Some songs pretend they are innocent. Alessiah’s “bad habit” does not. It walks in already knowing the damage, already liking it a little, and already daring you to look away. That is exactly why this alt pop single lands.
The Romanian singer-songwriter has been building toward this kind of track for years. Early releases leaned brighter and more straightforward pop. Then came her 2025 debut album Obscentra, a darker, English-language project that traded teenage gloss for toxic-relationship residue, desire, and self-discovery. “bad habit” sits in that same night-time lane. It is tagged Alt Pop and Commercial, but the mood is closer to late-phone-call pop than daytime radio cheer.
The lyrics do the heavy lifting. Alessiah writes herself as the thing you keep going back to even when you swear you won’t: teasing, pulling away, pulling closer, leaving you at the door. Lines like “Baby, I’m your bad habit / you hate so much for having” are blunt on purpose. So is the petty streak. She is not trying to be the good girl in the story. She is the habit. That honesty is the hook.
Production comes from Vanotek (Ion Chirinciuc), with Alessiah on lyrics and vocals and Sergiu Mustetea on mix and master. The track is distributed through Universal Music Romania / Final Play Production. The sound matches the writing: lean bass, R&B-tinted textures, and a vocal that sits closer to a murmur than a belt. It is commercial enough to stick after one chorus, dark enough to feel like a private conversation you should not be overhearing.
The video story around the single is almost as restless as the song. Alessiah and her team shot it in a single day across Bucharest — rehearsals, multiple stops, a shopping mall, Victoriei Street, police delay, airport scramble — then raced the edit so the clip could go live before midnight. Virgin Radio Romania had thrown down a Challenge 4 Playlist: finish the video and post it that same day, or miss the playlist. They made it with about ten seconds to spare. Adrenaline, dancers, chaos, no time to overthink. That energy is all over the clip, and it fits a song about impulse.
Alessiah (Alessia Elena Vlad) started young, releasing early singles while still in her teens, and has stayed prolific. MediaPro / Universal Music Romania has been in her corner. She has talked about using songs to push through shyness and about wanting girls to hear something they can actually use, not just admire. After Obscentra, singles like “addicted,” “made you cry,” “hot like this,” “my lies,” and “what else is there to do?” kept that darker pop identity in motion. “bad habit” feels like the version of her that is no longer asking permission.
Alt pop in 2026 keeps winning when it sounds like a diary with a beat: messy desire, sharp hooks, production that can live on a playlist and in headphones. Alessiah is working that space with a Romanian scene behind her and English-language ambition in front of her. If you like pop that flirts with the dark without turning into a costume, this is an easy add.
What do you think of this artist’s sound? Let me know in the comments.
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