South-East London artist OURAA has been building a career across songwriting, vocal work and her own artist project since launching in 2016.
With over 45,000 monthly Spotify listeners, a feature on Nines’ Crop Circle 3 that has surpassed 6 million streams, and vocal credits alongside Demi Lovato, The 1975, Little Simz and Ella Eyre, her work has already reached well beyond her own releases. She has also performed at The Great Escape and Glastonbury, while earning support from the likes of COLORS, Wordplay Magazine and Noctis.
Now moving further into the pop and dance space, OURAA returns with In The Kitchen, a high-energy house track about the less visible realities of building a career independently. Using the kitchen as a metaphor for the creative process, the track explores working multiple jobs, funding your own ambitions and continuing to make music when the bigger picture is still difficult to see.
Following BABA and 3am, In The Kitchen finds OURAA reflecting on ambition, resilience and the importance of backing yourself before anyone else sees the vision. In this conversation, she talks about the story behind the new single, what working with established artists has taught her about collaboration, finding confidence in her own creative direction, and learning to step away and reset when the music isn't flowing.
What’s the story behind your new single In The Kitchen?
It can get really draining when you feel like you’re making great music but you feel like it’s not being heard. The importance of trusting their vision is so key, even when the path isn’t clear.
“In The Kitchen” is about staying committed to your craft, making the most of what you have, be it small or plentiful and continuing to build something meaningful despite challenges, setbacks or limited resources. I want the song to remind people that success rarely happens overnight. Sometimes you’re just in the kitchen putting the work in, and that’s where the magic happens.
If In The Kitchen belonged on a playlist, what other three tracks would be on it to complete the mood?
I’d start with “Uncomfortable” by Jayda G because sometimes, in the middle of everything, it can feel super uncomfortable putting yourself out there, promoting your music, asking people to listen and wanting feedback.
Then I’d go into “Somedays” by Sonny Fodera and Jazzy. Somedays I really do want to sail away when things get hard, but then I “keep it moving on” because I genuinely don’t see myself doing anything else. I love creating, I love performing and this is it for me, which I’m really grateful for.
Then we have “In The Kitchen”, which ties into the details and reasoning I shared in question 1. It represents the reality of being an independent artist, working, creating and constantly finding ways to keep things moving.
Finally, I’d resolve with “Waste My Time” by Jsilos and Corey Cali. For me, it’s a reminder not to waste time worrying or overthinking and to just do the thing. Sometimes you have to stop delaying your creativity and trust yourself enough to go for it.
Alongside your own music, you’ve provided vocals for artists including P!NK, Demi Lovato, The 1975, Little Simz and Ella Eyre. What has working with other artists taught you that you’ve brought into your own project?
Working with other artists has taught me the value of collaboration and, more importantly, to be more open to co-writing. It’s something I didn’t really allow myself to explore before.
I’ve realised how creatively freeing it can be to have someone else bring a completely different perspective to a song and take it in a direction I never imagined. It’s made me much more open to trusting the process and seeing where a song can go when you create with other people.
What advice would you give to an artist who has a clear vision but is finding it difficult to get other people to believe in it yet?
You have to believe in your craft. If you don’t believe in what you’re creating, how can you expect anyone else to believe in it? And if you’re struggling to believe in yourself or your vision, take some time to really ask yourself why. Sit with it, work through it and find a way to get yourself out of that funk. You can’t always wait for other people to validate what you’re doing. You have to be the first person to back yourself.
What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about making music?
One of my favourite things about making music is creating a really catchy hook and instantly being able to hear how fun it’s going to be live. I always try to write something that I can imagine an audience singing back to me. There’s something so special about creating a moment in a song that people can connect with and then getting to experience that moment together in a room.
When you’re having a difficult or unproductive day creatively, what helps you reset?
When I’m having one of those days, I put it in God’s hands and let Him sort the rest out. I’m in a season where I’m really trying not to let anxiety be my conclusion because, honestly, it’s never helped me in the past, it’s only made things worse. Instead, I pray about it, take a moment, do something completely different and come back to it another time.
Maybe I wasn’t meant to finish it that day, and that’s absolutely fine. Sometimes you just have to give yourself permission to step away and trust that you’ll come back to it when the time is right.