Olana returns with vibrant Swick collaboration ‘Mosquito Bite’
PRAISE FOR Olana
“Bursting with humour and wit”
“His distinct voice, drawn from his life as a refugee in Norway and migrant in Australia, is humour-filled, popular and incisive”
“Olana Janfa only picked up a paintbrush in 2018, and yet, he’s taken the art scene by storm”
“Olana is... creating his own rules”
“a compelling and prolific creator whose art playfully reflects nuances of pop culture, politics and identity”
“In addition to his gentle and playful demeanour, the most impressive detail in Janfa’s story is that he is completely self-taught.”
‘Mosquito Bite‘ is out now, buy/stream here.
Ethiopian-Norwegian visual artist and musician Olana Janfa unveils his new single ‘Mosquito Bite’, out now via NLV Records. LISTEN HERE.
The track sees Olana reunite with producer Swick (M.I.A., Diplo, Tkay Maidza) for a humorous, bass-driven rumination on the universally maligned menace, with the chorus finding him turning to ChatGPT for relief. Where his debut EP Chicken On Bike saw the Melbourne-based artist explore ’90s dancehall and dub, ‘Mosquito Bite’ finds him back in familiar territory, with Swick’s dexterous production sharpeningOlana’s signature energy and charm into a playful, fully realised cut.
“Even since my last release, the world has changed a lot” says Olana. “Everyone is typing their problems into their phone at 3am. I also do this. I had mosquito bites and I asked ChatGPT. This is life now. So I made it a song.”
As a Naarm/Melbourne-based multidisciplinary artist, Olana has cultivated an instantly recognisable presence locally and internationally, with a perspective spanning politics, privilege and pop culture. Since his debut single ‘Skillful Man‘ and EP Chicken On Bike, which featured two Harvey Sutherland-produced tracks, his instincts as a self-taught creative have drawn global support from The Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, fbi.radio, 3RRR and PBS FM among others.
Though best known as a painter, Olana has always drawn inspiration from music, with reggae, hip-hop and afrobeat lyrics sparking new visual ideas. His work spans murals, fashion collaborationss, book illustration, and creative partnerships with the likes of Nike, Nicholas Daley, NGV and SBS, and recognition coming from Vogue UK, Vogue Living, It’s Nice That, Hypebeast, Broadsheet and The Sydney Morning Herald.
With ‘Mosquito Bite’, that creative dialogue comes full circle, and Olana’s distinctive storytelling and cultural observations find a new home on the dancefloor. True to form, the music arrives with original artwork by Olana, another window into the singular universe he has carved out across music, fashion and art.
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