Reykjavík Grapevine - júl. 2020, Blaðsíða 23

Album
Streaming on all platforms now.
Ivory Coast-born, U.S.-raised, Reyk-
javík-transplant snny serves up a
melange of synthy goodness in his
newest EP ‘Otito’.
1. Abidjan
“Abidjan” is an ode to the city I was
born in. I actually wrote it right be-
fore I went back there for the first
time in 18 years. The song embod-
ies the feeling of what I hoped the
city would be—of being reunited
with my cousins and friends, run-
ning the streets with them, and
just having fun and playing music.
It was also a test. I made the song,
then I wanted to go there and see if
it was the same feeling, and it was.
It was pretty surreal. The song is a
perfect snapshot of everything for
me—my childhood, leaving Abid-
jan, growing up in the States, going
back, but no matter what, still be-
ing rooted there.
2. Somewhere in Brooklyn
“Somewhere in Brooklyn” is a sad
song people can dance to—I think
those are the best songs. It’s a love
story that went wrong. You know
when you’re in a relationship that
you know is going to end, but in-
stead of it ending poorly, you’re
both mature enough to accept that
and rejoice in it? Maybe it’s the last
dance you have together in your
apartment in the summer. You’re
not sad, you’re happy because it
was beautiful.
3. User Not Found
“User Not Found” is what I envision
pre-internet life was, you know,
when you would play with your
friends all summer and some kids
would move away and some kids
you never saw again but you had
no way to contact them, no way to
text them. This is before all of that
existed.
4. Sideways
This was one of the first songs I
wrote on the project. One to test
the waters and push myself son-
ically. I was watching ‘Castaway’
and I thought, “Man, there’s a song
here.” I pictured someone on a re-
Music 23The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 05— 2020
TRACK BY TRACK
‘Otito’
by snny
Return to your roots on this ethereal EP
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: POND Creative
“Maybe it’s the last dance
you have together in your
apartment in the summer.
You’re not sad, you’re happy
because it was beautiful.”
gpv.is/music
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mote island trying to radio out to
their girlfriend, their loved ones,
and what that sounded like.
5. Pink Lemonade
“Pink Lemonade” is a letter to my
parents. Their relationship ended
early; they got divorced but were
always on good terms. So the song
is bittersweet. The fact that their
love remains strong even when
apart—it’s something beautiful
to witness as a kid.
6. Better to Leave It
I wrote this in LA. There were
three of us living in a tiny one
bedroom apartment and it was
the worst time for me. I got caught
up in LA life and I had to make the
executive decision to leave. For
me, if a situation is toxic enough,
it’s better to leave it.
7. The Kids Are Getting Old
We have this tendency to get over-
whelmed with growing up, espe-
cially as an artist. You can feel like
everyday is 100 years, and maybe
you envisioned yourself to be at A
but you’re still at 0.5 and then you
compare yourself to others and
have regrets. It’s a snowball effect,
so “The Kids Are Getting Old” is
just a campfire song to all my
friends that are still artists who
are still trying to put their mes-
sage out in the world. Yeah, the
kids are getting old but with that
comes a vast spreadsheet of ex-
perience and knowledge. There’s
beauty in that.
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