Basel/London-based pop singer Emilia Anastazja just released her colourful new EP ‘Flower House’, bringing some warmth to the cold autumn days!
With influences ranging from 070 Shake and Jessie Ware to Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston, those sonic touch-points can be distinctly heard within Emilia’s creations.
New single and EP title track “Flower House” was written in the aftermath of her previous home being torn down to be replaced by a new block of “overpriced apartments”. A colourful amalgam of 90’s inflected R&B and effervescent electro-pop, Emilia opens proceedings with a quiet admission of acceptance: “I‘m in the mood for taking what‘s good in my life / The more you pull down, the more I look up to the sky” before the track opens up into its soaring chorus.
Speaking on the release of new single “Flower House”, Emilia said “The lyrics are talking about my reflections and memories of an apartment block that I used to live in with my best friends which was demolished in front of my eyes. It was a whole community of artists living there and we always had an open door for everyone and the rent was almost for free. The house was demolished because the state decided to build some more overpriced modern apartments there. This home holds a special place in my memory and is often a place I look back to as the last real place I could call home. I wanted to express both my anger and my fantasy to “Burn” down what now stands in its place.”
The new single follows clubby, 80’s tinged pop cut “Take a Look” released back in September, which earned praise from the likes of Billboard, The Line Of Best Fit, The Rodeo and DUMMY, with the ‘Flower House’ EP completed by her contemplative, fragile ode to misguided affection, “Mistaken Love”.
Across the 3-track release, Emilia Anastazja effortlessly juggles her intriguing blend of influences, all the while succinctly dissecting some of adulthood’s most relatable dilemmas. Co-produced with Swiss producer Rico Baumann, the EP provides an intriguing insight into an artist coming into her own and realising the true vision for her musical output.
Born into a musical family; her mother a concert violinist and her sister a singer, Emilia’s love for music started from a young age. Now a classically trained musician herself, she surrounded herself with jazz music, quickly developing a passion for R&B and soul – all helping form the artist she is today.
Her songs and collaborations to date have earned her encouraging success in recent years, notably airplay on BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC 6Music, along with millions of streams on Spotify.