Imagine a woman lost in the night, listening to a spinning vinyl record, and suddenly the film of her late-night thoughts is triggered. Lulled by the sensuality of her voice in the middle of a nostalgic alternative pop ambiance and romantic Lofi aesthetics, Nishy delivers us the beginning of a story with a deep message: accept to let go and move forward in self-love.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Nishy, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hi Kamil, thank you so much for chatting with me, I’m so glad to answer your questions!
So music has always been part of my life since I was a little girl and I always had that dream of doing it. But Nina Simone and Mylène Farmer are the two artists got me here. Because I remember a time of my life where I didn’t know where I was going and felt like a deep need to escape reality. So one day, while I was listening to music, two songs came into my earphones. The first one was Désenchantée by the French singer Mylène Farmer and the second one was Feeling Good by Nina Simone. As the first song describes exactly how I felt at that time, the other one describes how I wanted to feel for the rest of my life. It was the first time ever that I felt understood. The connexion to those songs and artists and also the encouragements of a good friend gave me the strength I needed to pursue my dreams of creating music. After that I decided that I would that for the rest of my life.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
I based my organisation around music creation. As an indie artist, my career is my top priority. So I spend most of my time working on my music. I used to get a part-time job on the weekends to finance my projects. And my family is very supportive and believe so much in me (even more than I do in myself sometimes). I’m very lucky because they understand why I save most of my time and money for my music. It’s a true blessing. But even if I know my priority, I manage to spend time with the people I love and have time to take care of my health. As an indie artist, I am my own boss (lol). So I think I’m doing well. I’m grateful…
Your latest release is 'Memories From A Vinyl'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Oh yes, absolutely. So as you know Memories From A Vinyl (Side A) is my debut EP and I want to say that I am very happy to have finally released it because the making of it was quite overwhelming and a bit chaotic. At the beginning everything seemed to be going fine as the concept of the project came to me very easily. But that was until a lot of unusual things happened right before the recording sessions. Out of nowhere I found myself dealing with a double noise trauma and medical treatments which challenged me a lot on my health. Working on Memories From A Vinyl was like floating somewhere between beauty and chaos. Both artistically and humanly.
Where did you get the inspiration for this EP?
I had the original idea back in 2020. I was inspired by events which took place around me just before lockdown. I wanted to explore the thoughts of woman going through disillusionment in love and meeting her inner self after it. I wanted to tell a story split in two parts like the sides of a vinyl record. When I finished visualising all the story in my head like a film, all the songs came to me. As I was listening to a lot of Pop and Alternative Rnb at that time, I was mainly inspired by the album Rare by Selena Gomez and Truth Is by Sabrina Claudio. I also discovered Lofi Aesthetic and fell immediately in love with it. I thought that Lofi Aesthetic could bring a more immersive and intimate ambiance to my songs. I wanted to recreate a nocturnal ambiance by bringing Rhodes synths, electronic drums and layered vocals on mid tempo arrangements.
How long did you work on the 'Memories From A Vinyl'? Was it an easy process for you?
The creative process started on March 2020 and ended on September 2022. I’d say it took me almost two years if I don’t count year 2021. Because as I mentioned previously, I had to deal with a double noise trauma which forced me to stop doing music for a year (2021) and consequently to suspend the making of my EP. Which was very violent to me at the time because music was my daily life for three years right before that. But thankfully after a year I recovered thanks to an excellent doctor. I was able to go back to music and record my songs. So today, I would be lying if I say that the making of it was easy or didn’t left marks on me. I think the memory of this process is a bittersweet one. But at the same time I don’t regret anything at all because it taught me a lot about myself as an artist but more importantly as a human. Today, I am proud of myself for going all that way.
How do you know when a work is finished?
If I don’t hear more vocals or melodic lines for the instruments in my head, then it means that there is nothing left to add. Of course to make sure of it I try alternatives with my collaborator and co-producer Aryh Love Baker. If we both agree on the results, then it means the work is finished to us. But if we don’t, then it means that maybe something is missing. But usually I know that a work is done when I feel satisfied and happy about it. If it makes me smile at the end then I know that’s it (lol).
Can you write what was your best performance in your career? How do you remember it?
I remember that I had my best performance on stage when I was still studying music in Paris in 2020. I covered a French song named “Déshabillez-Moi”. At that time I was inspired by Mylène Farmer’s version. So with my collaborator, we imagined a dark futuristic version of this song. At first I was afraid. Because it was the first time that I would perform a sensual song on stage and I remember that I was very shy (lol). But I stepped out of my comfort zone and the performance on stage was rather well received. This surprised me a lot at the time. But now when I think about it, I’m happy about it (lol).
How do you find yourself in the music business? When you started out in music, did you know it would be like this?
I found myself going in the music business as an indie artist after I finished my music studies in Paris in 2020. After graduation, I started working on my projects. I’m very proud for having released my debut EP as an indie artist because it taught me a lot about the music industry and production. Going as an indie artist allowed me to grow as much on a human level as on an artistic level. And I’m very proud of me because I never thought that I could do that or that my debut career would be like this. I started writing and composing songs since I was 18 years old in my room. My production skills came later. At the time, I didn't know that the sound of my music would go beyond my bedroom walls because I was very shy and didn't think that I would have a career even if I dreamed of it. So, I'm happy about my evolution.
Who is your favourite musician?
I don’t really know if I have a favourite musician at the moment because I’ve got eclectic music tastes. All the musicians and artists that I adore are unique to me so… It is difficult for me to designate a favourite. But I will say Nina Simone. Because of her musicality, her piano, her voice and her interpretation. But also her story… All the little things that made the character of Nina Simone impacted me a lot when I was a teenager. She inspired me to pursue my dreams of music.
What are your plans for the future?
I am currently working on new single and preparing a sequel to my first EP (Side B). Lots of things are coming for this second half of 2023 and I can't wait to share them with you. I'm very excited because the projects I'm currently working on show how my music has evolved over the past year. I really like where I'm going and I think people are really going to like it. I also have a music surprise for this summer (lol). But I think I'll leave a little suspense. To be continued…