In Conversation With #091 - otta
Finnish-British singer otta takes us on a journey with her new EP ‘songbook’, telling us tales of nostalgia. She took a moment to talk to us about the release.
Hey there, how are you? Your second EP is out now, how does it feel to have it out there?
Hey I’m great! How are you?? EP is out, I’m very happy and proud and grateful it has been a JOURNEY.
It has the title ‘songbook’, does that hold a certain meaning to you?
I have childhood memories of these piano songbooks in the house my mum would play from and I’ve kept songbooks since i was young so I’ve a strong idea of what they mean to me. This project is kind of the reality of what a songbook would sound like to me now.
How does it differ from your debut EP that came out earlier this year? The life experiences I’m talking about here are different, there are a lot of different stories going on within the tracks and I’ve generally just learnt a lot from completing my first project.
The idea of a ‘songbook’ feels almost like a personal item to some people, would you say this collection of tracks go down that route? How does your songbook sound to your personal feelings?
Yes, I do think it goes down that route, they are personal lyrics for sure but I hope anyone who listens to it can attach their own meaning to the songs. It starts off quite direct to own personal experience however I’m talking about things I feel lots of people have experienced so hopefully that will come across, even during the process I’ve enjoyed thinking about whole other stories on top of my own meanings so imagining what other people could come up with excites me!
What are the key influences and themes on this EP?
The key influences were the people around me at the time I wrote it, I was working out how I felt about certain relationships and situations. Listening back I can hear there was a lot of unpicking to be done and the songs were a place I could think about things clearly. There are themes of frustration and intense emotions, I think.
It was recorded in your home studio, what is the setup there like for you?
Set up there is pretty basic; midi keyboard, guitar, interface and speakers and I have a microbrute synth I got for 50 euros from a charity shop! I also recently got a huge bean bag in there - level up. My friend Arthur lent me his SP404 sampler which I took away with me when I was making some of the tunes so you can hear that on the project too!
Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
I don’t have a favourite lyric but I do really like this moment in ‘three of us’ where the meaning of the lyrics sort of clicks - look out for it if you’re listening!
Now the EP is out there, what next?
Leave the music game behind, become a professional tennis player