LA-based Surrija (Sur-rye-ya) has an electro pop odyssey for you that is beyond dope.
She grew up in Hong Kong where there was a constant collision of Cantonese, British and American influences. A classically trained pianist from the age of 5, she augmented her traditional musical education with a healthy dose of eclectic pop mixtapes which were assembled in a way that would resist labels and extend beyond present context or cultural boundaries. This wide musical aggregation helped shape the unique sound of Surrija which falls somewhere amid the tactile musings of Frederic Chopin, Fiona Apple and James Blake.
Surrija used to record under her given name (Jane Lui). By 2015 she’d released three LP’s with that moniker and built a YouTube brand boasting 30,000+ subscribers. Striving for Top 40 success, however, became a drain on her creativity. She decided to peace out and packed her bags for Barcelona where she locked herself in a bare studio apartment with a keyboard for five weeks. It was there that this album was born: gripping and sparse, enriched by off-kilter guitar chords, unhinged melodies, and playful vocal lines.
