Trumpeter, composer, and producer Milena Casado delivers an electrifying, genre-blurring statement with “O.C.T (Oda to the Crazy Times),” the second single from her debut album, Reflection of Another Self (out May 16 via Candid Records). Fusing jazz’s improvisational fire with hip-hop’s raw urgency, the track pulses with frustration, resilience, and a biting sense of irony.
Casado’s rhythmic, spiraling horn lines, layered over punchy, unpredictable percussion, reflect the overwhelming chaos of modern life. GRAMMY-nominated KOKAYI amplifies the track’s intensity, delivering sharp-edged bars that mirror the track’s emotional turbulence. This isn’t just music—it’s a visceral reckoning with trauma, identity, and the absurdity of today’s sociopolitical landscape.
“I wrote this while processing so much—racism, sexism, even meeting and building a relationship with my father,” Casado explains. “The music carries that tension, that exhaustion, but also a layer of sarcasm. It’s personal, but I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.”
Casado has already turned heads in the jazz world, collaborating with legends like Terri Lyne Carrington, Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, and Kris Davis. Hailed as a “revelation” by The New York Times, she was also spotlighted in their “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Brazilian Jazz” feature.
With Reflection of Another Self, Casado isn’t just announcing her arrival—she’s reshaping the conversation. Sonically adventurous and emotionally unfiltered, the album is poised to establish her as a force in contemporary jazz. “O.C.T” is the sound of an artist who refuses to be ignored.