Start Listening To: Ayka
Meet Ayka, a Norwegian Hannah Montana-like shapeshifter producing flawed but nice alt-pop.
Ayka has always been into the more experimental sides of the arts. From digging in the trash for unfit for kids’ minds manga pages that her parents used to rip out to dropping out of apparently ‘liberal but fully capitalistic millennial pastel palette media degree’, she had an urge to venture out of the common-sense comfort zone. She operates on both ends of the musical spectrum, merging human- and machine-made melodies with personal tales. Now, about to release the debut EP I’ll Show Myself Out Now, Ayka is ready to let spectators into her collage-like pop universe.
Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
I’m a simple gal who’s moved a lot and grossly indulged the world wide web since a young age. The music I make is a collage of everything I’ve ever listened to and taken to heart.
How did it all start?
Even though my family switched houses every other minute - my father always made sure to set up his own DIY-studio. We have recordings of sessions done when I was 6 years old. There was also an iMac with GarageBand at my mothers office - I spent a lot of time there after school putting together loops and samples.
If you were to describe your sound to someone who had never heard you before, what would you say?
It’s alternative pop. A mishmash of sounds, both organic and machine-made. Honest and totally cliché at times. Flawed, but nice.
Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?
I play a song, sometimes I write it down, then I show it to a few people and hopefully it’s worth taking to the studio for a proper recording and accessorizing. My guitar-based music starts off pretty intuitively. Machine-based takes a bit more figuring out in the early stages.
What inspires your music?
The great auto fictional tale of myself and the world I stumble upon.
Can you tell us something interesting about yourself that doesn’t have anything to do with music?
When younger I read a manga that my parents used to “childproof” - ripping out pages unfit for pure minds. I used to scoop the unholy left overs from the trash. The secrecy made me delusional and desperate. Because of this they had to resort to burning it instead. It was when I found myself looking through the ashes that I surrendered in shame.
What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your music?
Magicians never reveal their secrets.
Tell us more about your relationship with pop music?
It’s becoming more reasonable - I don’t loathe it as much as I used to. There’s always something you can appreciate about it. Either a specific element in a song or as a whole cultural happening. It’s a question of definition I think.
What’s it like working with Luft Recordings?
Tight knitted. Caroline, who does admin and accounting, makes great lunches.
How are you feeling about releasing your debut EP I’ll Show Myself Out Now?
Absolutely looking forward to that event - it’s about time! I’m very impatient and restless. There’s already another project well underway. I want people to be up to date with what I’m doing - but that’s tricky business. They’ll just have to come to my shows to get the full experience.
If your music were a film or TV show which would it be and why?
Hannah Montana. I can be a shapeshifter both musically and visually.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s important to you?
Gorillaz by Gorillaz. It just made immediate sense. I’ve listened to it since I was a child and they must’ve been very influential to me. The mixture of genres and emotions. I was also in love with 2D (and Murdoc) and wanted to be Noodle.
What do you hate right now?
That I can’t put my hair up in a tight ponytail. Hair products with perfume. My skull is so itchy. Mobile phones. That I don’t read books even though I really want to.
What do you love right now?
My boyfriend. He is extremely hot and smart.
Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?
Great band called Sorry from North-London. I first discovered their vocalist Asha Lorenz through SoundCloud a few years ago - she makes very cool stuff.
What comes next in the Ayka story?
More and better music. I don’t know anything outside of that. Hopefully my hair will grow longer and wilder. A greater selection of comfortable heels.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I’d like for them to share with me the names of tiny and niche places to eat and drink for an affordable buck, but still boujee - wherever in the world.