Inspired #0018 - Nia Wyn — When The Horn Blows

Nia Wyn has certainly been making some waves recently, she is a firm favorite of ours crafting her unique sound of old-school soul fusion. Fresh from her performance for Great Escape Festival’s First Fifty, she has released her new track ‘Lately (I’ve Been Thinking)’.

She had a chat with us about New York’s Beat Poets, and her love for Princess Nokia.

Who are you top three musical inspirations?
Lauryn Hill - saw her a few nights ago at the O2 - she was ON IT, looking dead fly in an 1980s style suit, and filled out an arena to perform an album released 20 years ago. Yeah - I don’t need to say no more.

Marvin Gaye - apart from one of my favourite singers of all time, he put out an album (What’s Going On) Berry Gordy wasn’t sure on as it was too ‘political’ and might not sell as well as the usual Motown pop album subjects. He went by his gut and released one of the most important records of all time, both musically and socially.

Billie Holiday - revolutionised singing in a way I can’t describe and went through major struggles in her life that was cut way too short.

Is there a certain film that inspires you?
I recently saw the new Queen film and loved it. I know it got panned by the press but I thought it was a great representation of Freddy and Queen’s rise and the reasons both he and the band were and are so special. The scene where the old music exec dude doesn’t ‘get’ Bohemian Rhapsody and refuses to release it, and then they walk out in protest and put it out anyway…. That scene was incredible because it does really show that some people that put you down don’t know their arse from their elbow and you have to stick by your guns if you believe in something artistically. That was my take-away from that film more than anything.

Also, doesn’t quite count, but shout out to Magikarp in Pokemon for being a useless Pokemon but then evolves into a powerful Gyarados…

What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
New York. I have a special attachment to London as my adopted home but for me it’s gotta be NYC. Every time I go I’m in awe, first thing that got me drawn to it artistically was Bob Dylan’s rise to fame in Greenwich Village, the Beat Poets etc. Then learning about its hip hop history - the obsession with crate digging by the hungry producers and artists who wanted the next hit and to represent their district. The role certain venues from the Latin Quarter to Max’s played in the fusion of different genres to create something totally different and unheard of. On another note, Brooklyn has a strong queer scene, and their cat cafe cannot be beaten. Shit load of cats and they're all dead happy to see you.

Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
I don’t think there’s any one person I could name but a few would be, at the moment, Princess Nokia because she is an incredible strong unapologetic queer woman of colour making brilliant music… I wish HAIM had been about when I had just started playing guitar as a little girl as I feel a rush of inspiration when I see how badass they are.

Amy Bleuel who founded Project Semicolon. The project has done so much for many people who have been affected by suicide, giving them hope and solidarity. Sadly Bleuel died by suicide recently but hers is a legacy that will help many people to come.

How would you like to inspire people?
It’s an obvious one but definitely through my music - most of all being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Especially playing guitar as well - when I was a little kid a classmate told me I shouldn’t bother learning it cos it’s a boy’s instrument. None of the lads playing in my class went further than trying to play the Batman theme tune.

I also hope being open about mental illness will inspire others to talk about what they are going through and know that there are a lot of people out there experiencing something similar.