"I wanted a really strong metaphor of what it is to move forward and do your own thing and I thought a giant does that," says Andreya Triana with a sly chuckle when prompted for the titular inspiration behind her intensely personal, yet empowering second album, Giants.
Raised by a single mother in Brixton, UK, Triana is no stranger to struggle. Unhappy teenage years ensued when her stepfather's job forced a locale change to the Midlands town of Worcester, and prior to breakthrough guest spots on tracks by Flying Lotus, Mr. Scruff and Bonobo, she worked a series of dead-end jobs.
Her Bonobo-produced debut, Lost Where I Belong, was released to critical acclaim in 2010, yet she confesses, "I think that lyrically and vocally, I was quite shy. And with this album I really wanted to push myself."
Eschewing the languid and jazzy vibe of its predecessor, the more stylistically adventurous and vocally assured Giants, which was produced by Matt Hales and recorded in Los Angeles, represents a substantial artistic evolution for Triana.
"I really wanted it to be diverse in a way. I wanted it to have really emotional, intimate moments and have really big fun moments. I'm really happy that musically it's quite broad."
Lyrically, Giants is rooted in both Triana's youth and her observations of everyday living in London, reflected in the poignant and autobiographical "Everything You Never Had, Pt. II."
"My mum, she had me when she was 18. We didn't have much, but she was amazing and did an incredible job. I look back and I never felt that I was without. I felt that I had everything I needed. So I always wanted to write that song and say thank you."
Raised by a single mother in Brixton, UK, Triana is no stranger to struggle. Unhappy teenage years ensued when her stepfather's job forced a locale change to the Midlands town of Worcester, and prior to breakthrough guest spots on tracks by Flying Lotus, Mr. Scruff and Bonobo, she worked a series of dead-end jobs.
Her Bonobo-produced debut, Lost Where I Belong, was released to critical acclaim in 2010, yet she confesses, "I think that lyrically and vocally, I was quite shy. And with this album I really wanted to push myself."
Eschewing the languid and jazzy vibe of its predecessor, the more stylistically adventurous and vocally assured Giants, which was produced by Matt Hales and recorded in Los Angeles, represents a substantial artistic evolution for Triana.
"I really wanted it to be diverse in a way. I wanted it to have really emotional, intimate moments and have really big fun moments. I'm really happy that musically it's quite broad."
Lyrically, Giants is rooted in both Triana's youth and her observations of everyday living in London, reflected in the poignant and autobiographical "Everything You Never Had, Pt. II."
"My mum, she had me when she was 18. We didn't have much, but she was amazing and did an incredible job. I look back and I never felt that I was without. I felt that I had everything I needed. So I always wanted to write that song and say thank you."
