NEO 10Y wants us to connect with our inner super power on anthemic and psychedelic new single, GODDEX. Drawing us in with a refined, psychedelic synth, textured riser, and immersive drums, NEO 10Y opens GODDEX with luscious, atmospheric vocals as he seductively delivers the opening prose, “Thembo Goddex you made me feel at one, with you… and you think I’m sexy too..” The opus expands to evoke a tantric vibe as the artist invites us to connect with our inner deity. The non-binary love song is laced with unique themes and transcendental concepts which are designed to help us remember the GODDEX energy within.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hey NEO 10Y, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
I think music runs through our souls. It’s such an integral part of allowing us to expand in spirit and heal ourselves. My mom listens to music when she cooks, and I was always obsessed with listening to the radio for music late at night before streaming made everything more accessible.
I was trained classically in piano and singing, I used to sing the choir solos, and taught myself guitar, but found the music education system quite robotic overall. It wasn’t until 2015 when I started writing for myself, channelling the universe into my words, and then in 2016, I started releasing music myself. It’s been six and a half years of sharing my music professionally, and playing stages in Europe and America.
Can you reveal how you were supported by the BBC or Billboard?
I came to planet Earth for a spiritual revolution, and my purpose is to help manifest a protopian dimension of peace. What I am doing visually, philosophically and sonically is really unique. I make cerebral and subversive, genre bending post-pop, combining intricate narratives with conscious lyricism which are designed to expand love energy within and beyond ourselves.
My soundscape is a cinematic grunge meets industrial R&B hybrid with pop architecture, I also play piano and guitar. My music videos are a hyper reality series on YouTube; some have gone viral. My songs have been featured by Billboard, Paper, COLORS, Rolling Stone, Dazed, BBC, The Evening Standard, GQ, Gal Dem, Interview Magazine, plus major Apple and Spotify playlists including Cosmic Playlists, Misfits 2.0, TRANSCEND, Discover Weekly, Your Daily Mix and more.
I think the reason that certain media outlets connect on a deeper level with my artistry is because there is no-one creating in the same way that I do. I channel source energy authentically without the interference of managers or labels. My product is authentic and visionary.
Take my name for example, NEO 10Y comes from the word “neoteny” in zoology and biology which means the retention of childlike characteristics in the adult. On a spiritual level this means choosing love, and physically, I have also biohacked my body with love energy to create a high vibrational frequency that resonates in my art. NEO is ONE / oneness, and 10 is complete binary code. My name in Sanskrit is Nikhil, which means complete. The Y in turn is for curiosity which leads to love, and my physical essence and chromosomes. I have the most high concept artist name in humxn or music history, and I believe that the media find this interesting. That said there are other sections of the media that are not so open minded and enforce a war on consciousness. My challenge is educating them about what love really is.
I love playing live and my soul belongs on stage. My shows are 360º immersive experiences which have taken place everywhere from raves to the Roundhouse, concert venues, art galleries and festivals in London, Europe, and the USA including the prestigious Secret Garden Party. I also recently played the main stage at UK Black Pride and for Billboard magazine in New York City.
Your latest song is 'GODDEX'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
GODDEX is a sexy and psychedelic (self) love song. The universe flows through all of us. GODDEX is designed to help us be at one with source, and the most expansive nature of love. I wanted the chorus to be an affirming and empowering mantra for connecting with our inner super hero, and expand love energy within, and beyond ourselves.
When GODDEX came to me as a download, I knew its purpose was to help us tap into the power of oneness. I released GODDEX as it’s a Leo full moon and Jupiter-Chiron conjunction, which is a North Node-South Node conjunction for NEO 10Y, and expansive for a Sagittarius stellium, Leo Rising, Cancer moon and Gemini Chiron and North Node!
Can you write more about the refrain in which you reach for the rock star constitution?
I often write in rock structures, although it’s more grunge-esque with my style of delivery. I wanted the choruses to have that ancient ambient energy, almost in the same way that I chant in Sanskrit. There are so few South Asians creating authentically in the West, and Vedic philosophies of peace are the core of my message.
Can you elaborate on Vedic philosophies of peace? How does it influence your work?
Love is the Shortcut To World Peace. I was brought up in London without much perspective on what this meant. It took a lot of unlearning to come back to the philosophies of my ancestors. I apply that in everything that I do now, the core philosophy of “ahimsa” which means non-violence. I believe that speciesism is the root of all oppression and once we stop conscious and unconscious violence in society, we will reach a state of peace quickly. These messages are the fundamental architecture of NEO 10Y, self-realization, self-love and the expansion of love. All of my songs have this message at their core, even the more subversive ones.
Where did the idea for the title 'GODDEX' come from? What is the story behind the title?
The universe is oneness. Society thinks of God as a default, and then Goddess as a binary, but the conscious universe is everything, which is why I like GODDEX, as a more consciously inclusive way of referencing nature and source.
What are your intentions as an artist? What do you want to communicate to the world?
My purpose is to manifest world peace, I choose to do it through the medium of music, creatively, performing and media work. This is why being a popstar covers all bases. I enjoy what I do, and I do it with purpose.
Where did your spiritual awakening come from?
I had a series of traumas including near death experiences, but mostly it came from curiosity, reading and kundalini yoga which helped activate me. I also believe in plant medicine and psychedelics, and practise breathing and yoga.
There are elements of mantra in your song. What was the purpose of this treatment?
All of my songs are made so that we can expand love energy. Having the repetition of an affirming and empowering phrase can really help us be more aligned with the universe.
What are your plans for the future?
I have a series of gigs in London and Manchester, I have a new show coming out on Channel 4 called Higher Ground where I am in a select group of the first people to take psychedelics on national television in the UK. This Summer I have shows and filming in LA and then I guess we will see what the rest of the year has to offer!