GIYA – Upside Down | Pleasant Surprises

The deadly progression is present in South London based Singer-Songwriter and Producer GIYA‘s latest new badass single “Upside Down.” The flavour is very rich and wonderful and great. In fact, once the song is over, it has such a pleasant aftertaste. The lyrics are enticing and eccentric, brilliantly capturing and elevating the mood. The groove has a swing that allows you to sway your foot and snap along. GIYA must have had a lot of fun creating the tune. It has such unique but captivating melodies and harmonies that keep the song alive all the way through. The energy level seems to be quite high. The voice delivery has a rock solid attitude. We listen to some contemporary application of elements in between the Jazz aspects, which is quite intriguing.

Apart from the captivating progression, the song is held together by the bass line. The low end gives the music a lot of clarity and movement. Overall, the groove is really tight and smooth. The tones merge in perfectly with one another. The transitional chords are so well-placed that the experience is one-of-a-kind, leaving enough of an impression to remember and repeat the song afterwards. The brass arrangement is written to perfection. In a nutshell, the music has its own distinct personality and sounds new. Listeners on the lookout for fresh tunes and vibes will be enthralled by this. Essentially, the atmosphere remained steady until the final seconds, which is quite astounding in terms of maintaining the excitement.

We also have an interview with GIYA, who sheds more insight on the song’s creation tale. Go ahead and read through.

How did you come up with the song’s unique colour? What do you suppose the song’s genesis may be?

“The song happened by accident really, it started with the verse which was part of something else that me and my producer made and I took the verse loop and went away with it and the chorus just came to me straight away. It was one of those tracks where you’re really not thinking to hard and this great melody and idea just comes to you.“

The production is quite intriguing, and I’m wondering as to how you came up with the progression.

“It just sort of unfolded really; the core of the song remains those jazzy guitar chords played in this weird, staccato way with the lazy but sultry walking bassline just floating on top of it. I loved how those sections interacted with each other; it’s kind of nonsensical but that’s the DNA of the song – a bit weird but feels weirdly okay.“

Is there anything special you’d like to emphasise to your listeners with this song?

“always emphasise the weird.“

How did your sessions go while you were recording the song? Do you have any funny or challenging anecdotes to share?

“I actually finished recording the song in Ukraine during lockdown last year; it was such a surreal experience but it was some of the most productive studio sessions I’ve ever done. We were making 3 songs a day, it was so fast and the final touches were added to the song there which made the whole thing come alive. Hiding from police while making pop tunes is a surprisingly fruitful endeavour.“

Who do you listen to the most and who is the most influential on your music?

“When Upside Down was first born I was listening to a lot of jazz, mainly contemporary jazz or at least more contemporary artists. I was binging Amy Winehouse in a major way but also a lot of Tom Misch, Ezra Collective and artists like Solange as well so it’s all a bit of a melting pot of those sounds really.“