Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova, who goes by the stage name Aiko, was born in Moscow and raised in the Czech Republic. She now resides in London. Aiko and I had the chance to talk about her newest singles "Down" and "Bad Influence", her musical influences, her writing process and so much more. Check it out below!
Hi Aiko! How are you? Hi Melody! Good, trying to be as positive as possible with everything that’s happening right now. How did you know you wanted to be a singer/song writer? Honestly, I've always loved attention and have recently found an old VHS tape of a three-year-old me dancing and singing in front the mirror. I point at the mirror and say “Now you sing, girl!” So, since I was a little child I knew I wanted to be a singer, but I really started writing my own songs at around the age of thirteen. At fifteen, I got to be on a TV show Superstar, where I realised that music was definitely something I wanted to do for living and started actively pursuing it. Did growing up in the Czech Republic inspire your music? Or do you get more inspiration now living in London? I think every place where I’ve lived or even visited has had an influence on me in some way - be it an idea for lyrics, some sounds that I’ve heard there, anything. I’d say that in Czech Republic, I was moving more towards the alternative indie genre, whereas after moving to London, I started creating more poppy and dynamic songs (and it makes perfect sense to me; London is just constantly moving and living!) I think it created an interesting blend of genres. How would you describe your sound? I think it’s soft and dreamy, yet quite eclectic. How I like to describe it, is that you “dive” in the sound. You’ve been able to perform at festivals like Sziget and Waves Vienna. What festival would you love to preform at in the near future? Hmm, interesting question! I’d love to play at more showcase festivals, aiming for ESNS, which is the biggest showcase festival in Europe, or would love to perform at the biggest festivals, such as Glastonbury, Primavera Sound or Lollapalooza. In the past, you’ve been able to tour with Black Honey (love them), Tamino, and Lauren Roth. How does it make you feel knowing you’ve reached bands/artist like them? Ugh, I love them as well! Especially because they sound amazing on the studio version, but when the atmosphere of the live concert is paired with a great sound, it’s just so good! For the actual the question, it’s a pretty great feeling! Especially when you don’t critically compare yourself and if you just think “If I’m as awesome as these guys, then I might be pretty great!” is a really nice feeling. Plus, in the backstage, everyone is always lovely and no one’s putting themselves above anyone - I had many sweet moments, such as having a girly chit chat while doing our makeup in one bathroom together with Lauren. What artists/bands would you like to tour with next? Performing on the same stage as Aurora or Daughter would be a dream come true! “Bad Influence” is your most recent single. Can you tell us about the writing and creative process? What inspired it? “Bad influence” is a song that celebrates youth, reminds us of the importance of being present in the moment, so we can create the stories, that we will tell our grandchildren. I’ve never been the bad kid type of person, but writing this song has brought up some bits of it, that I knew were always there, but never really embraced them! “Down” is one of my favorite songs! Can you tell us more about how it came into fruition? And how you came up with the lyrics? Thank you very much! The lyrics came when I was going through a bit of a tougher time - I was moving countries, touring all the time, had little time with my closest people and was generally going through an “adulting phase,” where you have to become friends with yourself first. That is what the lyrics are about. When doing the music, I imagined it like something that’s rolling, going forward - just like a train, going slow at first, and going faster and more dynamic when the song progresses. Creative process of it was that I first wrote the lyrics (ironically, in a hotel room), arranged an acoustic version of it which I brought to the producer that we worked with together on this song. He picked up the idea really quickly and we made the magic happen! Was there a difference in the writing and creative process with “Down” and “Bad Influence”? I always start with writing the lyrics first, so it wasn’t different here. The difference between these two was in how I set myself internally. “Bad Influence” is more of a fun, quirky type of mood, where you laugh and want to be happy, whereas “Down” was more like losing yourself and finding yourself in the song. What was the inspiration behind the music video for “Down”? As I also dance in my free time, so I wanted to put emotions of this song into a dance. I am lucky to have very talented friends, so I asked Sayna if she’d be interested in directing the video for me and we collaborated on it! When we saw the church, it all came together for us, as the paintings inside are very symbolic, I am all dressed in white and it is a “confession of a dancer” in its own way. What artists/bands inspire you the most? There are so many! I adore Aurora - I love her personality, how free she is and the art she creates. Some other artists are for example Jungle, Foals or The Weeknd. Lately, I’ve also been really inspired by FKA Twigs, as her visuals are so creative! What’s it like being compared to the likes of Bjork and Florence Welch? I do get these a lot! I know a lot of artists who don’t like being compared to other artists, for me personally, I find it sweet!These women are phenomenal artists, and I actually get a lot of inspiration from Florence as well, so it’s more of a compliment than anything! When writing songs, are you more inspired by day to day life or interpersonal relationships? In my songs, I often explore the subject of solitude, internal relationships with yourself and love, so I think interpersonal relationships and things happening inside of us is something that inspires me more. But then again, all of these things happen in the day to day life. I know you had an EP come out in 2018, and have a forthcoming EP coming into the mix that features “Bad Influence.” When do you think you’ll create an album? And maybe a tour? Yes! “AIKO” was the first EP I released and now I’m close to releasing another one, that might even turn into an album, as I have enough material for that now! Its name is “Expiration Date”, and it will feature songs such as “Bad Influence”, but also “Down” and “Highway”. I plan on releasing it mid summer, together with some music videos. As many performances are now moved to autumn, I believe you can also be excited for a European tour! How was it preforming “Down” for Discovrtv London? And also performing tons of shows for Sofar Sounds? It was so much fun! Sofar events are one of my favourite events to play, as they always have such a special atmosphere! People actually listen carefully, and although you’re in a room full of strangers, you feel as if you’re playing for a bunch of friends. And they don’t know who is going to play for them before they get to venue, so that is also fun. DiscovrTv was also great, as they give artists the platform to grow and it’s always shot in lovely venues! I asked a few of my friends if they’d be down for it and I’m really happy with how the session turned out! We’re all about discovering new music here at Underground. Who are you currently listening to right now that we should check out? Yess, this is the time to support other artists, love that! I’ve been listening to Blu Ernest, Kaleida or Giudi a lot lately, they’re all great artists who deserve more recognition!
Keep in touch with Aiko!
