles she built a second career writing for other artists. She co-wrote «Adrenalina», recorded by Ricky Martin with Wisin and Jennifer Lopez, and received a BMI Latin Award for it in 2016. She also sang «Pleasant Nightmare», the theme of the ABC series «Suburgatory».

«Soy De Peña»

In 2018 and 2019 she turned to her family’s repertoire with «Soy De Peña», a tribute to her father and her grandfather recorded with the American folk group Cuñao. She described its sound as “bolero folk”. The lead single, «Mi Debilidad», known through Aníbal de Peña and also recorded by the Venezuelan Felipe Pirela, was released with a video directed by Ernesto Lomelí and Jarina De Marco. On 3 November 2018, after ten years away from Dominican stages, she gave a free concert at Casa de Teatro in Santo Domingo, and the album followed in May 2019.

Legacy

Asked in 2018 about her achievements, she said she valued the awards mostly because they showed that Dominican artists also make music beyond merengue and bachata, and she named her Latin Grammy nomination in the rock category as an example. She continues to write, produce and perform in Los Angeles.