The release of Just Might follows the success of recent single “Spellbound”, which has played on radio stations internationally, including her home country’s top hit station, J-WAVE in Japan. Since her debut single, “Don’t Take My Life”, Aya Ito has been an up and coming force, not only in Chicago, but worldwide. Earlier this year, Aya opened for Afrobeats artist, D’banj, in Dubai. She also appeared and performed on multiple radio stations in Japan and sang the national anthem at two White Sox games.
Enchanting, sultry, and catchy, Just Might follows a story that many of us are all too familiar with. Doubting if we will ever find, not only love, but also a deep and meaningful connection, we question every relationship. The journey to your person can be a long and heartbreaking one that almost makes you give up on love altogether; but Just Might is an optimistic story. The EP is engineered and partially produced by Slavic Livins, who has worked with the likes of Beyonce, Juice WRLD, 21 Savage, G Herbo, T-pain, and many more. Just Might reflects Aya’s pop and R&B influences in her own way and successfully mixes both production styles with live instrumentation.
As a project started with Smashtown Records during the pandemic, Aya stated, “it was inspired by many conversations I had with friends and strangers who all seemed to be going through similar experiences during the pandemic. Introspection and seclusion led many of us to realize how important meaningful relationships are and how hard it is to survive without connecting with people.” The EP starts off with a heartbreak and ends with the opposite. Just Might talks about the many faces we have when we are on the quest for love. It can be ugly, loving, sexy, confusing. The 5 songs also showcase Aya’s vocal abilities with catchy hooks and intentional harmonies. As a gift to her fans, Aya has included her own recipes – like her Japanese hambagu- to go along with each song, which can be found here: linktr.ee/aya_ito
The final song of the EP, “To Keep You”, has a Japanese version which is also available today. Reminiscent of Utada Hikaru, Aya’s two song release effortlessly translates the sentiments to Japanese. Also included, is a version of her first cover single, “If You Let Me”.
Poised to breakthrough, Aya’s energy, positivity, and talent in Just Might is sure to keep her on the rise in the coming months.
