Hailing from Birmingham, AMÍKA has a refined songwriting style and distinctive identity to her music. Her latest single 'Yellow Days' is a testament to her experimental, signature sound and is accompanied by a stunning music video that perfectly compliments the feel of the track. 'Yellow Days' is a sonic vessel that holds the relatable and vulnerable raw expression of thoughts and emotions that follow a breakup. We sat down with AMÍKA to talk about, vulnerability within music, her biggest inspirations, new single 'Yellow Days' and her upcoming EP.
Where did your vision start and how did it progress?
For me, it started with emotions lol just needing to let it out in a way that was proactive and left me feeling better at the end. As I was writing this song, I kept having the thought of ‘ I wonder if other people have ever felt this way’. That thought stayed with me a lot as this song and its track progressed.
As an artist from Birmingham, how has your surroundings influenced your songwriting style and the unique identity you bring to your music?
Being from Birmingham has definitely influenced the eclecticness of my sound. Sometimes it's indie, sometimes it's jazzy just like the Brum music scene, it's a mixture.
What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?
I like baking, but I like easy baking, like a no-bake cheesecake. Something that’s low maintenance but super tasty. I also love cycling too, yes, I wear a helmet with no shame.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in your career so far and why?
That's a really difficult question, and it's hard to put down to one person. But if I had to choose I'd probably say Amy Winehouse. She took her songwriting seriously, the story and the chords were always so meticulously crafted. When you finish listening to her music, you vividly feel and see the story that has been created.That’s not to say everything I do will be serious, but I do take my songwriting seriously, it's a love of mine and I handle it with care so to speak. She was also super unique for her time. Her music wasn’t traditional pop music but she was like, I'm gonna do what comes naturally to me and own it.
How would you describe your new song Yellow Days and the emotions it carries? What is the story behind this particular track?
I say, it's the song you play after you pick yourself off your bedroom floor. It’s the song you play when you're hurting but also when you're ready for the path that leads you to that kind of hurt to end. The story of 'Yellow Days' is about a situationship ending. Feeling a mixture of emotions about it but also feeling free, because you know that, that cycle in your life has ended. You make space for yourself to feel what it is you feel, but you're ready to move on.
Is there a certain place where you feel the most creative?
As cheesy as it sounds, in nature. When in parks or going for woodland walks. It’s quiet and there's a stillness there even though the wind is blowing everything. It cultivates a stillness in me that allows me to present. It's the perfect blank canvas for my creativity to start piecing together ideas that will go on to become lyrics or melodies.
We’re all about new music discovery– who is an artist that you think everybody should be listening to right now?
Ooo. I’m gonna say Ojerime.
How do you balance vulnerability and relatability in your music? How important is it for you to connect with your listeners through songwriting?
It's super important to connect with the listeners. I mean if there's no connection, why would they bother listening. But that balance of vulnerability and relatability is definitely something I’m learning. You know, you create these songs to express how you’re feeling because you’re struggling to talk about it, and then naturally people want to talk to you about what’s it about. It's mad. I guess I just put myself in the listeners shoes. I listen to music, I'm eager to know what the stories are, but I also know people have a level of vulnerability that they are comfortable with. So I guess I balance it by putting myself in the listeners shoes and tell them what I would want to know if I was the listener.
What's been a highlight in your work so far?
Just seeing it all come together really. I know that might sound boring, but the feeling of hearing all the tracks come together and having a body of work that represents the first half of my 20’s all feels like a highlight in itself.
What can we expect from you in terms of future projects or collaborations?
Are there any exciting developments on the horizon after Yellow Days? Well, Yellow days is a part of my first EP so stay tuned I guess :)
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