Athina: Adjust Your Eyes To A New Era With 'Night Vision'
Athina, an emerging artist with a voice as ethereal as her name, has made a big impact with the release of her first track, 'Night Vision', as she punches her way onto the London music scene.
'Night Vision' is illuminated with haunting vocals that reverberate across an intoxicating instrumental landscape. Adding to the unique nature of the song, the track is punctuated by an interlude of conversation, concluding with laughter that traverses its way back into the instrumentals seamlessly. It's a wonderful blend of a song, roaming from tones of haunting melancholy, to conjuring up images of a star-soaked night sky.
Somnium Sounds sat down with Athina to chat about what inspires her, and how her journey so far led her to music.
I'm so excited that you've released your first track, 'Night Vision', what inspired it and how long have you been making music?
Thank you so much! I’m really excited, but low-key a bit scared because it’s my first ever song release.
I’ve been singing and writing since I was 11, not professionally of course, but it's always been something I enjoyed doing.
Inspiration comes to me in various ways... I get inspired by the people that surround me, from situations that have managed to touch me in some type of way. Be it, heartbreak, a peaceful moment, a messy night out, something wholesome, love, the idea of love - a bit of everything.
Night vision is a product of almost all of the above, a song about my summer of 2020, when I was back home in Greece.
What genre/genres does your music fall under?
Definitely under the indie/ sad boy hour/ nostalgia category, but I'm not quite sure how to absolutely define it just yet.
What else do you have in the pipeline?
Honestly, I have an enormous amount of lyrics and melodies that I’ve written over the years and I’m dying to bring them to life. I've also been thinking about releasing some of my poems but it’s all a bit up in the air.
Song wise, I'm still unsure on the release dates but if things go according to plan, my next track “Sting” should be out soon.
'Sting' falls under the indie rock category a bit more, it gives off slightly darker, naughtier vibes. It’s one of my favourite creations, so I’m very excited to share it once it’s ready.
What got you into music in the first place?
It’s hard to pinpoint what the exact moment was, and it’s gonna sound incredibly cliché but doing things related to music was always a thought of mine. I guess the fact that I grew up in an environment where music was always around kinda amplified that.
I’m nowhere near close to where I aspire to be, or close to perfection for that matter, but that's okay I guess, cos that was never the intent in the first place. I love surrounding myself with art and it feels very natural doing something creative.
What do you do thats unexpected? In life, or within music...
Ooh, that’s a very interesting question, I guess switching rapidly from someone that always trying to find the silver lining in things, to being the most dramatic human that has ever stepped foot on this planet and vice versa. You never know when it’s gonna happen, I don’t even know when, I keep people on their toes.
Also, something else thats unexpected cos it’s a massive contradiction but works in my favour (sometimes) is my inability to story tell in a conversation. I’ve always had issues with that, I just forget that sometimes people need context before I start rambling on about something completely random that they have no idea about.
It's very annoying for them, but works wonders lyrically for me, it kinda gives an abstract character to my songs, which I enjoy a lot because people can make whatever they want out of something that’s very specific and monumental for me.
Why does making music matter to you?
I’m a person who’s best friends with nostalgia and romanticising things (I probably shouldn’t); finding a way to do something productive with these emotions instead of letting them aimlessly exist in my brain is borderline therapeutic and its very special - music is exactly that to me.
It’s also like a little diary of every era that stood out to me, which makes it very personal and adds another major reason as to why it matters to me.
What's the most important thing in life?
Health is definitely the top one realistically but in a more sentimental way, I have to say the bonds I’ve made over the years with family and friends. They are all very important to me and I feel very lucky and grateful to have met people that feel like home.
What are your favourite things to do?
Random dance sessions in the kitchen.
Pretty self explanatory I know, but I also feel like I should clarify that these sessions are never planned and never serious. It’s just my best friends and I that have all happened to be living together for years and the rest is fluid.
It could be 9am or 4am, we could be having the time of our lives or literally the worst day known to man, it could be our kitchen or someone else’s kitchen. you never know what’s the occasion or setting.
I know it probably sounds pretty lame, but it’s honestly jokes and I’m here for it.
I adore dancing, I did ballet and contemporary for years when I was younger but stopped when I moved to London for uni.
It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like to but it’s always fun when I get to revisit those properly.
Best thing about London?
The best thing about London is probably the amount of options you can get for literally anything you can think of, I enjoy that it's so alive and constantly busy.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Thats a tough one, probably as a person who’s brain touched someone’s heart at some point either musically/lyrically, or in a more personal situation.
I’d like to think that at some point during my lifespan someone was positively affected by something I said, advice I gave or a moment we shared...
Check out Athina below:
Images obtained from Athina