Otto Aday Releases New Single "Hearts" with Abbey Roads Studios Music Video
OTTO ADAY
— SINGER, SONGWRITER & MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST —
RELEASES SOPHOMORE SINGLE
“HEARTS”
ARRIVES WITH INTROSPECTIVE PERFORMANCE-STYLE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED IN FAMED “STUDIO TWO”
AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS
DEBUT 12-TRACK LP
PERSONA
DUE OCTOBER 6 VIA BAY STREET RECORDS
Above: “Hearts” Single Artwork
NASHVILLE, TN (September 15, 2023) — Agnostic of eras and genres, London-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Otto Aday’s music could be uncorked in any decade and still resonate. Today, he releases the sophomore single, “Hearts,” from his upcoming album, Persona. “Hearts” hinges on sparse piano and evocative vocals. Co-written with award-winning icon Dave 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 arrives 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.
WATCH “HEARTS” MUSIC VIDEO BELOW.
LISTEN TO “HEARTS” HERE.
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE PERSONA HERE
“If you hold onto your dreams, they won’t break your heart,” Otto notes. “If you live inside of those dreams, you don’t hurt yourself. You can nurture your dreams and follow them wholeheartedly—whether it be in a relationship or a career. If you fall out of love with the chase and the journey, you’ll break your own heart.”
Blissfully nostalgic melodies, British rock ‘n’ roll energy and cinematic scope spiked with a bit of sixties psychedelia anchor his debut LP, Persona, that’s set for release on October 6 via Bay Street Records. “Each song on the album is about a moment or a person that left an impression on my life,” Otto affirms. “These songs are the breadcrumbs of these moments that I’m leaving behind.”
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.”
Above: Otto Aday; credit: Tyler Lee Aubrey
The album’s lead single and music video, “Star Crossed Lovers” — co-written with Stewart, released August 16 — 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” saying, “...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 romanticised 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.”
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”
Above: ‘Persona’ Album Artwork