OHMA INTERVIEW — Interlocutor

OHMA is a new music project comprised of Mia Garcia & Hailey Niswanger. Their debut album Between All Things (out now on the innovative Los Angeles label Colorfield Records) is a soothing sonic journey that defies genre and seeks to foster interconnectedness and express the divine feminine.

Interview by Interlocutor Magazine

Mia and Hailey, you are both well-regarded young musicians and producers who have worked with several well-known artists — could you both talk a little about how you came to work together as OHMA? Had either of you worked together before or is this the first time you've collaborated? What was the initial spark that made you decide to create an album together?

We first met through some mutual friends in LA in 2019 and deeply admired each other’s musicality and presence. In 2020, we worked on a project together for a friend and truly created together; some months later, we reconnected, inspiration struck, and we knew we had to make an album together. The intuitive effortlessness of the creative process makes our collaboration feel destined to be. Laughter and play, painting sonic worlds, and embracing experimentation are always at the forefront of our musical explorations.

Mia, what is one core aspect of working creatively with Hailey that you think makes for such good creative chemistry? And Hailey, the same question for you about Mia...

Mia: I feel that working with Hailey allows me to expand parts of my playing that I hadn’t yet accessed. She embraces seeing all colors and finding new channels of emotion. Learning her musical language and beginning to converse with her has helped me to grow and see the world in countless new ways and I always find myself feeling so grateful.

Hailey: Mia is my dream musical partner. She has such a curious and imaginative energy that makes me feel so expansive within musical creation and beyond. No idea is out of reach for Mia, if we can dream it, we will find a way to make it come to life. I am so grateful for her and the way she embraces life. Always encouraging, supportive, and extremely intuitive.

*Between All Things* - Colorfield Records - album artwork by Hana McEvilly

Some fantastic music has originated recently from Pete Min's studio Lucy's Meat Market and released on his label Colorfield Records, such as Activities by Anna Butterss and Vanishing Act by Benny Bock. The recording process there is very free-form and collaborative, and Between All Things was created over 40 sessions. How did recording with Min uniquely nurture and shape the creation of this album?

Recording with Pete has been a bountiful, opening experience. There is a definite emphasis on pushing us outside our comfort zones, encouraging a special type of growth. Not to mention his extensive and tasteful vintage gear collection which brings about a flood of inspiration.

Pete’s place always feels safe and inviting. It is amazing to feel the energy of so many other great musical projects that have been birthed at this extremely special studio, and the skylights are certainly an added plus for creativity!

For Between All Things you've both created music with genuine intent behind it, with a special focus on “divine feminine and the interconnectedness of all things,” and the music has been described as “a series of widening circles that ripples outwards.” When you were both crafting the album's sound, what were some inspirational influences (musicians and/or specific albums, or even non-musical inspirations) you looked towards?

Every day we came into the studio with various books and sources. Some of which include: The Sound and Mysticism of Music - Inayat Khan, the painter Hilma Af Klint, the poet Mary Oliver, poetry of Sun Ra, as well as Brian Eno’s Visual Music, admiring Erykah Badu’s unique expression, and much more. These alternative avenues all helped to influence the colors and textures that appear on the album.

In conjunction with this, we find deep inspiration in nature, including our time outdoors as a pivotal part of the writing process. We find that nature’s orchestra is music itself, so we incorporated water, leaves, wood, and fire as elements of our recordings. The source of all creation, the divine feminine acts as a guiding source for us with its roots in healing. The womb is a portal. We were truly inspired by newness, holding a desire to create feelings and sounds that felt familiar yet fresh.

What are your live performance plans for the album (any specific upcoming shows or tour you'd like to mention?). And what kind of atmosphere would you ideally want to create while performing these songs in terms of visuals, setting, etc.?

We are very excited to be touring with FKJ supporting his North America Tour 2022. We are reinventing our album in the live setting, a way where we can express fluidity while also staying true to our original creations.

We would eventually love to do all of our performances in beautiful nature settings, however for now we will be doing our best to emulate this energy on stage. The orb as an all-knowing source will also be a huge part of our set design, and finding ways to refract and shift light.

Between All Things is available now.

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