We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arsnøvä a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arsnøvä, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The introductory E.P. that I currently working on is the most meaningful project thus far. This project technically began in 2016/2017 when I began making a song called “TBD”. I fell in love with the idea of writing a love letter to destiny lyrically, but when the song didn’t feel finish, I sat it aside to learn more as a musician and one day complete the song to its fullest potential I was hearing in my head.

Shortly after, I got a call from a “Big Brother” in music, Harmony Samuels, to come grow and learn as a record producer and songwriter, what i had hoped finally came in 2019. Working with him and the many creatives that came in the space, taught me lessons about creative fatigue, conjuring up ideas, sonics, areas I needed to personal grow in and overall making hit records that change the world. But then 2020’s Covid stopped this and even the mentorship side of our relationship began to change. As a result, this forced the lion in me to rise spiritually, mentally, and creatively. It was the disruption I needed to become the better version of myself. In this time is when the fire to finish my debut E.P. began.

Now, having finished all the music, I began cultivating a visual identity in which would complete the world of Arsnøvä. This part of the journey also made me get introspective and understand truly who I am as a person and what I want to give to others in the long run as a creative. All of the growth and change has made it possible to be able to say that the summer of 2024, my team and I are highly anticipating the release of meaningful art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in a family that was rooted in music. It all started with my grandfather who was in a gospel style quartet group and traveled endlessly singing or going to concerts. This passed down to all of my aunts, uncles and mother. I can remember my first song on the piano being taught to me by my uncle Stacie on an old upright piano. He played the chords and he taught me the melody of One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boys to Men. This sparked me on my forever journey to become a great musician. All throughout my childhood was filled with joining dance crews, band trips, piano recitals, church gigs and performances and constantly having friends over. All these things make me who I am today.

My professional music career began to get real in my sights in my senior year. I had such a love for music production and songwriting that is consumed me. I used to always search the depths of Youtube to get a glimpse of studio life by looking up my three most favorite creatives, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. It was a dream of mine at least meet and work with Timbaland and Pharrell as they were from Virginia and there was lore floating around town that they would show up at any moment to work. So I inundated myself with there studios and creative worlds. Then one day I was told that Timbaland was coming to my high school as a result of him partnering with GQ to give computers to the school he went to, My school, Salem High in Virginia Beach, Virginia. That day was surely my time to meet him but being that i was not in the Arts academy officially, they reserved the meet and greet strictly for academy students. Crushed but I knew my dream was closer. Later in my senior year I was able to secure an internship at the coveted Thomas Crown Studios owned by the one and only Timbaland Mosley. This happened because my mother coming into friendship with a man we called “BYRD” who had just became the studio manager. Initially he wanted my friend who i was producing and songwriting with, to be the intern. But after she said she couldn’t do it, I leaped at the change. The opportunity given to me was my first steps into the industry and taught me a world of lessons that I still use to this day.

I know without a doubt that I am here to solve the problem of humans who are in search of true meaning/purpose. I am solving the industries want of an artist who cares about the art and is cut from the cloth of excellence as the greats of past and present. What sets me apart is my ear for music, which informs the innovative nature visually and sonically that I will present and the fact that my creative essence is of divine character with mainstream sensibility. I’d love for the world to viscerally feel my honestly, be sparked to realize their truest nature and receive the innovation I am presenting to spark their own life mission to serve humanity.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe it would be a tremendous help for society to get behind the fight that songwriters are having today. Where musicians, mixers, mastering engineers, and producers etc are being paid upfront prices as well as residuals in the industry, songwriters are struggling financially. Because streaming and mechanical royalties are the only way writers can make a great living, they still are fighting for their share in these royalties, and do not receive any form of payment for their time and work. Even if they songwriter is proven to write HIT records, they still do not get a premium like the other players in the industry. It would be such a force to have society standing by and putting pressure on the DSP platforms, and the industry for change to come sooner.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

There are a couple of goals that drive me. The first is being a creative that teaches and coaches other creatives on how to succeed mentally, spiritually and physically in addition to vocationally. My goal is to be a healed and whole artist who inspires others to do the same whether on the indie scale or massive impact scale. I desire to also create financial literacy and legacy for my own family. It pleases me to think of my future family and setting them up for success for years to come. Lastly, and mostly this creative journey is being driven from a place that is honest, divine and with a desire to innovate the musical landscape.

Contact Info:

• Website: iamarsnova.com
• Instagram: @iamarsnova
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgBvmW7N57IhyQLKbDEAldA
• Other: tiktok: @iamarsnova

Image Credits
Morgan Demeter – @mooganphoto Jon Gifted – @gftddd Marcus – @acrowsadvice