Exploring Love in the Modern World with Äyanna

In a world where soulful arrangements, Jamaican music, and bubble gum girliness collide, Cutopia reigns and Äyanna is the soundtrack. Just days after the release of her second EP, About Ä Boy, the self-proclaimed pop princess is still mellowing out from the whirlwind few days, engaging with fans on social media, soaking up the pockets of peace, and taking time to absorb her achievements.

In between dentist appointments, photoshoots, and studio sessions, Äyanna slots me into her busy schedule to talk all about the new project. “I’m glad I have a busy life, I’m grateful for it,” she assures with a cool-girl effortlessness. This vibe carries throughout the Jamaican-British artist’s projects, inspiring moments of self-reflection in her growingly diverse discography.

The EP makes modern-day love feel like a rollercoaster. Äyanna admits that she never really dated when she was younger; it’s a new world that she relays with a vulnerability that allows listeners to engage so acutely with the context of the project. Like a diary, the singer’s lyrics are a candid exploration of love and heartbreak. But what advice would she have for anyone going through similar experiences, venturing into the world of awkward meet-ups and cheap cocktails? “Embrace your beauty and embrace your girliness and femineity. When you like and love yourself, everything else falls into place when dating.”

Alongside all the traditional marketing techniques used by up-and-coming singers to harbour traction, Äyanna is maximising the potential of social media. Producing short video skits that relate to each song on the EP, she uses them to promote her music and her playfulness. What was initially a one-time stunt for her single ‘Boys Like You’, quickly became a marketing campaign that’s created a strong visual identity and a whole new world for her community that she calls Cutopia. A hopelessly girlish mix of humour, relatable storytelling, and heartfelt vulnerability, the singer explains, “I appreciate that we’re creating a safe space for each other. That’s how it feels right now. It feels like people from all over the world can come together and we can talk about our feelings,” she says, before adding: “I’m really inspired by self-growth and I feel like Cutopia reflects this.”

Growing up on a show reeled musical theatre childhood, Äyanna was set to study law at university before she circled back to pursuing her passion. As young as nine, she was announcing her ambitions to become a singer to close friends. Music is all that Äyanna has ever wanted. Although she decided to drop out, the polymath reveals in true theatre-kid fashion that the a capella group was one of her favourite parts of higher education. The first track on About Ä Boy, ‘Intro’, materialises the vocal sensibilities that she learnt in that class. Helping to curate a signature sound, her music also effortlessly weaves R&B, pop, dancehall, reggae and UKG into a contemporary statement on Black British music. A key revelation came for Äyanna the more the project was produced; she wanted to become more candid. “I’m scared of what I’m gonna discover about myself,” she admits, “the level of vulnerability that I’m accessing is scary, but it’s also beautiful because you can free other people by freeing yourself.” Growth and evolution have always been topics that Äyanna has exercised, both inside and outside of her creative work.

On the EP, ‘Prayer’ was one of the songs that came the most naturally. Conceptually, the track was spawned from a shopping trip to Westfield, which preceded a hurried Instagram call out for producers to help bring her idea to life. A 3 am studio session followed. “I was so satisfied with how the melody and the lyrics fit together. Then the verses were written back-to-back; it was so easy,” explains the singer-songwriter. “I’m getting more comfortable with myself. I’m stripping back and getting to the core [of who I am]. My music is getting sharper and it connects with people more.”

Above all else, Äyanna hopes that About Ä Boy creates a sense of community, where fans can come and revel in this sense of Cutopia. “I feel like any person that’s been through a ‘kissing frogs’ stage in their life will relate to this project. I want them to share my optimism; we don’t do any toxicity or pessimism in Cutopia.”