Next Wave #881: EA KAYA

In Association With Vero True Social

EA KAYA crafts the kind of delicious melodies that could only emerge from Scandinavia. Yet she’s a world away from those huge Swedish hit factories – doing it her own way, this Danish artist flits between Copenhagen, London, and Los Angeles, leaving others in her wake.

Incorporating elements from 80s smash hits, electronic music, and vintage R&B, she works in that nebulous, ever evolving realm known as POP. “Yes, I definitely do embrace that label!” she exclaims. “I’ve always had a weakness for pop and if you look through my playlists, you’ll find it’s probably 99% pop. It’s such a wide term and I love how it covers music both your uncle and your little brother alike. There’s something for everyone.”

EA KAYA strives towards a certain universality – perhaps that’s why her delicious breakout single ‘Remedy’ reached such heights. Crisp of chorus with a carefully sculpted verse, it’s an addictive ear-worm almost 12 months on from its release, yet it’s still revealing its darker secrets.

“I wanted to find an interesting way of expressing a toxic relationship between two people,” she recalls. “The concept is based on the thought of love being a cure for your personal issues. But it is also your ultimate weak point, which can drag your further down than ever if the power falls into the hands of the wrong person.”

It was a bold introduction, defined by taut melody and lyrics that intrigued with every twist and turn. “In my opinion, the melody is what awakes the listener’s interest, while the lyrics are what will cause a person to keep listening,” she asserts. “Melody and lyrics are equally important, and I allow myself to re-write my songs until I’m satisfied. After all, I’m the one who has to sing these words a billion times and I don’t want to ruin a song for myself because of a few lines.”

“Grand and atmospheric” new single ‘Tied Up’ came next. “I wrote ‘Tied Up’ in LA and I remember sitting on the plane, scribbling down the longest brainstorm on my phone,” she recalls. “I was seeing the guy who’s now my boyfriend and it’s safe to say I had a whole lot on my mind.”

A bold, outspoken artist, EA KAYA is forever positive – whether she’s talking about sex, love, grief, or resilience, her voice lingers on the personal while remaining stubbornly relatable. “I’ve always been a strange mix between straight-forward and private,” she explains. “Everyone who knows me will agree that I’m annoyingly stubborn and definitely not afraid to share my opinion. But at the same time, I’ve had a hard time talking about my insecurities.”

“Music functions as a megaphone when I’m frustrated or if I want to discuss something, but it is just as much a way of sharing sides of myself that I don’t always share with anybody.”

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