Alexandra Babiak

Name: Alexandra Babiak

Genre: Folk

Founded: 2013

# of Albums: one EP and one album (as of January 2019)

Latest Release: My debut single “Crazy For You” was released on December 7th. - Toronto Guardian

Premiering here on Ride the Tempo, we have a gorgeous slowburner from Toronto singer-songwriter Osypa. “Every Winter” will chill you on this hot day, recognizing the positives in every situation. Find the song on her upcoming EP Luna out August 25th. She’s doing an EP release on August 27th at Handlebar. More info available on Facebook. - Ride The Tempo

Alexandra is somewhere between indie and folk, that perfect combination of new angst and ancient nostalgia. She sounds like if you unplugged the Cranberries, a delicately cultivated and simultaneously effortless female voice. Just like that old lover you look back on with fondness, without any regrets with your current life and love. - Left Blank Mag

Her latest video, “Every Winter“ (directed by Heather Rappard), is a recollection of her family trips down to Florida. “We would drive twenty-two hours in the car, my brother and I arguing the whole time and punching each other,” notes OSYPA. “But somehow my mum always managed to make us feel good about our downfalls; always putting a positive spin on things. I miss that.”

We caught up with OSYPA this week.


Photo: Kate Killet

SDTC: What should we be paying more attention to?

O: Listening to one another, especially people who’ve had it tough; just give people a chance to tell their story. Put down your phone and have a conversation.

What was the last Netflix series you binged on?

Ozark.

One new thing you learned this year?

I’m learning to speak Spanish.

What inspires your latest EP?

Loss and grief encapsulate two of the songs on the EP. I lost my mum four years ago and these songs are a snapshot of my feelings afterwards. The other song is about the anxiety you feel falling in love with someone, not knowing what the outcome will be (we never really know), as well as knowing that life is a cycle of gains and losses; fearing the inevitability of endings, but pursuing relationships anyway.

What book/song/lyric/etc is resonating with you right now?

Phoebe Bridgers’s song “Motion Sickness” is really speaking to me right now. The lyrics just seem to match what’s going on with me perfectly.

Describe the funniest thing you’ve experienced in recent memory.

I work at a nursing home, and during dinner a man asked if I would cut his fingernails with a pair of scissors.

Best advice you’ve been given?

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. (Pretty sure this is John Lennon, but my mum used to say it ALL the time.)


Photo: Kate Killet

What is the best part of being your current age?

Being twenty-six is confusing, because I don’t really feel like a fully formed individual, and everything is changing. It feels good to be able to let go of people and experiences that no longer feel good to me, and let go without feeling guilty about it.

What word or phrase should we use more often?

No, thank you.

What’s on your night stand?

Stress-release spray from Saje (for sleep), ear plugs, and my e-reader. I can’t fall asleep without reading a book first.

What one item would you be lost without (besides your phone)?

Technically two items but my agenda and my meds.

What do you love most about humanity?

Almost everybody dances/taps their foot when they hear music. This is a small thing, but music really unites people and there is always at least one song that makes a person smile/brings back a memory.


Photo: Kate Killet

What trends are you loving right now?

Doggo Lingo and wide-legged jeans/pants.

Who was your celebrity crush when you were a kid?

Simba from The Lion King.

Describe your ideal Saturday.

Waking up late, having a big cup of coffee, doing a crossword puzzle. I dog-sit a lot, so going to the leash-free in High Park with whichever dog I’m taking care of, and listening to a true crime podcast. Then making dinner at home with friends and drinking margaritas.



OSYPA is releasing her debut EP this weekend at Handlebar (159 Augusta). Get deets here. You can also purchase her debut album, Luna, here - She Does The City

On this episode of the Night Shift, I chatted with the outstanding Osypa, who released an excellent collection of soulful, melancholic dream folk on 2017 EP 'Luna' and so, we talked about stretching her inhibitions amongst the energy of Muskoka on her upcoming new album, crossing the divide between Kacey Musgraves and Dolly Parton, , connecting with the majestic Mikhailo Babiak over Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith, progressing with the positive politics of Laura Jane Grace, getting the ball rolling with Ocassip and June Collective & the Free Times Cafe, pondering whether it is possible to not be obsessed 'Blue', the unrelenting loving vibrations of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole & OTHER TALES FROM A GREAT SONGWRITER WITH A WONDERFUL IMAGINATION! - Luca Capone

Alexandra Babiak’s Impatiens is a wistful, stoic, delicate and gorgeous offering. The nine tracks on this album are vulnerable, honest and soothingly melancholy. Alexandra’s work is a reflective act; she wrote many of the songs after the sudden death of her mother. Her musical narratives explore caves of loss and grief with rare openness.

Recorded at Headless Duck Studio in Huntsville, Ontario, Alexandra Babiak and James Gray co-produced Impatiens in a moment of intentional courage – ready to release these songs and step into a new chapter. - Spill Magazine

The day we visit, it’s the sounds of Alexandra Babiak filling the space, like an angelic voice calling out from an oddly hellish, yet very Toronto, hole in the ground, and everyone gathers like moths to a flickering flame. -

Toronto folk-pop artist Alexandra Babiak has unveiled her single, “Look Right Through,” from her soon-to-be-released album, Magical Thinking.

Lead by Babiaks soaring vocal melodies over water guitar, sparkling piano, and weighted drums, the psych-folk production of the track is only half the story – as Babiak hits the listener with a hopeful but gutting story.

Babiak explains,

“Sometimes with loss comes perspective, and other times it creates more confusion. This song was an exploration of that for me. What happens after death? What happens to the people who are left behind? How do you keep living, and I mean really living, not just floating from day to day?

I think the lyrics are sad, but I don’t think the message is sad. I think it’s a journey from a low place, into a place of curiosity, so to me that is a positive thing.”

Babiak teamed up with Toronto producer Sandro Perri and recording engineer Chris Stringer to record the track, along with Laura Pitkanen on guitar, Josh Cole on bass, Thomas Hammerton on keys/synth, and additional synth by Sandro Perri.

Review
From the start, “Look Right Through” brings forth hauntingly beautiful piano, quickly joined by Alexandra’s pleasant yet powerful vocals. Throughout the track, various instruments add layers, while the lyrics evoke a feeling of sadness, yet also hopefulness at times.

I’m always pulled in by songs with a strong background, story, or meaning, and “Look Right Through” fits in all three of those categories. As I listened closely to the lyrics, goosebumps appeared on my arms. I always find it incredible how artists can awaken such intense emotions through lyrics and the way they deliver the vocals.

The lyrics, “I want to be part of the stars, Closer to wherever you are,” is a feeling I’m positive all of us have felt at one time or another. The loss of a loved one leaves you wondering about all sorts of things, such as where they are now and whether there is an afterlife. This track perfectly encapsulates all of these things.

After hearing Alexandra’s previous releases, “Settle Down” and “Til It Burns You,” I was sure I would enjoy this song, and I was right. I am now anxiously awaiting the upcoming album, set for release on October 27, 2022. - Canadian Beats

Exclusively to Irregular Dreams, the premiere of Alexandra Babiak’s latest single “Look Right Through”.

Says Babiak: “Sometimes with loss comes perspective, and other times it creates more confusion. This song was an exploration of that for me. What happens after death? What happens to the people who are left behind? How do you keep living, and I mean really living, not just floating from day to day?

I think the lyrics are sad, but I don’t think the message is sad. I think it’s a journey from a low place, into a place of curiosity, so to me that is a positive thing.”

“Look Right Through” is from Babiak’s forthcoming album ‘Magical Thinking’ (out October 27, 2022) - Irregular Dreams

Alexandra Babiak, “Til It Burns You”

While we have often featured artists on more than one occasion with these Snappy Singles features, this may be the first time that an artist has appeared in consecutive posts. Last month we shared “Settle Down” from Toronto, ON indie-pop artist Alexandra Babiak, which received plenty of positive feedback, and compels us to promote her latest single release, “Til It Burns You.” Babiak wrote this tune during a residency in Prince Edward County during a moment of writer’s block. “I put on my voice recorder on my phone and played/sang, just tried to free-associate,” she recalls. “Eventually, this song came out. Obviously, the final version grew and changed from the original, but the progression and lyrics never changed, which is not a common thing for me at all.” Recorded at Union Sound with producer Sandra Perri, Babiak also notes that the progression is deliberately repetitive, leaving the desire for a spooky overtone that lingers and drifts above the uniformity of the structure. “I asked for a Theremin-type sound, and you can really hear that bubble up throughout the song,” she adds. “There’s a sense of hope in this song buried beneath the surface, and almost a mistrust in the possibility that things can get better.” - Great Dark Wonder