Introducing Ayka, the Norwegian-Turkish artist Ayça Lingaas, who has recently released her self-produced debut album Doggy Bag. It’s a twelve-track record of emotionally weighty slacker-rock gems that unveil a disarmingly honest and uniquely raw songwriter. Drawing inspiration from the off-beat spirit of Wilco and The Velvet Underground, Ayka seeks to embrace imperfection as her poignant lyrics drift between melancholia and playfulness; it’s all about sounding as human as possible. In addition to crafting this album, the Oslo-based artist has also toured with Chris Cohen and opened for Royel Otis, further affirming her growing reputation as a one to watch within the Scandinavian indie scene. As you venture into Doggy Bag, you’ll discover songs that feel intimate yet unpredictable, unstructured yet determined, weird yet grounded. We wanted to know more about how Ayka formed this oxymoronic balance, and so for On The Record, we spoke with this emerging artist about songwriting, the importance of friendship and choosing instinct over polish.
Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t already familiar with Ayka, can you introduce yourself?
Oh, I’m horrible at introducing myself and never know what to say.
Congratulations on the recent release of your album! The title brings to mind a doggy bag from a restaurant, so how does this concept draw parallels with the record?
I decided on the title a long time ago, and I can’t actually remember exactly why or how it came to be. Asking for a doggy bag shows a commitment to the food you’ve been served, but also probably guilt, and sometimes you really enjoy eating the leftovers the next day. Other times you leave it wilfully or just forget about it, which causes it to spoil and then it goes into the trash. But also I really love dogs, and they are a recurring theme within this project.
If you had to assign a specific color or visual texture to Doggy Bag, what would it be and why?
I like the green and kinda earthy vibe that we’ve been going for visually. Chill and relaxing.
You clearly lean into the joy of imperfection, so how do you decide when to stop when it comes to songwriting and production?
I prefer writing and producing songs pretty quickly and intuitively. I get impatient and bored easily, and therefore nitpicking and considering stuff can be tiresome. Sticking with an original idea has been better than reworking and overthinking things, at least for this project.
As a Liverpool-born, Oslo-based Norwegian-Turkish artist, how do your different cultural heritages find their way into your sound?
I don’t really think they do, necessarily. But the track “Ubur og Nøkk” is directly influenced by Norwegian folklore and mysticism.
Your friends also had a big impact on the album, can you give us an insight into one of those collaborative songwriting sessions?
Even though I produced and wrote all the songs myself – I couldn’t and also didn’t want to play every instrument myself. So naturally I invited friends and other people into the process of recording the album. Njål Uhre Kiese is one of them, a great bassist and pal, who I trust a lot musically and creatively. We’ve played together for a long time, and he’s very in tune with whatever he does.
Having toured with Chris Cohen and opened for Royel Otis, how do you songs transform or stay the same in a live setting?
They transform a lot I’d say – to the extent that some might even be disappointed by it. No concert sounds the same, and the songs are always changing or evolving in some way. I enjoy tweaking things depending on the situation. But the live setting is generally more fast-paced and rowdy. I do also really enjoy an acoustic and more “calm” set, though.
Do you feel like taking the production on yourself gave you more creative freedom? And were there any unexpected challenges?
I was really adamant on doing this myself, also as a sort of “girl power in a male dominated field”-kinda thing. Some people don’t even know I play guitar. I wanted to prove something to others, but in reality mostly to myself I think. The most challenging part was probably having to carry and lead the project myself, and that I couldn’t really blame anyone else if something went wrong.
What do you hope that listeners will take away from Doggy Bag?
That it is something honest and something good. But I also wouldn’t mind if someone found it bad (or boring) – as long as they’d still see the honesty.
Following the release of the album, what will be next on the horizon for you?
I’ve been trying to get a bachelors degree in linguistics, but I’ve flunked two exams already – so I don’t really know. I also flunked my drivers exam twice. Hopefully this music thing won’t go as badly.
You can listen to album track ‘Let Go’ in our Shades of Pop playlist.
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