WPGM Commentary: Martina Armour Explores Different Kinds Of Love On Her New EP ‘What It Feels Like’

Hi I’m Martina Armour, a Swedish artist based in Los Angeles, CA, and What It Feels Like is my latest EP.

Working on this EP has been a very interesting journey that took much longer than I had originally anticipated. I started recording and releasing my first two singles before the pandemic and the rest during the pandemic. I took a long break in between that wasn’t planned but very much needed, that helped shape the rest of the songs.

With my new free time during lockdown, I took a songwriting course for sync where I met some amazing producers and collaborators (remotely) that later came to play a very important part of this EP. I gotta name them because they’re such gems, David Bashford, Marina Bennett and Ryan Corn. So in the end, I’m very happy that the process DID take that long, otherwise these incredible people wouldn’t have been a part of my EP.

I knew early on I wanted to make a 6-track EP. Anything less than that was too short for what I needed to say. Half of the EP is piano driven and the other half is guitar driven. It wasn’t planned but happened organically, and I love that! What it Feels Like dives into the folk/pop/rock vein and explores neighboring genres as well.

I’ve always been in the singer/songwriter genre, just me and a guitar/piano so exploring different sounds and other genres was such a fun process. I recorded the first songs at the incredible Village Studios here in Los Angeles with one of my amazing producers Alex Williams. That was a dream come true in itself.

I’ve yet to find a more inspiring, electric place in the world. You really do feel all the amazing energy within those walls and it’s day I’ll never forget. Recording “Knife” on the Moroccan Room grand piano was something I’m still processing to this day.

To say that they’re all love songs feels cheesy and a bit untrue but I guess most songs do have love tucked in, even if it isn’t what you hear at first. Looking at the theme of all these songs, they explore different kinds of love. “In Trouble” – forbidden love, “Knife” – dying love, “On The Run” – looking for self love, “Everything” – loving someone who’ve lost themselves, “Slowly Lifting” – new love and “Storms” – impossible love.

I think when it all comes down to it, love is one of the biggest motivator why we do things, or don’t do things. And writing my way through these songs I’ve come out on the other side of it feeling more empowered and further along on the journey of self-love and acceptance.

I loved the process of writing these songs so much because I didn’t sit down with the purpose of writing an EP. These were songs that just poured out of me from what I was going through at the time and I think that honesty and emotion can be felt when you listen to them.

Each song has their own life, you can easily tell them apart, both sonically and lyrically. That was something I felt was important. I love when artists release an EP/album and all songs feel like they’re their own experience, that they can stand on their own, so that was always a goal of mine.

I named my EP What It Feels Like because it’s a very emotional EP! These are all pages from my journal of what I was feeling at the time. And my wish with these songs is that they reach the listeners and make them feel something. I hope for them to feel heard, less alone and entertained.

Listen to my What It Feels Like EP below and stream it everywhere else here.

Words by Martina Armour // Follow her on Facebook + Instagram