EMA, a message from nature conveyed in sound, is a stunning examination of connection, spirituality and sonic freedom – an album in which technology and tradition come together in a world without boundaries.
The Japanese-born and Oslo-based electronic artist Sienná presents EMA, a nine-track album which takes her distinctive East-meets-West style and develops it into a more profound and experimental sound world. Having followed up her 2023 concept album Wa-Kei-Sei-Jyaku, this new release keeps up her investigation into cross-cultural expression by combining electronic innovation with the spiritual and artistic influences that have shaped her creative identity.
It is a collection of “image-to-sound syntheses” and was developed from ideas that Sienná had while spending time in nature; specifically inspired by her walks in the peaceful forests of Kyoto’s Kibune valley and the scenery of Ischia island, the album expresses her effort to record the messages, emotions and images she picked up in those places. Instead of composing music using traditional methods, Sienná sees the composition process as an open dialogue between imagination, technology and the natural world. The album EMA explores cinematic electronic environments, ambient textures, glitch experiments, the energy of drum & bass and musical elements inspired by traditional Japanese music over the course of nine tracks. The theme of resilience and self-belief is illustrated in songs such as “Be A Seeker, Believer”, and moments for reflection are produced by “Finding Inner Sanctuary” and “A Messenger” through immersive sound design and atmospheric production.
What distinguishes *EMA* is Sienná’s dedication to creative freedom. In a time when so many productions follow predictable formulas, she still sticks to imperfection, unpredictability and emotional expression. By adopting a “no rules” method, each sound is able to exist naturally and the result is music which does not merely consist of a series of tracks but rather sounds more like an ever-changing environment for listeners to explore. Sienná was born in Kyoto and has since moved to Norway, where she has spent over ten years in the process of shaping her own particular musical style throughout Europe and Asia. As part of her career she has worked with well-regarded avant-garde artists such as Nils Petter Molvær, Mick Karn and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, which once again shows that she is an artist who is always seeking to go beyond the conventional genre boundaries. Sienná’s EMA is an ambitious and highly personal album which combines electronic experimentation with old notions of harmony, reflection and interconnectedness; it is music that prompts people to slow down, turn their attention inward and experience sound in a totally new way.
English