Though she’s best known for her intimate, lo-fi sound, on January 23rd, Norwegian singer Okay Kaya will take a grander stage, playing with a full orchestra at the Oslo Opera House for an evening dubbed Meantime. We speak with Kaya about the big event
Not so long ago, Kaya Wilkins, better known as Okay Kaya, couldn’t afford to pay musicians to join her on tour. And so, the Norwegian singer found a creative solution. “I would sing off of my phone to a backing track and in a sort of silent protest, I made a little band out of clay,” she says, noting that her tiny musicians, which included “a guy playing the drums and a person playing the saxophone” were about thumb-sized. She placed the band on a little pedestal and filmed them as she performed. “They’re pretty much the best band I’ve ever played with,” she says, laughing. “They never complain.”
Now, Kaya is preparing for a show that is, as she puts it, “the exact opposite of that”. On January 23rd, the artist will take the stage at the Oslo Opera House for Meantime, which will find her performing a selection of beloved songs with the backing of a full chamber orchestra. “A lot of the songs were made in a lo-fi, sort of bedroom environment,” she says, adding air quotes for emphasis. “I wanted to shed light on the… I don’t even remember how many records I’ve made at this point.” She’s made six, spanning from Both (2018) (though her breakout was her sophomore, Watch this Liquid Pour Itself) to Oh My God - That’s So Me (2024).
Photo: Magnus Vanem