With her hotly anticipated new single ‘Ruined Love For Me’ currently making waves worldwide, Nina Brand is undoubtedly an artist on the rise. A powerful anthem of heartbreak and resilience, the single sees Nina's vocals soar over crisp production, delivering honest lyrics that speak to anyone who's ever navigated the painful aftermath of love gone wrong.
To celebrate the release, and to learn more about how she created the poignant release, Nina was kind enough to sit down and chat with us about her inspirations, experiences, and how music has the power to do extraordinary things.
Lovely to have this opportunity to speak with you, Nina, thank you so much for making the time. How did you first start making music?
“I first started singing and writing songs to process my emotions. I remember writing my first song at seven, on my bedroom floor for my dog Charlie who had run away. I thought that if I sang it he would hear me and come back home.”
Your style has been described as indie-pop, but it holds such a powerful emotive weight. Are there any artists or experiences that have influenced your sound?
“I grew up listening to various artists and various genres. I would say the ones that stick to this day would have to be Queen, Adele, John Mayer, and Green Day just to name a few.”
“After watching the movie August Rush as a six-year-old I knew that I had a calling to make music. I felt so understood by the main character and I wanted to be a part of his world too.”
What is your songwriting process?
“Sometimes I sit and play my guitar for hours hoping to write something good and sometimes I hear a melody in my head while driving or shopping for groceries and I immediately take out my phone and voice record it and then I will build a song around it. But sometimes the music just comes out of nowhere and I play my guitar or piano and the words just flow along with it.”
What’s the most important thing when you’re writing a song, particularly one like the new single?
That it is intentional. The song needs to truly speak to me in order to ensure that it will relate to others. I never want to write songs for the sake of just releasing something. We as artists have a responsibility to create real art and music, for real people with real emotions. I take that responsibility seriously because I truly do believe that music has the power to do extraordinary things for people, whether that's uniting people, saving a life or ensuring that someone is in a good mood.”
What’s next for you as an artist?
“I am definitely going to be releasing a lot more music this year and I am hoping that it will open up opportunities for me as an independent artist. It would be my biggest dream to open for bigger artists, play at festivals and eventually become a touring pop artist.”
Before you go, do you have any advice that you would give to bands and artists who are trying to find their sound?
“Stick to what you enjoy doing and what comes naturally to you and then build on that. Don't listen to all of the noise and people who tell you that you need to be something specific ‘to make it’. Your audience will find you and support you for you.”
After achieving radio play around the globe with her previous single, ‘Think I’m in Love’, Cape Town-based college student, qualified chef and pop singer-songwriter Nina is on top form with the new single. Backed by crisp production and honest lyrics that will have many singing along and facing up to painful memories, ‘Ruined Love For Me’ is a memorable soundtrack to moving on and ushering in happier times.
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