We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nai below.
Nai, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
I remember being so misunderstood in high school. I came from that last crowd of kids when it wasnt really cool to be weird especially in public school. lol so when I got to my high school I was very hard to read. Almost unapproachable just by my looks. I felt like I needed to look tough incase people were mean. I’ve had friends i made be like “I used to think this, until I just talked to you” It was art school though, we were all weird so I eventually learned to let that go. I think my biggest problem ended up being that some people thought I was a “favorite” but honestly I just worked really hard for all of the opportunities I got. I really wanted it. Still do.
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?
Hi hi im Nai. Im a 26 year old Queer artist, musician, vocal producer and songwriter! Im originally from the East Coast (s/o PA hehe) and just made one year officially in October 2023. I got into my craft from a very young age and always just knew this was my passion. Ive always been into music due to having young parents always listening to different things and that definitely was a big influence for me. Throughout my years my focus for personal music has always been soul with a focus on jazz improvisation. I love using my voice as an instrument not just for words. My lyrics focus on mental health issues coming from a relatable standpoint making my fans and listeners think about their own lives and using my sounds and lyrics as something to bring them peace. Meditative yet groovy. In addition to my own music I do write for others as well as vocal producing, creating demos and all that other fun studio work! Currently im lead singer of Absoulute Madness, a collective curated by my best friend and teammate of 12 years Quin Jaye and Myself. There are 6 members and we perform for any and all reasons. We are huge advocates for recreational and medical cannabis use and just hosted a collaborative show with Weedmaps. I genuinely feel proud of all of my accomplishments and I couldnt be more grateful.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I think what drives me the most in my creative journey is just honestly being able to express myself in a way that others can relate to and just be someone that anyone can listen to. And of course buying my mom and dad a house because they deserve it very much.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding part is definitely the feeling inside just by doing what you absolutely love to do. like on a show night and the band is just completely locked in and sounding incredible and listening to each other. I literally just want to cry sometimes and HAVE on stage, because I really love doing this. Thats something I think is really special with improv we can do the same song 100 times and each time sounds completely different. Its really beautiful to be able to communicate this way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @geminai23 @absoulutemadness
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/HhQ8QGWJ7dQ?si=oKu2E9Tq9Og7b2XT
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/2Lz26WEhmBCEhyRRkh5SBP?si=XrJrjXpqSk2RgQvfnyRKZg
Image Credits
Cynthia carlin Clyde Ash Yono Sema