In an interview with Caras Brasil, the actress and singer Nabiyah we talk about relationships with music and inspirations for her debut album
Nabiyah be (33), known for its role of Simone Jackson In Daisy Jones & The Sixhas released his debut album, What the sun wantsLast Thursday, 6. With 14 tracks that travel between English and Portuguese, Nabiyah combines a plural musicality with a dip in identity, self -knowledge and rebirth. In an interview with Caras BrasilThe singer and songwriter reveals that a new moment lives with a career in music: “Complete me”He says.
Music as transmutation and Renaissance
Nabiyah’s musical journey reflects his trajectory. Daughter of the Jamaican musician Jimmy Cliff (80)
With a Brazilian, the singer grew immersed in different cultures and, of course, has absorbed references that are part of this first project. “My life story is this great mix. I am Bahia, Jamaican, I lived a lot of time in New York and my family is also very diversified. So, it is a very natural summary of the sound for me“explains.
The artist, who sees art as a constantly evolving process, reveals that the archetypes and symbolism present on the album emerged organically during the development of the project: “The archetypes emerged as the work grows, he himself shows us what it is and how to turn on the points. So it was not the theoretical process”.
Nabiyah expects the public to feel the album in a vulnerable and honest way, just as it was created: “Music has the power to go on both sides, feeling and thought. And what the sun wants, everything is hidden as scissors for those interested in looking for”.
One of the recurring elements of the disc is the figure of the electric snake, which, for Nabiyah, represents an internal process of power and rebirth. “It is a symbolism that speaks much more than an internal process, perhaps a journey of the most feminine and within the hero, which consequently reflects in the outside and in the desire to risk the world and as an artist“He says.
In addition to the snake, the contrasts between light and shadow, courage and fear also appear as a guidance of the songs. For the singer, this duality is one of the most powerful elements of art. “The stage was my great pilot to have the courage to live life and feel. I owe a lot of my growth to him and art. This is what helps me elaborate the incomprehensible and understanding me human and divine at the same time“.
Between languages and sounds
With influences of the Americas and the African diaspora, What the sun wants It looks like an album that is not attached to a commercial formula. “I didn’t think about the market when I did the album. I did what I like to feel and what sounds good. And that’s how I like to work“He says.
The English and Portuguese mixture also reflects the identity of the singer, but it was not a planned decision. “It is not a theoretically political choice. My existence can be, but singing in English or Portuguese in the tracks was not something scheduled. And I think this daily reality of many people who are “children of the third culture” is, we end up mixing various languages and cultures in our speaking and acting“.
In addition to languages, the project also brings a union of sounds: with elements of soulR&B, MPB and Electronics, the traces connect in a musical narrative with the beginning, medium and end. “My first language was performance and dance. I understood as a songwriter and producer much later. For some time, these sides were a bit separate, but I think that in this album I managed to combine my need for the movement, with more dance songs and my need for introspection, with some ballads“explains.
Storytelling is one of the great forces of the album and Nabiyah believes that this element cannot lose: “I think you inevitably love it for storytelling in general ends the sound choices yes“.
Between fiction and reality
For those who met Nabiyah to be like Simone Jackson, the pioneer of disco music in Daisy Jones & The SixThe relationship between the artist and the character is inevitable. The singer herself recognizes some unexpected connections between the two trajectories.
“I feel that sometimes life imitates art, you know? Simone’s story is very different from mine, but there are some parallels that curiously resonate. Musically there was no direct influence, but in the song Hero, which I composed shortly after finishing the recordings, I ended up using a “four on the floor” feature of the disc and electronics“.
Crossing Theater, cinema, TV and now music, Nabiyah feels to complete its artistic identity. “I feel like completing myself. Nor do I feel the need to shout an identity. I believe in the multiplicity of people“He says.
Reinvention headquarters
With What the sun wantsNabiyah is offered a bold project that escapes the convention and challenges the music market. “Music goes beyond the market and often beyond our consciousness. We must follow where it goes and not vice versa“reflect.
With the belief that art lives cycles, the singer underlines that the current moment asks for new ways. “I think our tastes and openings for the new – whether it is art or understanding of us as a collective – are cyclical. I think we are experiencing a moment with a little reinvention“concludes.
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Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
