Rapper Ozols and Aleksa Valtere Release Joint Single “Tuvu tālu prom”

Latvian hip-hop artist Ozols (real name Ģirts Rozentāls) and singer Aleksa Valtere have released a joint single titled “Tuvu tālu prom” (roughly “Near, Far, Away”). The track features 80s post-punk and new wave sounds, which are unusual for Ozols. The single arrives shortly before his anniversary concert at Xiaomi Arena on 5 December, where the rapper will mark 30 years on stage.

How the song came about

The story began with Valtere improvising on guitar, from which a melody and chorus grew. She recorded the initial idea in the FL Studio software but could not come up with verses until she accidentally added boombap-style drums. That was when she realised a rapper was needed. She chose Ozols and messaged him on Instagram, though she was not sure an established artist would agree to work with a young, little-known performer.

Ozols says the collaboration started with the demo Valtere sent him. Together with producer Niklāvs Sekacis (known as NiklāvZ), they tried several sound versions and finally settled on an arrangement in the post-punk and 80s new wave style. According to Ozols, the song waited quite a long time for its release.

Valtere's path in music

Aleksa Valtere returned to Latvia eight years ago. At first, language difficulties made her consider giving up music, as writing lyrics in Latvian was not easy. In 2023 she joined the music label “Mikrofona ieraksti”, has released several songs and worked with other musicians, including Artūrs Jauntēvs and St4rface.

Message of the song

The song encourages people to turn to memories and life experience, which can give strength even when the world seems to be falling apart or circumstances are against them. Arnis Račinskis worked on recording and sound processing, while the video versions were made with Viesturs Klaviņš.

Ozols's concert on 5 December is planned as a look back at three decades of work and a chance to meet his listeners.