AMARA ctk100 – also known as the laptopmusicgirl – is a London-based artist making hypnotizing electropop music. Smooth synthetics and voltaic vocals make her one of the most ingenious underground pop princesses on our radar. Transcending the boundaries of a single music genre the Swiss and Italian musician is unapologetically advocating for choosing yourself first and being enough just as you are.

“You don’t wanna play this, don’t wanna play with this,” she sings on her latest single, ‘You don’t Wanna’ a song that delves into a narrative of self-acceptance - mainly it’s about emancipating yourself from toxic people and the mind games they play. “If there’s someone who doesn’t accept you for who you are, they simply don’t belong in your life and don’t deserve to be in it,” she asserts while speaking of writing the glitchy electrotrap single. Produced collaboratively with AMARA’s friend S.G Cackle, a process unfamiliar to the multifaceted creative, ‘You Don’t Wanna’ was first created for her Club Quarantine set back in November.

Through a monochromatic aesthetic the concomitant video is laced with flashing light inversions and an eerie promenade conceiving an intensely illusive visual narrative. A kind of accolade to herself, AMARA’s background in fashion and graphic design shines through in the apposite optics which seem like a literal translation of her sound.

Coeval had the opportunity to speak with AMARA about the new single dropping 12/02/21, delving deep into her influences, her emotionally driven creative process, ‘You Don’t Wanna’, and COVID-19.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Describe who you are and what you do in your own words.

I am a Singer/Songwriter/Producer. I write music, sing it and try to build a visual world around it with graphics/drawings. Having a background in fashion and graphic design, visuals to me are equally as important as music to complete the picture. For this specific release I had the chance to collaborate with two visual artists I admire very much, Reece Owen (@reece.owen) for the pictures and Ashley Rommelrath (@asherlloyd) on the video. Definitely check them out!

Why do you make music?

It makes me feel better and as cliché as it sounds, helps me process things. When I feel down, I’ll make an unapologetic song to cheer me up and give me a different perspective. I‘ve always been fascinated by the idea of having an alter ego. There is nothing better than something good coming out of a bad situation. If I can dance to it and connect to other people in the process, even better.

Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood and how it has influenced your sound now, especially for your new single, ‘You Don’t Wanna’?

I grew up in a really small town in the early 2000‘s, between my Dad‘s guitars and paintings, between Metal, Pop, Dance Music and classical vocal training. My dad used to be in bands and teach me Led Zeppelin songs on his Fender Strat and my mum would take me to DJ Bobo shows and put me in musicals. :-) I used to (and still am) a big Spice Girls, Britney and Madonna fan and admire their music and aesthetics. But there was not much where I grew up. Some local punk bands, a choir and later, the internet. I always wanted to make music but was too shy to ask people to play with me. So, I started making music on my laptop. I think this mix of things and styles reflects in everything, especially my vocal style. Years of classical singing and choirs/musicals show in the way I write and harmonise basically everything :)

Can you tell us about your new single, ‘You Don’t Wanna’? What has been the inspiration for this song and what is the story behind it?

‘You Don’t Wanna’ is an observation about not playing with toxic people and the (mind) games they play. To accept that I’m just who I am, and this is what I do and can do and that it is, in fact, enough. If there’s someone who doesn’t accept you for who you are, they simply don’t belong in your life and don’t deserve to be in it. If someone tries to put you down or can’t genuinely be happy for you, they probably struggle with themselves and unfortunately don’t realise, that their own insecurities aren’t gonna disappear by putting someone else down.

If someone tries to hold you down, they unfortunately don’t realise that we should be supporting each other and be kind, cause the more people that are happy in this world, the better of a place it will become for everyone. That‘s where ‘You Don‘t Wanna’ (PLAY WITH THIS) comes from. Originally, I wrote this song for my set on Club Quarantine for the ‘Hannah Diamond - Reflections Forever’ show. I’ve always wanted to work with my friend S.G Cackle and sent him over some synths and a baseline with a vocal idea. We took it from there, sending it back and forth. This song was very different in process for me. Usually, I have way more control on the production. But I very much enjoyed this way of working. We were super quick, and I was able to 100% trust S.G Cackle.

Can you walk us through your song writing process?

It either starts with a sound or with a phrase/word I find catchy. Whenever something gets stuck in my head, I write it down. Whenever I can’t sleep, I write what’s in my head. Whenever I sit on the bus and listen to music, I write down on my iPhone whatever floats around in my head. I just try to capture as many things as possible. Of course, a lot of useless things. But sometimes I go through my notes and feel like “Oh this would make a good song title“. I give myself space to mess around with my guitar, a drum pattern or a baseline without having the pressure of having to finalize something. Till something gets me excited and I try and work out melodies and an arrangement. Contrast is something I always strive for. And accessibility. I want my music to be as accessible as possible, so I usually arrange it in a pop-type way. It’s not always easy to trust the process and it takes time, but it’s always worth it :) Short-cuts don‘t work.

How has the Pandemic affected your practice?

The pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone. I only released my first song during the first lockdown, so unfortunately didn‘t have any chance to play my new music live yet. I also was supposed to play some festivals this summer In Europe, but they will probably not happen.

If I’m gonna be completely honest, I personally find it easier to be more productive when I have a lot going on. The more the better. It makes me feel energised and I’m way more efficient with my time. A lot of song writing comes from real life situations as well. At the moment I just try and make it a routine to sit down every day and work on something or my journal. When I get stuck, I read or try and learn a new plug-in, a synth I haven’t used, or something new on my guitar. And Sometimes I just get lost on the internet lol. The lines between free time/work blur really easily with this little structure and it’s easy to either over-work or not do anything at all. So, I am trying to make it a 9-5 type thing and stay off work on the weekends (Which doesn‘t usually work though). On a good note, I have definitely become more collaborative and use music to connect with new people.

What overall do you want to say to your listeners with your music?

I usually write to make myself feel better. When I feel down, I try and find some comfort by building a different narrative, that is gonna make me feel the opposite and find an empowering angle in a not so empowering situation. Cheer me up basically. I hope some of my music might do that for someone else too!!

So, what is next for Amara Ctk100? Are you working on anything right now?

I always try to keep myself busy and have loads of little song ideas floating around. I‘m excited to get working on new music and new visual Ideas.