Multi-talented Artist OTTO ADAY Releases Debut Album ‘Persona

RISING MULTI-FACETED ARTIST
OTTO ADAY
RELEASES DEBUT FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
PERSONA

FOCUS TRACK
“DANCING ROUND THE MORNING SUN” 
WITH ECCENTRIC MUSIC VIDEO

Above: ‘Persona’ Album Artwork

NASHVILLE, TN (October 6, 2023) — Agnostic of eras and genres, London-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Otto Aday encapsulates blissfully nostalgic melodies, British rock ‘n’ roll energy and cinematic scope spiked with a bit of sixties psychedelia. Each of these features anchor his debut 12-song LP, Persona, out today via Bay Street Records. “Dancing Round The Morning Sun,” the album’s quintessential focus track, along with its accompanying eccentric music video, directed by Myles Docherty, perfectly captures Otto’s artistic essence.

WATCH “DANCING ROUND THE MORNING SUN” MUSIC VIDEO BELOW.

STREAM / DOWNLOAD PERSONA HERE.

“Dancing Round The Morning Sun” circles a melodic electric guitar riff as handclaps underline the momentum and usher the song towards a chantable chorus. On the hook, he urges, “Swear that it will all work out.” “As you go about life, you definitely uncover pieces of yourself you may not be so keen on,” Otto explains. “You have to brush past those moments and move forward. So, the song is about finding the right pieces of yourself and assembling them to become the version of you who you would like to be.”

“I started the song writing about my childhood, thinking back on memories of hide and seek and how easy life was.” Otto elaborates. “The verses are about the impurities and hardships that get in the way of that easy life. In the video the dancers' costumes are based on tarot cards as a way to symbolize the parts of you that you find as you grow through those hardships.”

During 2022, Otto decamped to Nashville, TN where he recorded the bulk of the album in the span of a week. “Making music is all about growth,” he observes. “I’m always changing a little, but this music feels classic to me. It has a light country undertone and beautiful strings. The goal was to create a timeless sound.” “Each song on the album is about a moment or a person that left an impression on my life,” Otto states. “These songs are the breadcrumbs of these moments that I’m leaving behind.”

Above: Otto Aday; Credit: Tyler Lee Aubrey

After building buzz independently with his alternative spirit, Otto Aday attracted international icon Dave Stewart, whose short list of accolades include being an inductee of the UK Music Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame®, four Ivor Novello Awards, four Brit Awards for “Best Producer,” and GRAMMY® Awards — to name a few. 

“I realized immediately he’s a very creative and interesting songwriter with a great voice,” says Stewart. “In the songwriting and singing world, he’s the whole package. His unique character, emotions, and storytelling are really embedded in the album. This is the moment it all came together for him artistically. He knows exactly what he can do.”

The album’s lead single, “Star Crossed Lovers” (released August 16) — co-written with award-winning icon Dave Stewart — and its strikingly scenic music video sets the scene as the guitar wraps around luminous piano chords above a delicate beat. Big screen-worthy strings accent his swooning intonation as he observes, “The moon’s been out forever, makes us feel so small.” Malvika Paldin with Earmilk praised “Star Crossed Lovers” noting, “...the expansive production is bolstered by poignant lyricism and compelling visuals that add more layers to the striking yet soulful number… Comforting and dreamy all at once, the track comes alive as an anthem that captures quiet but romanticized moments in our lives, giving us an alluring peek at his 12-track project set to explore relationships and moments with people as well as the impressions they’ve left in his life.”

The sophomore single from the record, “Hearts” (released September 15), hinges on sparse piano and evocative vocals. Co-written with Stewart in a Soho hotel room, it unspools towards a dramatic crescendo punctuated by his emotionally charged refrain, “That’s what breaks our hearts,” before a hummable guitar solo cries out. The song arrived with an introspective performance-style music video filmed in famed “Studio Two” at Abbey Road Studios, the legendary room that captured the bulk of The Beatles catalog, among many other acclaimed albums. In fact, Otto is captured performing the song on the treasured Mrs. Mills piano which was the go-to piano used by The Beatles. While in the Abbey Road studio, Otto recorded five acoustic versions of songs from Persona that are set to be released in tandem with the studio album. 

The two singles and their respective music videos have amassed over 550k views on YouTube. “Star Crossed Lovers” quickly gained over 45k streams on Spotify alone and continues to rise. The single also saw three weeks on BBC Radio Wales A-List, with the hosts praising, “It sounds utterly brilliant… like Queen or David Bowie. Such a stunning track.” 

Above: Otto Aday; Credit: Tyler Lee Aubrey

Under watch of the rolling hills of Wales, Otto grew up in the tiny valley town of Ferndale. As an experienced builder, his dad converted an old Post Office into the family’s home “with two basements and three upper floors.” Otto’s grandfather showed him various records, and he picked up a guitar at just nine-years-old before eventually “taking it seriously” in high school. After penning his first songs, he busked around town and soon caught the attention of local venues, cutting his teeth through countless performances. Simultaneously, he transformed his small bedroom in the post office into a de facto studio, writing and recording at a prolific pace. 

In 2019, he delivered the independent four-track Post EP inspired by sending letters to his neighbors and using their responses as songwriting fodder. In the midst of the global pandemic, he participated in a songwriting competition on the social recording app Trackd, catching the attention of Stewart who promptly signed him to Bay Street Records. During 2022, Otto decamped to Nashville, TN where he recorded the bulk of Persona in the span of a week. Together, Otto Aday and Dave Stewart co-produced a 12-song collection that ultimately finds Otto’s optimism infusing the music with light. 

“I’m so fucking happy,” Otto leaves off. “I can’t wait to share this with everyone. I’m also excited to see where it leads me. I’ve got bright eyes for the future.”

PERSONA TRACKLISTING:
“Dancing Round The Morning Sun” 
“Fall Apart” 
“Star Crossed Lovers” 
“Cast Away” 
“Realign”
“Boy All In Blue” 
“Stay Awhile” 
“-STOP-”
“Hate My Mind” 
“Hearts” 
“Heard You’re Leaving” 
“Blue Moon” 

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