In conversation
w/ Erika Sirola

MARCH 8, 2024 → WORDS ADRIÁN GOMIS EXPÓSITO
PHOTOGRAPHY DO TANG

In a groundbreaking convergence of music and fashion, Erika Sirola unveils her highly anticipated EP, ‘THE FOUR FACES’, accompanied by a stunning collection of fashion designs. Inspired by Carl Jung’s psychology, Erika explores themes of identity and transformation, infusing each track with depth and complexity. Through intricate sonic landscapes and captivating visuals, she offers listeners a glimpse into the multifaceted nature of her own identity. In an exclusive interview with Sicky, Erika shares insights into her creative process, from the inception of the music to the design of the accompanying fashion collection. With a fearless approach to authenticity and sustainability, Erika challenges conventions and blurs the lines between art forms, inviting audiences to embark on an immersive journey of self-discovery and expression.

What inspired you to embark on the creation of ‘THE FOUR FACES’ independently through your label?

I think it was less about inspiration and more about a necessity for ‘creative freedom’, combined with a fear of repeating bad experiences. I still have difficulty dealing with time concerning artistic development and output, and the idea of joining forces with yet another preoccupied team didn’t seem ideal. I wanted to pursue the route that would ensure the quickest pace of release with the least amount of interference from others. For a long time, I was convinced that doing this on my own wasn’t possible. However, at some point, many artists proved that it was indeed plausible, and thus, it ‘inspired’ me to do it as well.

Can you elaborate on the thematic elements explored in your new EP ‘THE FOUR FACES’? How do these themes resonate with your personal journey?

If by thematic elements you mean the constructive features and characterizations within each piece, then it is quite varied, but they all fall into the general makeup of digestible pop music melodically, lyrically, and structurally. I wanted them to feel like chapters in a book, so each song needs to work as an ‘easy-to-follow’ story with alterations in texture, instrumentation, and rhythm to enhance differences in said stories/characters. If you’re referring to ‘theme’ as in the subject matter of the EP, the central element is identity and change within it, which has also been the central element of my life since I left home at seventeen. It was particularly prominent during the creation of this project in 2019. Aspects of my identity that were not ‘authentic’, along with suppressed artistic desires in aesthetics and sonics, all play a vital part in the formulation of this EP within all the various thematic elements and as a subject as a whole.

You have led a globally influenced upbringing, spanning various cultures and cities. How has this diverse background influenced your music and artistic style, particularly in the context of ‘THE FOUR FACES’?

I picked up every influence I could, and the more I stayed open and moldable, the more I soaked in. I think it’s the most wonderful thing—the possibility of ever-expanding addition. My identity would essentially switch in every city depending on my circle and environment, though certain elements of my spirit seemingly remained consistent. But every city became its own separate timeline of ‘me’. When I left Berlin, that timeline would pause, and 6 months later when I returned, the timeline would pick up from where I left. None of them felt inauthentic at the time, keeping in mind that I was also in my impressionable teens/early twenties. The combo of constant transitory circles and building a sense of self in early adulthood is pretty intense, especially when everything you come across is interesting. And maybe that’s the one thing I developed over time—freedom in self-craft and moldability.

In the context of ‘THE FOUR FACES’, I wanted to keep the project as an accurate mirror of who I was in 2019 when making it. Thus, there are aspects of my music, my style, and my general sense of self in the project that are incredibly different from what I do now. I have to separate the art from the artist very much in these older projects, which is a very strange thing. I’m just a product of my environment, and if my environment is constantly in flux, then so am I. I will say that the more everything changes, the more experimental I want to be, and the more freeing everything feels, and I think that heavily shows up more and more in my work.

Carl Jung’s psychology significantly influences the creation of ‘THE FOUR FACES’. Could you explain how Jungian archetypes are incorporated into the songs and overall narrative of the EP?

Mid-pandemic, I became quite interested in understanding individuation, and my fingers landed on Carl Jung’s books. Though outdated, I loved his general analysis of psychodynamics and ideas on archetypes. His theories impacted me to such an extent that it felt right to make these concepts a centrepiece in grouping songs, thus forming the overall narrative of the EP in all its unnecessary depth. Each song represents one of the four ‘main’ archetypes in a somewhat personified manner: the persona (THERE WAS A BOY), the shadow (BERNADETTE), the anima/animus (GOLDEN GIRL), and the self (A CHILD). They are all very different characters with differing storylines and soundscapes, yet they function as pieces of all that is you.

Each song on the EP represents a different archetype, from the persona to the shadow and beyond. How do you infuse these archetypes into your music, and what significance do they hold within the larger thematic framework of the EP? Tell us about the exploration of the theme of identity. 

In my eyes, they function like playing cards; these four archetypes exist in everyone, and we use some of these cards more than others. The ideal would be to have a full hand of everything used in a balanced manner, but this is rarely the case. The production, melodies, and lyrics of each song are very interwoven into how I view the archetype, thus playing directly into the larger framework of the EP and the subject of identity. For example, the track representing ‘the persona(s)’ takes on a personified form of a toxic lover. The relationship is alarming and eerie, so I wanted the production to be surprising, dark, and heavy. The track representing ‘the shadow’ is personified as a sad and alluring woman named Bernadette (who I saw in a painting in 2019), resulting in the production taking on qualities of jazz with dark rhythmic undertones.

Collaboration is key in music production. Who were the producers involved in creating ‘THE FOUR FACES’ and what unique contributions did they bring to the project?

I think nowadays collaboration is not key in music production; the world has more brilliant ‘one-person bands’ than ever before. However, for this EP, yes, absolutely—collaboration functions as the core of the whole project. Minna Koivisto, my knight, is the executive producer on all the tracks. Oscar Scheller originally produced ‘TWAB’, and I took melodic and lyrical references from Eden Ahbez’s piece ‘Nature Boy’. Tim Suby originally produced ‘GOLDEN GIRL’, and Rodhaid McDonald added tweaks to ‘A CHILD’. At present, I do my own production, but all my released projects have up until this year been only collaborative output, thus only 50% representative of me. I worked on all these songs with different people at different times in different places; thus, every ‘collaboration’ results by default as different, further playing into the subject matter of this EP.

You’ve also decided to accompany this launch with a design collection, offering a visual extension of the music. How does this collection complement and enhance the themes explored in the EP?

I had already imagined the characters and built a visual world for them; why not make their worlds wearable as well? I think any concept benefits from reaching more mediums; they all trigger and alter each other. It breathes more life into it. Each song in the EP has 4-6 corresponding looks to showcase the world the track exists in. The jewellery is interwoven in every look, being thick silver ‘armour’, as it relates to the theme of ‘masking’ or ‘shielding’ one’s identity. It also pulls each world together to remind you that everything is always connected.

‘THERE WAS A BOY’ has an ‘end of the world’ feeling to the sound and meaning of the song. Thus, I connected my ‘sand dunes’ collection of lightweight ‘sand-coloured’ clothing to the inhospitable world that this song lives in. ‘BERNADETTE’ is a space of darkness and life. I wanted a world where Mother Earth is witchy and angry, thus I connected my ‘volcano’ collection of dark volcanic looks to this song. ‘GOLDEN GIRL’ encompasses drowning and desperation due to an imbalance in the psyche; thus, a ‘shipwreck’ collection of distressed but elegant garments seemed fitting to depict the world that the song lives in. ‘A CHILD’ is a song of peace and reflection, perhaps slightly bittersweet, and thus very centred in ethereal forestry. I created ‘The Meadows’ collection of earthy tones and elven fabrics to depict its world.

Sustainability is a core value for many artists today. How do you integrate sustainability into your fashion design, and what sets your approach apart in the industry?

Biggest “ew” to fast fashion. It’s a soulless form of production. There is no plausible reason at all to mass-produce; as we know, it’s pure greed. We already live in a junkyard. So, everything I make is one-of-a-kind pieces and/or second-hand rework—it’s not technically focused at all—it comes from an artistic place of play. I started upcycling in school and very gradually transitioned to making my own pieces during the pandemic from second-hand fabrics sold at various markets/charity shops in Helsinki. My approach is small drops of unique pieces every now and then, as well as a small intake of custom orders to keep the entire procedure more personal.

Could you provide insights into the inspirations behind your self-designed jewellery pieces and clothing collection? How do these pieces reflect your artistic vision and personal style?

I can’t explain the sense or source of inspiration when it hits—it’s a very bizarre thing how one thing just triggers you. When I make music, I associate and solidify a visual world to it immediately. Sometimes the visual world enters first and music follows. Often they’re vastly different. This applies to the clothing and jewellery collection for this EP—I just knew it had to look and feel like that—sort of otherworldly. Perhaps it stems from certain sonics and lyrics in the tracks triggering image references from other works I’ve seen over the years—unacknowledged borrowings. After all, everything in art is just an altered regurgitation of the pre-existing. For this specific collection, the destruction and rework in this world of plastic and perfection were everything to me. It was freeing—to transform an existing piece into something completely different, to create a visible story in a garment. I like collecting strange items and have befriended numerous antique hoarders/collectors in various cities. They’ve always got boxes and boxes of silver cutlery. I saw my first spoon ring in a market in Detroit last year. Put two and two together. This attitude toward rework perfectly indicates my artistic vision and personal style—I am in a constant state of rework, and it is so fun.

Lastly, you’ve expressed your belief in fluidity in identity and your inability to confine yourself to just one creative lane. How does this philosophy manifest in both the characters portrayed in your music and the designs showcased in the clothing collection? How do you navigate this fluidity while maintaining coherence and authenticity in your artistic expression?

Well, that’s the thing. Authenticity? What is that? Would “me as a child” be the most authentic? When I remain still unaffected by society and my environment? Children rarely ever stay in one creative lane, that’s for sure. Yet even at birth, I carry centuries worth of innate qualities in my collective unconscious. I can’t be ‘a self’ by myself, and there are remarkable sides to me that I have no understanding as to why they ‘are’. All the characters portrayed in my music are/were sides of me. All the numerous designs taking reference from everywhere are also just as much... me. One day I’m dressed in indie sleaze making electronic Americana, and the next day I’m in a suit-making ambient swamp. Which one is more authentic? Why is there a need for coherence? Or maybe there just is something inexplicable in my ‘self’ that remains recognizable no matter what. And is that ‘self’ then more like one’s soul? Spirit? The metaphysical? Is that authenticity then? Maybe the more we strip off personas and ideas of ourselves that society places on us, the closer we get to accessing that authenticity, and maybe that means you have the freedom to be and do whatever... And that amounts to fluidity, does it not? I think the glowing white orb of ‘self’ has wonderful reasons for making me think and behave in peculiar and magical ways, and the only way for me to be authentic is to allow all that peculiarity through without others’ expectations obstructing it. I’m not too concerned about coherence; I want to be and make anything and everything, and coherence sounds like an attempt to block that (to a certain extent). As long as it’s me in the workshop creating these things with my name on them, then that can remain as the connecting thread.