Words by

Hannah Jane Cohen

Photo by

POND Creative

Ivory Coast-born, U.S.-raised, Reykjavík-transplant snny serves up a melange of synthy goodness in his newest EP ‘Otito’.

Abidjan

“Abidjan” is an ode to the city I was born in. I actually wrote it right before I went back there for the first time in 18 years. The song embodies the feeling of what I hoped the city would be—of being reunited with my cousins and friends, running the streets with them, and just having fun and playing music. It was also a test. I made the song, then I wanted to go there and see if it was the same feeling, and it was. It was pretty surreal. The song is a perfect snapshot of everything for me—my childhood, leaving Abidjan, growing up in the States, going back, but no matter what, still being rooted there.

Somewhere in Brooklyn

“Somewhere in Brooklyn” is a sad song people can dance to—I think those are the best songs. It’s a love story that went wrong. You know when you’re in a relationship that you know is going to end, but instead of it ending poorly, you’re both mature enough to accept that and rejoice in it? Maybe it’s the last dance you have together in your apartment in the summer. You’re not sad, you’re happy because it was beautiful.

snny. Photo by POND Creative.

User Not Found

“User Not Found” is what I envision pre-internet life was, you know, when you would play with your friends all summer and some kids would move away and some kids you never saw again but you had no way to contact them, no way to text them. This is before all of that existed.

Sideways

This was one of the first songs I wrote on the project. One to test the waters and push myself sonically. I was watching ‘Castaway’ and I thought, “Man, there’s a song here.” I pictured someone on a remote island trying to radio out to their girlfriend, their loved ones, and what that sounded like.

Pink Lemonade

“Pink Lemonade” is a letter to my parents. Their relationship ended early; they got divorced but were always on good terms. So the song is bittersweet. The fact that their love remains strong even when apart—it’s something beautiful to witness as a kid.

Better to Leave It

I wrote this in LA. There were three of us living in a tiny one bedroom apartment and it was the worst time for me. I got caught up in LA life and I had to make the executive decision to leave. For me, if a situation is toxic enough, it’s better to leave it.

snny. Photo by POND Creative.

The Kids Are Getting Old

We have this tendency to get overwhelmed with growing up, especially as an artist. You can feel like everyday is 100 years, and maybe you envisioned yourself to be at A but you’re still at 0.5 and then you compare yourself to others and have regrets. It’s a snowball effect, so “The Kids Are Getting Old” is just a campfire song to all my friends that are still artists who are still trying to put their message out in the world. Yeah, the kids are getting old but with that comes a vast spreadsheet of experience and knowledge. There’s beauty in that.

Check out snny on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Stream snny’s ‘Otito’ on all streaming platforms.

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