Born in Germany to a Finnish father and English mother, young, up-and-coming pop artist Leena Ojala was raised in Hong Kong and Essex before she relocated to London when she was 17. Influenced by London Grammar, Rae Morris and Florence and the Machine, Ojala spent a considerable amount of time experimenting, tweaking and honing her sound — until she felt she found her voice. After a six month stint in Berlin, absorbing everything it had to offer and then using her time there to inspire and inform her music and lyrics, Ojala returned to London, and began working on the material that would comprise her forthcoming EP, EP 1.

EP 1′s first single “Why” is comprise of some sparse piano chords at the song’s introduction followed by guitar, an ethereal string arrangement and stuttering synths and skittering percussion paired with Ojala’s plaintive vocals that express recrimination, anger, confusion, heartache and inner resolve within the turn of a phrase.And that shouldn’t be surprising as the song’s narrator seems to be demanding answers from a deceitful, absent lover in a bitter confrontation. Certainly, the song possess a heartfelt honesty that suggest that the song is inspired by the songwriter’s personal experience — while backed by production that gives the song a stormy and melodramatic heft. If you’ve ever been betrayed by a lover or made foolish by a lover, the song will remind you of a familiar (and universal) ache.