Under the watch of the rolling hills of Wales, Otto Aday 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.
Agnostic of eras and genres, the London-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer could be uncorked in any decade and still resonate. 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.
After building buzz independently with his alternative spirit, Otto Aday attracted international icon Dave Stewart, whose short list of accolades includes 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.
“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.”
The album’s lead single, “Star Crossed Lovers” — co-written with Stewart and available everywhere, evokes this spirit. Setting the scene, 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.”
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Photo by Tyler Lee Aubrey / source Milestone Publicity
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