Winona Oak’s story is one of transformation — a quiet, powerful shift between heartbreak and hope, loss and renewal. With her upcoming album (title TBC), she opens the door to a deeply personal world where beginnings emerge from endings, and where honesty becomes its own form of strength. 

Born Johanna Ekmark, Winona grew up on a remote island in Sweden, surrounded by rugged landscapes, animals, and an intimate community that shaped her earliest creative instincts. Writing poetry and disappearing into imaginary worlds became her refuge — a way to process emotions and dream beyond the borders of her small hometown. Those roots continue to echo through her music today: raw storytelling, haunting melodies, and a devotion to connection. 

Winona officially launched her solo project in 2017, a step that marked a clear artistic identity separate from Oaks, her electronic moniker. As she stepped from her quiet upbringing onto an international stage, she established herself as an artist unafraid to reveal the deepest parts of herself. Early collaborations with What So Not and The Chainsmokers introduced her evocative voice to a global audience, while her work as Oaks with Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Robin Schulz, and others showcased her versatility without compromising her emotional depth. 

Reflecting on her evolution, Winona says: “I’ve been working out life’s shifting tides since I first kicked off my project in 2017.” That willingness to chart the messy, miraculous parts of life forms the backbone of her new album. 

The project begins in a moment of emotional intensity. The first song, written days before the end of a long-term relationship, dwells in the fragile space between holding on and letting go — a chapter marked not by blame, but by the quiet realization that staying can sometimes mean losing yourself. 

Her music also touches on the grief that has shaped her recent years. After losing her mother, a journey explored in her Salt EP, Winona found herself navigating love, loss, and identity all at once. “Going through so many emotional hardships, you need to be in a certain place to find the strength to make direct decisions,” she says. This album carries that strength, even when voiced through trembling vulnerability. 

In “Horses,” Winona revisits childhood memories of riding — a time when she felt safe, free, and deeply connected to the natural world. Co-written with close friend Shelby Benjamin, the song uses horses as symbols of resilience and grounding, reminding us that healing often begins by returning to the places where we first felt whole. 

“Stay the Night” captures the magnetic pull of desire — the moment you allow yourself to fall again, even while carrying old bruises. With aching honesty, the song explores the tension between surrender and self-protection. 

Throughout the album, Winona builds a soundscape that feels cinematic yet organic. Working with collaborators Anton Engdahl, frogi, Martin Stilling, Teodor Runsiö, Frans Torell, and Tudor Davies, she embraced live instrumentation and a more human sonic palette. “Its world is more organic,” she says. “This is what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” 

The slow-burning “Bones” stands as one of the album’s emotional pillars — a meditation on living fully in the face of impermanence. Its refrain, “I wanna live until my body turns to bones,” echoes the project’s central message: fragility and courage can coexist. 

“Breaking Point,” which features Sandro Cavazza, turns its gaze toward the quiet ache of heartbreak — the moment when clarity hurts, when you realize that some wounds can’t be undone and some truths can’t be unseen. Yet woven through the track is a quiet resilience: the understanding that letting go is often the first step toward renewal. Cavazza’s voice adds a new dimension to the song’s emotional landscape, deepening its sense of tension and release. 

Together, these songs form a map of Winona’s inner world — a journey through grief, love, chaos, wonder, and the hard-won strength that comes with it. This album isn’t simply a collection of songs; it’s a testament to survival, to the beauty of imperfection, and to the bravery required to step into the unknown. 

Through it, Winona invites listeners to honor their scars, trust their resilience, and believe that even in the darkest hours, hope continues to whisper us forward.