Artist Of The Week #110 - Nia Wyn
This week’s Artist Of The Week is UK soul-crossover artist Nia Wyn, who has just released her debut EP ‘Love I Can’t Ruin’. The EP shows off Nia’s song writing skills to the full, and reaches all ends of the spectrum when it comes to the soul and RnB genres. She took a moment to talk to us in more depth about the EP.
So, the debut EP is out there, how does it feel?
Feels amazing to say the least to have my first body of work out there, and I'm feel more inspired and excited to release more music I've recently written.
There is a lot of emotions thrown into this EP, what would you say are the key ones? And are they personal?
A lot of the emotions in the EP are personal for sure. The EP is about feeling intense emotions about something or for someone... love, lust, anger and frustration, sadness.
When it comes to your lyrics, you have your own way of storytelling, who are your key lyrical influences when it comes to writing them?
Daymn this is a tough one. I'll name three out of many: Bob Dylan, Esther Phillips, Lauryn Hill
You grew up in a rural part of Wales, what is the place called and what is it most famous for?
I was born in St Asaph (tiny place but classed as a city cos it has a cathedral) but was raised in Llandudno. It's a Victorian seaside town most famous for tourism and for being the holiday destination for the real Alice In Wonderland. Which has resulted in some pretty large (and scary) Alice in Wonderland statues around the town...
We take it this part of Wales didn't have much access to music?
To be honest the live scene was really limited to pub gigs of covers, some indie bands etc. But playing those gigs really helped me practice playing live, get my name out there a bit and build my confidence. The record shops were few and far between too but there was a junk shop around the corner from my house for a while selling old vinyl.
You took solace in local junk shops, discovering the music that influences you today, what was it about those spaces that made you feel safe?
Music has always been a major coping strategy and sanctuary for me and I think the whole obsession with junk shops and record shops was about the hunger to consume more and more music. I wanted to know who influenced my favourite artists, then fast forward to how styles of music have blended and created new genres. Once my Dad gave me a couple of LPs to start with (think first one was Magical Mystery Tour and Culture's Two Sevens Clash) I was off on one!
Do you feel those experiences shaped you into the person today, and also influenced your music style?
Definitely. The house I grew up in had northern soul playing all the time, a bit of reggae and disco too, Trojan, Motown, Stax etc. I was then proper into Bob Dylan and female jazz vocalists like Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, blues too - special love for Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. This all influenced my musical style for sure, and when I moved to London I started getting into neo soul, RnB and hip-hop way more.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one?
'I tried to get therapy for my mental state, they told me to just take a hot bath and meditate'.
There is that lyric 'sometimes soaps make me cry’ in your EP, do they really make you cry, and what is favourite TV-soap?
Eastenders. Phil Mitchell.
Now the EP is out there, what next does the world hold in store for Nia Wyn?
I'm on tour with Paul Weller in May, and I'm going to be releasing a lot more music this year, some collaborations with other artists, and more shows.
LIVE DATES
1 May 2020 - Corn Exchange, Cambridge**
2 May 2020 - UEA, Norwich**
4 May 2020 - Winter Gardens, Margate**
5 May 2020 - Cliffs Pavillion - Southend**
6 May 2020 - New Theatre, Oxford**
6 May 2020 - Guildhall, Portsmouth**
**Supporting Paul Weller -