We Are Story Tellers
Spotlight – NIIVA. We got to sit down and chat with NIIVA about the recently released new single “That Song”. We talk about the music and the journey taken to get to where she is today. Check it out and learn some more about this talented artist.
When I was a toddler my parents apparently could only get me to be silent and still when they turned on music videos on TV – no kids shows. So… I think maybe music was always #1 for me.
Absolutely – Avril Lavigne “Let Go”. I didn’t speak English then, we were still in Bulgaria, but my God did I sound out those consonants like my life depended on it.
I’m blown away by Jon Bellion these days. I always was, but now even more so; he’s a perfect songwriter. The latest work he’s done with Tori Kelly on her EP… I’m obsessed. His melodic choices, the tasteful production, it’s all perfect.
Of course! “That Song” is about all my favorite songs that I now can’t listen to without thinking about a past relationship because music is very tied to memories for me. I’ve been wanting to write this song for a very long time and I’m so grateful that Joel Stouffer, Ali Milner, and I were able to bring it to life so perfectly
It started with a note that I had jotted down ages ago about the idea of hating all my favorite songs, so we had the subject of the song right away. I knew I wanted an upbeat sound because I didn’t want it to feel sad, more so just a sense of acceptance and resolve to find new melodies and make new memories. Joel and Ali and I were on the same wavelength from the first moment so the rest just flowed pretty easily! The song wanted to be written!
I’ve had the privilege of writing and singing with some of the most talented people and when that happens you can’t help but absorb and learn and grow in your own craft. So I’m always growing but I feel stronger in my musical choices and in my voice, and what I want to sing about and how I want it to sound.
Putting out music or even just any content that is true to you. I think people have a very strong sense of what’s authentic and what’s not.
I always hype him up but it’s for a reason: I adore Jesse Gold, who’s another Toronto-based artist. If you love R&B and acoustic vibes, you’re gonna want to listen to everything that comes out of his mouth.
I read a lot, and it’s always fiction. I find it just keeps my brain focused on one thing, and the more fantasy there is in the book, the better. I’ve seen enough of our world, I’d like a moment away thank you.
More questions like the last one! When I read interviews I personally love to learn about the person’s personality outside of their process – I wanna know how they take their coffee, what books they like, and their pet’s names. I like seeing them as whole and rounded human beings.
If we’re talking musical style, I think all the places I’ve lived and the soundscapes of those places make their way into my music for sure. For example, I was born in Bulgaria and our traditional music has some really amazing dissonant and rich harmonies which is probably why I love that stuff so much. I lived in England for a while and the UK very much has its own signature sound too. I think it all subconsciously weaves itself into my own music.
I feel like Emma Stone is my gut instinct here… she can do serious roles, but she can be super funny and goofy, AND she’s done La La Land and I love musicals so… I think I’m going to go with her.
My playlists and my heart always have space and need for pop punk and emo bands. My Chemical Romance is my favorite. There’s little that anybody could tell me about Gerard Way that my 16-year-old self didn’t research to death.
All I’ve ever wanted to do with music is make even one person feel understood and not alone in whatever they’re feeling. I think that’s what happens when you write about things that are authentic to you – people who listen connect to it because deep down we are all way more alike than we think, and we feel the same things.
I love making music and that’s really what’s at the core of it. The feeling of writing an amazing song, or the feeling of performing it in front of people is what makes all the hard work loss of sleep, and emotional rollercoaster worth it. I think any artist would say the same thing, the driving force is just the simple fact that we love it.
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