Interview by Carol Wright | Photos Courtesy of Vayda Otti

Vayda Otti uses her voice to create fresh, soulful pop music and encourage people to start listening to more Black pop stars. Otti talked to NYOTA about her musical inspirations, experimenting with her sound, and growing up with MTV.

How old were you when you realized making music is what you wanted to do as a career?

I must’ve been 9 or 10 years old when I knew I wanted to seriously pursue music for a living. Growing up, we had this TV in our kitchen, and it was constantly on MTV. This was back in the early 2000s, when MTV was really music television, and they’d only play music videos. I can remember coming downstairs to eat breakfast or sitting in a chair in the kitchen while my mom did my hair, and my eyes would be glued to the screen as I watched the music video countdown. This was my first introduction to music, and specifically to pop stars. Watching Katy Perry, Kesha, Lady Gaga, and all those girls it made me realize how much I wanted to be doing that too.

Who are some of your musical inspirations?

My favorite singer of all time is Amy Winehouse and I would say that she’s definitely a musical inspiration of mine. I discovered her debut album, Frank, when I was 18 and it really inspired me to challenge myself as a songwriter, and it was then that I started writing real, honest music. I love Sade as well, and also Adele. I love soulful music, but I also love pop. Someone who’s quite underrated but very inspirational for me is Madison Beer. You can tell how much of a music lover she is when she talks about music in her interviews and also when you listen to her discography and I love how you can also hear her influences in her music.

When it comes to songwriting do you frequently pull from real life events or media as a source of material?

Real life events, definitely. I’m only ever really inspired to write about people or feelings that impact me enough for me to start writing about them. But it’s all coming from a personal place.

You have a specific visual style and aesthetic as an artist. How did you decide on how you wanted to present yourself as a singer?

I think I just pull from my own personal, day to day style and play off of that. Even though I grew up watching and being inspired by Hannah Montana as a kid, I’m definitely not trying to create two separate identities for myself like she did. I’d wear the same thing off stage that I would while performing on a stage, well perhaps a bit less dramatic while off stage, but I just want to feel, act, and present myself in the most authentic way possible.

That visual style can be seen in your music video for “boys, boys, boys.” Were you heavily involved in the creative process for that video?

I was 100% involved! I had a lot of fun creating mood boards on Pinterest for that video.

Each of your songs has its own distinct feel which is refreshing. When it comes to production do you often try to experiment?

Thank you so much! My first few songs were naturally really experimental because I was making music for the first time and was really trying to identify my sound. I work with an amazing producer who now really knows me and also my influences. Right now we’re really working on trying to establish my own sound. Like I mentioned earlier, I love soulful music and also pop music and I would love to create a world in which both can exist at the same time. We’re starting to get there and I think you can start to hear that with my most recently released single, “(don’t) let the love in.” The song is super reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation,” but I think the influence of Sade can be heard as well. In short, yes I often try to experiment and create something that sounds fresh, but the most important thing to me is that it feels like me at the end of the day.

You made a post on TikTok that focused on giving Black pop artists visibility. As a Black, independent artist. Have platforms such as TikTok been able to give you a voice and exposure to listeners?

Although the algorithm can sometimes be questionable, it has worked in my favor a good amount of times which I’m very grateful for. I’ve noticed myself slowly but surely building an audience on that app, and I’ve found that there are people that agree with what I’m saying which is nice. Pop music feels like it’s taking over all over again, the way it did in the early 2000s. And female pop stars are absolutely killing it. Artists like Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan are really having their moment right now and that’s incredible. People are deeming them as the “main pop girls,” but then at the same time, I see posts on X all the time where people are asking for more Black pop stars. That’s actually what had inspired me to make that TikTok in the first place. It’s frustrating to see people asking for something that they won’t even support.

What advice do you have for aspiring singers?

Keep the big picture in mind. It reminds you of where you’re going and why you began in the first place. Pursuing music can feel really discouraging at times, for very long periods of time too. But you won’t ever get there if you quit. It’s all about taking baby steps and continuing to put yourself in optimal positions. The right people will find you. I felt like I was on the verge of giving up before I made the TikTok about giving Black artists visibility, then that video did really well unexpectedly. And that’s the thing. Every day is a new opportunity to try, to put yourself out there and see what comes of it. People are listening and one day the right person will hear your art. The stars will align and everything will fall into place and you’ll be happy you kept pushing forward and trying!

This story first ran in Issue 37: The Empowerment Issue. Read more from the issue here.