MIC CHECK WITH NAYANA AB

Shot by Hermela

A few weeks ago, one of our dedicated writers, Sik, caught up with rising UK R&B and Soul star Nayana AB.

Nayana is a musician from West London characterised by her catchy lyrics and fresh sound. Nayana’s passion stems from her family’s love for music, which she was exposed to from a young age. She has performed with Flames Collective at multiple shows, alongside artists like Miraa May and Ray BLK, and most recently supported Raye at multiple shows around the UK. Some of her hit singles include fan-favourite ‘AMP’ and most recently ‘Final Chance’ with fellow Da Community member Saiming.

Read our conversation Nayana below;

Nayana: Hi, my name's Nayana AB, I'm a singer-songwriter

Sik: How long have you been making music for?

Nayana: I've been making music since 2018/19 and releasing properly since like 2020.

Sik: When it comes to music, Who are your biggest influences?

Nayana: When I started, I'd say people like Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill. But now, I'd say I have more influences; I've taken the time to dive into more jazz like Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington.

Sik: Speaking of jazz, do you play any instruments?

Nayana: I don't have an instrument I can play well enough but I'm learning to play bass and I used to play steel pans

Sik: Do you produce your own music?

Nayana: Nah, working on that one.

Sik: How long have you been with your band?

Nayana: Some of them it's only been a year but with others, like my guitarist, he's been with me since the beginning, so three years now. We met at university; he was doing soul and we used to live together. I met my bass player Nathan through a music friend and my keys player at a jam. Most of them I met through jazz.

Sik: Is jazz your favourite genre?

Nayana: It has a special place in my heart and I feel like I'm in my jazz era too. It's what I'm primarily focussing on and heavily influenced by. Maybe I have a love for it.

Sik: You've spoken about your jazz and soul influences, did you pick that up from your parents?

Nayana: I feel like my parents heavily influenced my music. My mum used to listen to old soul. She used to draw comparisons between me and Billy Holiday and helped me find my voice. My dad also played Calypso and hip hop, so he introduced me to that melodic style, like Lauryn Hill. Not jazz so much.

Sik: You do all the Da Community stuff with people like Saiming and D Wills. How did all that start?

Nayana: We all used to go to this place in Hackney Wick and we would randomly end up going out at the same time. We would rarely even talk about it. From there, we all started to see each other more and more and started talking and vibing with each other, so we made a group chat and started linking outside of the events.

Sik: How did you get involved with UD as well?

Nayana: They were my first introduction to being an artist. I was part of their choir in 2016 when I was 16/17 and from there, I learned to write music and sing, so they offered me to be a part of their incubator. After finishing that, I joined their team to do marketing and stuff.

Sik: Who's your favourite music person you've collaborated with so far?

Nayana: That's a hard one. At the moment, I only really collaborate with friends. I have a list of bare people I like working with; there's D Wills, Allyson, Saiming... Everyone in Da Community, I like working with.

Sik: Who would you like to work with in the future?

Nayana: I'd love to work with Black Odyssey. He makes like alternative hip-hop. He's so lit. He released a live album recently that just goes crazy. I'd love to work with him. I'd love to work with Venna. Frank Ocean too, but I don't know wagwan for him. Love his work. Those are the people at the top of my head. Maybe Shae Universe as well.

Sik: Do you do music full-time?

Nayana: Yeah. I perform but I also do music business stuff. All-rounded music babe.

Sik: Where's your dream place to perform?

Nayana: I'd love to perform at the Royal Albert Hall with an orchestra. That'd be so much fun. I love to do festivals but I feel like my own satisfaction of musical quality isn't always there. At my own show, I can mix the whole classical sound with everything else and it can be really beautiful. I love performing with my friends as well. Performing at We Out Here was cool.

Sik: How did it feel getting nominated for the Dr Martens' The Alternative Platform?

Nayana: I didn't really think it was real. I'm the type of person where I don't really win. I just feel blessed, to be honest. I've been working hard on my craft and it's nice to have my hard work recognised.

Sik: Do you do any other artistic endeavours apart from music?

Nayana: I've been leaning into writing. I think it's really powerful to be able to control a narrative and be able to give people a voice. I think people underestimate the power of writing and the power of words. I really enjoy it. I like journalism and I like styling; those are the two I'm working on at the moment.

Sik: What do you have coming up next?

Nayana: Bare stuff. I'm doing a gig for Doc Martens and another one at the Southbank Center. Some more stuff but I can't talk about it yet.