Written in her home studio in Los Angeles, California, the five-track EP Orchid Room, from singer-songwriter Joni, who recently moved to the UK, is being released on February 26.
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“It was a little haven to write all the songs in,” Joni tells American Songwriter. “We set up a small, bare-boned studio and all the songs, except for one was written in there.”
Joni has come a long way since her days as a quiet artist, too scared to perform her own songs. “I’ve always played music. I played a bunch of different instruments growing up and in high school, I started playing guitar,” Joni recalls. “For a while, I thought I wanted to be a producer because I was too shy to play my own songs.”
That all changed when Joni went away to college, where she continued to pursue music. “It forced me to perform my own songs for the first time. That’s when I really started playing my own music and doing my own thing,” says Joni.
Prior to living in L.A., Joni resided in New York City and used that time in her life as inspiration for the track, “Orange.”
“I have that nostalgic, romanticized version of NYC in my head that you see in movies,” Joni explains.
The theme of her dreamy EP revolves around where Joni lived at the time, her relationships and how change happens over time. “I don’t like when songs are too straight forward, so there’s a lot of imagery in them. I wanted the songs to feel really feminine, but also have a little bit of power behind them. I really like things that have feist,” adds Joni.
The title, Orchid Room, stems from a day when Joni was out shopping for vintage clothing in L.A. She came across these words written on a building, which caught her attention and stuck in her mind.
“When I was writing these songs in my house, it felt like a place where things were growing, and ideas were blossoming,” says Joni. “So ‘Orchid room’ kind of became a nickname for where the songs sprouted from. I am also really into flowers and that kind of imagery, so it just felt right for this collection of songs.”
Joni has previously released a number of glorious singles, but Orchid Room is a true reflection of who she is as an artist. Wanting to release an entire collection of songs to give her listeners a full picture, Joni says, “It’s really nice to have a whole body of songs that people can really get into. With the EP, I feel like there is a chance to get to know all sides of my writing. I love when I get the full story of an artist in an album.”
Take a listen to Joni’s EP, “Orchid Room” here on American Songwriter:
