Lane Shi Otayonii
Lane Shi Otayonii is a Chinese musician and interactive multimedia performer based in New York.
She is known for being the lead vocalist of Boston experimental bands Dent and Elizabeth Colour Wheel, as well as for her solo-project, Otay:onii.
Early life
Otayonii was born in Haining, China.[1]
Otayonii has said she was a naughty child, but certain life events silenced her as she was growing up, changing her into a shy, quiet person.[2]
In 2010, at age 16, Otayonii moved to the United States from Guangzhou, China.[1]
Influences
Otayonii is influenced by Queenadreena. Otayonii credits Chinese and Mongolian singing with influencing her to sing without boundaries.[2]
Dent
In 2014, Dent was formed by drummer Jack Whelan, guitarist Harley Cullen, bassist Tristan Allen, and vocalist Otayonii, who all met while attending Berklee College of Music.[3]
The Boston Globe described Otayonii's stage presence at Dent shows as "creating a force field around as much of the room as she can reach".[2] Bandcamp Daily stated Dent's "local notoriety grew with each visceral, concrete-shaking basement performance".[4]
In 2015, the band played a 14-city tour of China that spanned 5,700 miles.[5]
On May 12, 2015, Dent released the album, Eyeballs. Boston Hassle reviewed the album, stating, "with all the low/quiet shifts and endless details it simply begs for repeated listening".[6] Phoebe Fico said Otayonii sounded like, "a lead singer whose voice warbled and waned like Bjork and a Swedish death metal god had a baby".[7]
In 2017, Dent split up after the members graduated from Berklee.[4]
On June 7, 2019, Dent released the album, Bao Bei, which the band had recorded in 2016.[4]
Elizabeth Colour Wheel
In 2014, Elizabeth Colour Wheel was formed by guitarist Alice Jackson, bassist Bill Cunningham, drummer Connor DeVito, and vocalist Otayonii.[2]
In January 2019, Revolver Mag listed the band on 5 Artists You Need to Know, writing "their live show is something to behold and, impressively, the album manages to capture the same vital energy that exists in their onstage performances."[8]
On March 15, 2019, Elizabeth Colour Wheel released the album, Nocebo, under the label The Flenser. Metal Injection described the album as, "a testament to all that is heavy, beautiful, and twisted."[9] Nine Circles wrote Nocebo, "has that timeless quality that marks a unique and vital voice in the music world."[10] BrooklynVegan called Otayonii's voice "soaring and unique".[11]
In 2022, the band played a 50-show tour of the United States. This was Elizabeth Colour Wheel's first time playing for an audience since 2019 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). A reviewer at The Austin Chronicle commented on Otayonii's physicality during her performance, involving vibrating, exiting the room mid-song, eating the microphone, and making sounds with the microphone lodged in her mouth.[12]
Otay:onii
In 2018, Otayonii released her solo debut, Nag, on ShadowTrash Tape Group, under the stagename, Otay:onii.[13]
In 2021, Otay:onii released the album, MíngMíng 冥冥, on WV Sorcerer Productions. Sputnikmusic described the album as "a forward-thinking work that combined industrial, Chinese folk, glitch and just the bare minimum of pop sensibilities into a spellbinding fever dream of unease and liminal suspense."[14] The music video for MíngMíng 冥冥’s closing track, “Un deciphered”, was an official selection by the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival.[1]
In 2023, Otay:onii released the album, 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker, on WV Sorcerer Productions. The project came out after she returned from living in China for three years, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pitchfork gave 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker a 7.4 rating.[15] WBUR called the second track on the album, "W.C.", "crushingly eerie".[16]
References
- ^ a b c "INTERVIEW: otay:onii". Threads Radio. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ a b c d Johnston, Maura Johnston Globe. "Chaotic Boston quartet Dent enjoys freedom of expression - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "A Conversation with Dent: Harley Cullen, Lane Shi, and Jack Whelan // BOSTON HASSLE". bostonhassle.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ a b c "DENT's "Bao Bei" is a Treasure from Boston's DIY Scene". Bandcamp Daily. 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Castagne, Kit (2015-10-26). "Dent/Skinny Pigeons China Tour 2015". Allston Pudding. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Dent — Eyeballs // BOSTON HASSLE". bostonhassle.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Fico, Phoebe (2016-02-24). "Dent — Eyeballs Review". Medium. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "5 Artists You Need to Know: January 2019". Revolver. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Injection, Metal (2019-03-24). "Album Review: ELIZABETH COLOUR WHEEL Nocebo". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Chris (2019-03-21). "Album Review: Elizabeth Colour Wheel – "Nocebo"". Nine Circles. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Sacher, rew; Sacher, rew. "Elizabeth Colour Wheel releasing debut LP 'Nocebo' (stream "23")". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Garcia, Christina; 12:15PM; May 13, Fri; 2022. "Crowd Screams Back at Elizabeth Colour Wheel". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
{{cite web}}:|last4=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "NAG, by otay:onii". otay:onii. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Review: Otay:onii Dream Hacker | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Nast, Condé. "otay:onii: 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Otay:onii, 'W.C.'". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2023-02-27.