London-based Ayda Rose was born into a very musical family, and as an independent musician, she lives and breathes this creative industry. In this second LD Systems Live Session, powered by Headliner, she performs her original song Psychic through an LD Systems MAUI G3 rig in The Suet Yard, St. Albans - a brand new acoustic venue created to support aspiring and emerging talent, as well as the local community.
What have you been up to recently?
For the last few months I've just been finalising what I've been working on for the last 18 months - almost two years now. I've been out in L.A. writing and finishing things off for my first project under the name Ayda Rose. My first single – which is called Psychic – came out in June, so I’ve been promoting that and have done a few shows, and just been trying to stay creative!
And you recently had a song on Love Island?
Yes! So I have an alias, which is Effie, and we had a song with my friend Indigo Kid. We wrote it a couple of years ago, and we were like, ‘Yeah, we should get this on Love Island!’ And then we got the call to say that it had been synced to the show. So yeah, that came out a few weeks ago, and that's been really cool. The song is called Over Us, and that's out now as well.
How did you first get into music?
Music has always been a part of my life. My dad's a drummer and a singer. He's in a ‘60s band called Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. He was my first introduction into music. Then my great grandma was a gospel singer and my auntie was a soul singer, so I guess music is in my blood!
What does it mean for you to be an independent artist in today’s industry?
I think it's a really good time for independent artists, to be able to take control of your art and not listen to outside influences. Major labels have gotten away with a lot for a long time, and now I feel like the power is being handed back to the artist a bit more. It's kind of frustrating at times, but also super exciting, and I love being an independent artist.
I try to focus on the fact that I want to make authentic music and be authentic as an artist.
What would you say are the challenges and advantages of being independent?
The obvious challenge for most is not having the financial backing straight off the bat, and not having those instant connections that sometimes a label can give you. But I try not to focus on that – I try to focus on the fact that I want to make authentic music and be authentic as an artist, and push it myself.
Advantages-wise, it’s about having complete autonomy over what it is that you're doing – just having more of a choice and more of a say, and not being a puppet with quotas to fill. I can do things at my pace; I make the decisions and I oversee everything. And while that can be stressful, I like the freedom of it, and I think that's super important.
How did you find performing through the LD Systems MAUI rig?
It was wicked – I really enjoyed it. The sound was really nice and clean, and it's really easy to use. It’s such a cool system, and I would definitely recommend it.
What have you got coming up?
The rest of the project! We're going to be releasing single by single, and I’ve got a couple of really exciting shows in the pipeline with some other artists. So lots of cool stuff on the way, and I'm excited!
