Abbey Road Studios Accompanying Otto Aday’s New Single "Hearts"
The sophomore single from the record, “Hearts.” The track hinges on sparse piano and evocative vocals. Co-written with award winning icon Dave Stewart in a Soho hotel room, it unspools towards a dramatic crescendo punctuated by his emotionally charged refrain, “That’s what breaks our hearts,” before a hummable guitar solo cries out.
“If you hold onto your dreams, they won’t break your heart,” Otto notes. “If you live inside of those dreams, you don’t hurt yourself. You can nurture your dreams and follow them wholeheartedly—whether it be in a relationship or a career. If you fall out of love with the chase and the journey, you’ll break your own heart.”
The song arrives with an introspective performance-style music video filmed in famed “Studio Two” at Abbey Road Studios, the legendary room that captured the bulk of The Beatles catalog, among many other acclaimed albums. In fact, Otto is captured performing the song on the treasured Mrs. Mills piano which was the go-to piano used by The Beatles. While in the Abbey Road studio, Otto recorded five acoustic versions of songs from Persona that are set to be released in tandem with the studio album.
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. “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.”
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.
“I realized immediately he’s a very creative and interesting songwriter with a great voice,” says Stewart. “In the songwriting and singing world, he’s the whole package. His unique character, emotions, and storytelling are really embedded in the album. This is the moment it all came together for him artistically. He knows exactly what he can do.”
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. Ultimately, Otto’s optimism infuses the music with light. “I’m so fucking happy,” he leaves off. “I can’t wait to share this with everyone. I’m also excited to see where it leads me. I’ve got bright eyes for the future.”
