Tracks That Shaped My Sound-Serena Ittoo
British singer-songwriter Serena Ittoo unveils her latest single, "So Blue," a beautifully somber composition that delves into the complexities of questionable relationships. With raw emotion, the song captures the yearning for reciprocated feelings while grappling with the looming possibility of a relationship's end. Set against a soul/pop backdrop infused with jazz elements, "So Blue" mesmerizes listeners with its hypnotic beat, twinkling piano, and intricate harmonies, showcasing Ittoo's silky, soulful vocals as she muses, "If fear of losing is all I have, I best go find my new blue." Through her candid songwriting, Ittoo provides a comforting yet profoundly vulnerable reflection of human experiences.
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1. Keep Me Young – Tom Martin, Joe Waller
I feel I can’t go on to speak about the influences of So Blue without giving an ode to my University friend Jamie Petersen who helped inspire my creativity mindset for what the foundations So Blue was written from. Jamie who teaches me Jazz Piano shared some awesome wisdom with me which I definitely needed to hear at the time – this was to “keep it simple stupid” haha!
By this he meant to not put too much pressure on myself about the song’s melody and lyrics. Sometimes I do this a lot and that pressure can actually lead to nothing being written. He helped me to see that sometimes simplicity in music can sound so beautiful and is actually the key in being so powerful! Being complex with your writing doesn’t necessarily mean it’s great if there’s no purpose behind it haha!
“So Blue” therefore is the first song I wrote just before lockdown in 2020 where I told myself to not think too much about the song’s melody, meaning or even where the narrative is going…but to just let myself freely write and see what comes out.
This version of Keep Me Young sung by Joe Waller and produced by Tom Martin, in my opinion, really is a great example of how the piano arrangement is so intricately played beautifully by Jamie and tells a story in itself – “keep it simple stupid” & think of what intention you want with the elements you choose to put in your song! 😊
2. Wishing On A Star – Rose Royce
Before I go into any production phase of a song, I always love to write a reference sheet which includes lots of ideas around the intention I wish to create with the song’s instrumental arrangement. I love emotive songs that make me feel something so before any production process, I like writing ideas including words, colours, feelings to help inspire what atmosphere/mood I wish to create with the production of the track. This was exactly the way I went about “So Blue”.
When writing “So Blue” the tempo in which I was playing at was faster than how it ended up being. It has a really strong jazz feel to it and I think this was because my friend who gave the “KISS” advice from university is my jazz piano teacher so when writing it, I did envision it being a jazz pop song (implementing his rules). Thereby it felt right to aim to capture a jazz atmosphere for the song’s creative arrangement.
Wishing On A Star is the perfect sound reference I was aiming for in terms of capturing that soulful jazz essence which compliments the sweet and emotive vocal and lyrics of Rose Royce.
3. Michael Jackson - The Lady in My Life
I remember when describing what I was looking for with So Blue with my producer Aamir, I literally had so many creative adjectives which described “The Lady in My Life” in the hopes Aamir could “feel” the emotion to help guide him when arranging…haha! Like I said, emotion drives the essence of my songwriting thereby I really aim for the production of the track to compliment the song’s story and atmosphere. “The Lady In My Life” is really soulful from Michael’s vocal, lyrics and production arrangement – everything sits magically in the mix.
4. If Only For One Night – Luther Vandross
I’m super aware that my reference tracks are chosen from a particular era of music however if anyone wishes to share any cool modern jazz soul type of songs with me…then please do haha! I love this song!
I feel it can be so easy when writing a song to lose the spark which inspired you to write it in the first place because you’re constantly sitting with it and listening to it more carefully than any other person has to, because you’re the one composing it. What I like about this reference is, as soon as Luther Vandross’ vocal hits – you’re taken straight into his story with this. You believe every word he is singing – this is the power of music I believe.
