London-based singer-songwriter and producer Otto Aday has announced his debut album, Persona, with a nostalgia-infused lead single, “Star Crossed Lovers”. Cinematic with a larger-than-life medley of guitar strings and piano chords, it builds and builds as the song progresses. The perfect soundtrack to your long drives, bookshop explorations, stargazing nights, and beautifully romanticised moments, it is as fantastical as it is comfortable.
Growing up in Wales, Aday began playing guitar at nine years old, before really honing his craft in high school. Busking around his small valley town, he gained attention from local venues and embarked on an exciting career of live performances and bedroom-produced releases. From his 2019 EP, “Post”, to entering in a songwriting competition on the social recording app Trackd, he caught the attention of Dave Stewart who signed him to Bay Street Records. Now, he is set to release his 12-track debut album, with a few tracks co-written with Stewart, and exploring various relationships and moments with people in his life. “Each song on the album is about a moment or a person that left an impression on my life,” Otto explains. “These songs are the breadcrumbs of these moments that I’m leaving behind.”
Speaking on “Star Crossed Lovers”, Otto explains: “On Halloween, I went to York dressed as Charlie Chaplin. I was in a hostel, and this young American lady came down the staircase and said, ‘Oh my God, I love Charlie Chaplin!’ It turned out she had travelled to England for a screenwriting internship. We hit it off from the word go and went on an adventure across the UK, we stumbled across an old cathedral, and I whisked her away to a fantasy-like village where every house is a bookstore. The moments we spent felt timeless and suspended in midair, maybe that’s why I liken her to the stars. It blossomed into a beautiful friendship; I definitely love her in some sense. I’m immortalizing the relationship in the song.”
The vibrant accompanying music video is a colourful, visual treat that takes us through sunshine to sunset as Otto sings directly to the camera. Commanding our attention as the shots switch between atmospheric landscape backdrops to close up and fish-eye lens shots, it takes us on a ride through the track and brings it to a new visual dimension. We are so excited to share it with you now.
Persona will be out on October 6.
Watch the visuals…