Back in January, in the midst of her insanely captivating portraits on her Instagram, Oyinda posted a picture with the caption, “mourning the tracks I just nixed off the mixtape.” While her followers may have felt a twinge of sadness for the tracks lost, the post was clear confirmation of a new project on the horizon. And for Oyinda, the New York-based, London-raised singer, songwriter and producer, the mixtape she has been busy concocting is inspired by the works of none other than American artist, Kerry James Marshall.
“I was being rather dramatic that day,” Oyinda confesses about her cryptic message. “There were some songs that I didn’t feel fit within the narrative developing throughout the mixtape, and I didn’t want [it] to be needlessly long either,” she adds.
At the age of 27, Oyinda has managed to create a discography of emotive tracks, hypnotic in sound and laced with soulful R&B influences. But it’s not just sonic amalgamations she’s known for – she’s also very much in tune with her aesthetics, staying consistent to a black and white theme for all of her initial videos and imagery. The context of her musical creations are also expansive, never shying away from existential themes.
A pivotal release came early in Oyinda’s career with ‘Serpentine,’ her 2016 track she wrote while studying hypnosis, focusing on instances where people see themselves “outside their own sensory systems.” This spurred the concept for the music video which followed, allowing her to develop the concept for the striking video, which begins colorless, in Oyinda’s signature monochrome, then shifts half way through into a colorful virtual reality, with Oyinda cast as a 3D sculpture.
Oyinda’s creative process and sources of inspiration are limitless. Recalling the release of ‘Serpentine,’ Oyinda remarks: “Anything and everything can inspire you if you let it; there’s no rule to what you have to write about. ‘Serpentine’ was based on subverting the male gaze more than needing to be sensual. At the same time, I went down an internet search rabbit hole from snake charmers to hypnotism, exploring the way [people relate] to themselves.”
Now, Oyinda is focused on transforming her energy into a new project, keen to relish in the beauty of a slower process. “I’ve always been the tortoise trying not to rush myself in this maddening race,” Oyinda asserts. Sentiments like this are refreshing to hear in an era where musicians churn out music at a scarily fast pace, and every other week playlists are being updated with new sounds, it’s often hard to truly digest and appreciate the thoughts and concepts artists put into their projects.
Enter a new and, what some may feel, unlikely source of inspiration: acclaimed American painter, Kerry James Marshall, who, through his work tackles race and representation in his portraits of black life. After first experiencing his work, Oyinda explains that she felt a true shift when she saw KJM’s work in person. This led her to convey this experience aurally. “I wanted to express that experience as honestly as I could through sound — the importance of seeing monumental works of art for yourself; the importance of representation.”
While KJM does focus on providing his perspective of black African-Americans in his art, Oyinda knows that through music, it’s also important to share as much of yourself as you are willing, and your own experience. However, this isn’t to say the mixtape is going to be a series of songs in which Oyinda shares tales of the black experience.
“The thing is, my entire life will be ‘experiences of blackness’ because my race will never change. [With] this mixtape, [I’m] definitely more explicit in my depictions; however, the message isn’t to point out our struggles as a community or to scale our suffering, but rather to showcase how multifaceted our existence is.”
Oyinda’s process in exploring the work of KJM was to focus on exact pieces of his art, instead of simply looking through his archive of paintings. It’s important for Oyinda to recall something “visceral,” something deep and inward, and most importantly, something which gives a different narrative. Nonetheless, even though the project is set against the backdrop of KJM’s work, it’s still true to Oyinda.
“I didn’t want to make my first album through the lens of someone else, if that makes sense,” she reflects, referring to Marshall’s work. The mixtape is set to be a more vivid and dramatic description of KJM’s work, or as Oyinda puts it, “an ekphrastic journey through his body of work. I related to KJM’s paintings the way I hope others can relate to my music.” Oyinda is no stranger to creating relatable music, which is often packed to the brim with sentimental themes linked to exploring one’s self. Her 2016 track ‘Flatline’ was a self-described reflection of the human need for validation. Oyinda isn’t afraid to sing about the fear of being alone; she opens that track with her vocals oozing out with the lyrics: “Close your eyes, let me feel your touch/ If you feel the same then you should show me ’cause what’s on and off.”
While Oyinda continues to work on her latest project, she has taken up residency in her home studio, built by herself and collaborator, Low Noon. In a self-described “studio cave,” influence from the outside is limited. When an artist creates, the full scope of their art – from the lyrics, vocals and videos – I’m always curious about their creative process. For Oyinda, who has previously self-directed some of her videos and has written all of her songs, my curiosity was no different.
“No rituals, really,” she reveals of her creative process. “I usually like the dark and maybe some anime muted in the background. However, lately I have started to find myself writing earlier in the day with natural light leaking in. Honestly, as long as the space feels open enough for me to seep into and cozy enough for me to take a nap, then I’m good.”
The current space she’s built with Low Noon is almost like an overgrown garden. “It feels like it exudes so much life. I guess being in there with a spot of tea and some candles is my ritual.” While the singer’s approach may be DIY in practice, her aesthetic is far from it. Her previous monochrome self-directed and self-conceptualized videos speak for themselves and perfectly accompany the self-written tracks they were made for.
“Some want ownership for the accolades, but I’m more concerned about having control over my work so that I don’t risk diluting my vision.”
Having creative control is paramount for Oyinda. “Some want ownership for the accolades, but I’m more concerned about having control over my work so that I don’t risk diluting my vision.” The creative process for Oyinda isn’t a laborious one – everything flows together for her. “I’ve never felt labored by my process […]because it all flows together to me.” Having previously described her music as cinematic, she draws upon cinema references again to describe her process of creating. “I approach creating like I would film scoring; it all becomes interconnected. My lyrics are the dialogue, the sound is the underscore, and my videos are the scenes for those cues.” Mentioning sci-fi and animation as her two cinema loves, she refers to Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, as the types of films she’d love to create music for.
Although it may seem like Oyinda’s process and music subject matters are a solo expedition, collaboration is still a key part in her creative process. Low Noon and Canteen Killa are both frequent collaborators, and on the up and coming project, Oyinda cites NAIMA and fellow New Yorker, Madison McFerrin as up and coming featured artists on her new mixtape. “It just takes time to find the right team you can trust to help you develop and execute your ideas. You’ve got to build those relationships slowly, otherwise they just fizzle out.”
The sound for Oyinda’s upcoming mixtape is set to incorporate short sketches, but is also, as Oyinda describes, “quite sparse or minimal, but you still get a sense of what’s being depicted.” Which means it is also very mixed in sound. “They all feel like vignettes to me; some are heavier than others, both sonically and lyrically. Not sure if the transitions will be as meticulous as my OCD usually begs for, which is new for me.”
While Oyinda places the final finishing touches and flourishes on the mixtape, one thing is clear; this project will see her reaching within the depths of her creativity, and in the process, she’s allowing for a new creative process for her art. Using Kerry James Marshall’s work as a springboard, each track on the project looks set to tackle the delicate tropes of his work, paired with Oyinda’s sensual and gothic-esque creative imprints.
As listeners and consumers of music and art, it’s equally important to admire both the creative process and the finished product. For a consumer, that might be digging a little deeper into a painters thought process for their art, or for a singer, closely observing their social media. For an artist, that process may be interpreting paintings into songs, writing about the scope of human emotion, or, giving the nixed tracks from a project the send-off they deserve. For Oyinda, who relishes in the creative process, it means “Rather than leave them to collect digital dust I’d rather give them a proper burial in case they manage to be resurrected.”
Oyinda’s mixtape is due for release later this year.
Photographer: Neva Wireko
Stylist: Dwight Reeves
MUA + Hair: Jade Staton
Set Design: David Menendez
Photo Assistant: Kimari Hazward
Fashion Assistant: Adekemi Savage
