Winona Oak is an artist who hails from Sollerön, an island in the wilds of Sweden. Her childhood there heavily influences her music, and she’s kept the place with her even after relocating to urban Stockholm.

By Graeme Smith

From there, her career has been going from strength to strength. She signed to Atlantic and worked with artists such as What So Not and Chainsmokers to co-create some big tracks, before having solo success with her debut single He Don’t Love Me. Her first EP Closure followed in 2020.

Her new EP sees her switching to Nettwerk Music Group and comes in the wake of a difficult year for her. She lost her mother, and part of herself along with her, and it’s this grief that informs the journey of Void. We get the emotion of it straight away through the understatedly powerful With or Without You. Winona’s expressive vocals are immediately striking, and things build nicely to a cinematic, soul-searching chorus.

Fire Escapes is pleasingly poppy, mixing light and shadow beautifully. Fragile Thing is delicate, piano-led and full of imagery in its lyrics. If I Were To Die introduces some gentle electronica and Winona leaves it all out there with its lyrics. It’s a slow-burning wonder.

Who Would I Be is probably the EP’s stand out track with some powerful use of rise and fall and a pleading sense of self-discovery. The raw honesty of its lyrics means you’ll be hanging on every syllable that Winona sings and things end big with a lingering crescendo.

The collection is then closed by the bright yet reflective affirmation of Inside Out.

With this new EP, Winona takes her sound in a new direction without losing any of the appeal that has brought her the success she’s achieved. The authenticity and vulnerability of its six tracks make it a deeply compelling collection and shows that, in spite of or because of her hurdles, she continues to get stronger as an artist.

Void is out now and you can check it out below.