5 Questions For: Ada Oda

Ada Oda, a fixture within the Brussels music scene, embodies the synthesis of raw post-punk energy and the melodious essence characteristic of Italian variety music. This eclectic band, initiated in 2020 by César Laloux—a figure known for his tenure with The Tellers, BRNS, and Italian Boyfriend—has crafted a refreshingly novel and deeply nostalgic sound. The original vision for the band was to feature Dutch vocals, but the serendipitous encounter with Victoria Barracato during the first lockdown altered the band’s trajectory, infusing it with the warmth and vivacity of Italian lyrics. With her Sicilian heritage, Victoria brought a new linguistic dimension to the band’s music and a unique vocal style oscillating between spoken, shouted, and rhythmic deliveries. Hear the band for yourself on April 4th at Ada Oda takes to the Control Club stage for the 2024 Europavox Festival.

For their live performances and studio recordings, the duo collaborate with musicians Clément

Marion on bass, with Alex De Bueger on drums and Aurélien Gainetdinoff on guitar. Ada Oda’s debut, marked by the release of their album Un Amore Debole on 62 TV Records, presents a collection of ten tracks that traverse the realms of pop, punk, and vintage pop-punk. These songs, carried by crystalline guitar melodies and the distinctive timbre of Victoria’s voice, navigate themes of love, disillusionment, and the ephemeral narratives of contemporary existence. Before their Europavox festival performance, we asked Ada Oda our latest 5 Questions For..?

What is your favourite thing about your home country?

I think it’s the fact that we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Belgium is a small country wedged between other big countries with a fairly well-developed identity. It is a nation of poorly dressed outsiders with near-zero self-confidence who live somewhere where almost nothing is gigantic. Add to that a language border and two entities that don’t understand each other. So we have jokes, beers, and sometimes a bit of art, too.

If your band was a piece of visual art, who would be the artist behind it?

I’m thinking of someone with a slightly colourful universe, sometimes larger than life, bordering on the nauseating, who likes strong characters… Quentin Tarantino! Or rather, Brad Pitt when he speaks Italian in Tarantino’s film 🙂

What is your most unusual source of creativity?

That doesn’t really answer the question, but often, I get these little melodies in my head that come suddenly without warning… so I have to isolate myself for a minute to make a memo on my phone. I often do this in the toilet to be alone and calm, so I think it can be interpreted strangely by people who are with me at the time 🙂

Have you been to Romania before?

No, no one in the band. You guys live so far away. I only know your football team plays in yellow and that many family names end with the letter u. But my parents have Romanian friends in Belgium, and I also like them, so I’m delighted about this trip, and I’ll be sure to discuss it with them the next time I see them.

What does the Europavox stage mean to you?

François Audigier, the person in charge of Europavox France, said that we could be the record holder for participation at the festival. With Bucharest and Vilnius in May, we’ll have taken part in every Europavox possible. So, for us, it means a lot. We’ve travelled to the 4 corners of Europe in countries we’d probably never have been to. We’ve met lots of nice people and created opportunities. It’s probably one of the best things that’s happened to us since we started the band … so thank you 1000 times over. We’re going to try to return the love on stage, by the way.