Belfast singer- songwriter NADIA told David Hennessy about her latest single Catch Me If You Can, supporting Lyra on her recent UK tour and always knowing she wanted to pursue music.
Belfast-based singer-songwriter NADIA released her latest single Catch Me If You Can recently.
She has also just supported Irish pop sensation Lyra on her recent UK tour.
The new track is a catchy dance-pop anthem and follows previous tracks like The Buzz.
Releasing music since 2020, NADIA broke into the mainstream in 2023 with a string of successful releases including Every Step, Push the Button’, and Figure It Out.
Notably, NADIA explored the emotional rollercoaster of love in previous releases, such as ‘Love Victim’, where she delved into raw emotions of pain, confusion, and betrayal as she sang over captivating dance rhythms in collaboration with fellow Northern Irish artist Jordan Adetunji.
Renowned for her soulful sound and mainstream sensibilities, the artist has garnered recognition and acclaim throughout her music career, featuring in the likes of Music News, CLOUT and gracing the cover of ReVamp.
Music News said of her: “NADIA’s catalogue is proof of her vast talents and flair for captivating hooks and choruses that serve as undeniable party-floor fillers.”
Since making a live debut in London supporting D3LTA at Paper Dress Vintage, NADIA embarked on her first mini tour, supporting Cork pop sensation Lyra.
The singer-songwriter joined Lyra for four dates, gracing iconic venues The Deaf Institute (Manchester) King Tuts (Glasgow), The Globe (Cardiff) and the Omeara (London).
Touring with Lyra and releasing the new track, you have been busy..
“Yeah, I’ve had a great couple of couple of months.
“It’s been a great time.
Did you enjoy that tour?
“Oh, it was amazing.
“It was the first tour that I’ve been a part of so I’m very grateful for it. I feel like I learned a lot from it and it was just honestly such a fun time.
“The audiences were amazing, so much fun.
“Getting to be around Lyra and watch her perform every night, I feel like I learned a lot from watching her at the gigs.
“She’s an amazing storyteller on stage and so funny.
“It was an amazing time.
“Obviously I love to perform.
“People were kind of singing along to the songs from halfway through because they got the choruses.
“It was just an amazing feeling.
“Everyone was so lovely, all the audiences and just really interactive as well.
“When I was on stage, I was able to talk each night with people in the crowds.
“It was an amazing time. It really was.”
If she’s so funny, was it good fun to be on that tour? Did you laugh in your down time?
“You know what? She’s just the most lovely person genuinely, gave me some great advice and just really down to Earth and just so lovely.
“I just feel very grateful.”
That was your first tour but you had played some dates over in the UK before that, hadn’t you?
“Yeah, I think it was about a month before the Lyra tour I did my first gig in London so that was brilliant.
“I was supporting an artist called D3LTA.
“That was my first experience of playing in London, so it’s been a really great couple of months.”
You have also just released the new track, Catch Me if you Can. What inspired it?
“I wrote it about when you’re falling for someone, in that kind of infatuation phase: You feel like your head is spinning. That’s kind of what the what the track is about.
“I love this track. It’s just so upbeat. It’s fun.
“It’s kind of got a bit of a 70s disco inspiration kind of vibe to it.
“It’s modern pop music but infused with that 70s disco.”
Let’s go right back to the beginning. I understand it was music for you from very early on. You’re even from a very musical family. When did you know it was music for you?
“My mum and my dad were in music so it was just something I grew up around. It was very, very normal for me.
“I was always watching them rehearse and I would sometimes come to their sound checks and things like that.
“It was just very normal, I guess.
“I think I’ve always known it was something I wanted to do.
“I think my parents knew that as well very early on.
“Even as a child, I had little books with little songs and things I’d written in them.
“I think I recorded my first song with my dad when I was like nine or 10.
“Just a cover song.
“Then I guess I started to take it seriously in my late teens and started kind of writing properly, my own original music and my dad is a producer now so we still work together.
“So it’s definitely just something that’s been in my family.
“I feel very lucky to have come from a musical family because they understand, you know what I mean?
“I think if it’s something you want to do, you’ve got to pursue it.”
That’s funny you mention about recording a song when you were nine or ten, what was the song, do you remember?
“I don’t have it anymore or anything but I’m nearly sure it was Somewhere over the Rainbow.
“It was just something like that.
“I think it was maybe as a present for my mum for Mother’s Day or something.”
And how did you take it from there, you say you were writing seriously in your late teens but did you study music or anything?
“I didn’t study music. In my late teens I did performing arts and then I went to uni and I did something completely different.
“It was just something I knew I always wanted to do and then because my dad is in production, we kind of just started working together around that age and we’ve just carried on. “We still work together. He still produces my tracks.
“I loved motown and soul music.
“I really loved Amy Winehouse, she was so big at that time as well.
“I loved soul music growing up: Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, Etta James.
“I kind of went into soul and motown, that was actually what my first kind of original music was.
“Then it’s just progressed into pop music.
“That’s where I kind of started.”
People do mention about your soulful voice and the influences that you have just mentioned there.
How would you describe your sound?
“I always say it’s like soulful electropop.
“I definitely think, because of those influences I had, I think I still love kind of soulful vocals but the music is electro pop.
“I think that’s how I would try and describe it.”
Catch Me if you Can follows tracks like Buzz. Do you get a sense of ‘the buzz’ building around you as an artist?
“I’m just very, very grateful for people who are listening, just having people support me and my music and be interested in what I’m making is an amazing feeling.
“Whenever I was on tour with Lyra, there were a few people who came to see me.
“I’m just very grateful for everyone who takes the time and who wants to listen and follows me and all that.
“I’ve been doing this a long time so it’s been a great, great year.”
Let’s talk about the track Buzz, where did that song come from?
“Yeah, it’s definitely a different one for me.
“It’s a really meaningful song for me.
“It’s about loneliness and then kind of walking into the city and feeling the buzz of the city, the crowds and the noise and just how it helps you feel less alone.
“I’ve always just felt that in big cities.
“I feel one with the city whenever I’m in those crowds and I’ve always loved that.
“I love that song. It’s a different one for me though but it’s meaningful, I guess.”
Your track Figure it Out was produced by Arden ‘Keyz’ Altino who is renowned for his work with Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, and Justin Bieber…
“Yeah, he’s a phenomenal producer and he’s worked with so many huge acts, singers and songwriters.
“Very, very grateful to have been connected with him and be working with him
“I love that track that we did, Figure it Out.
“It’s just a really fun track.
“I love the message behind it.
“It was definitely a brilliant experience.
“He’s honestly the nicest person: So, so lovely and down to earth as well.
“Just a really, really lovely experience to work with him.”
Love Victim, a collaboration with fellow Northern Irish artist Jordan Adetunji, was Nadia’s first release back in 2020. She would follow it with singles What I Need, Remedy and then the song Cry to Me which has gone to be Nadia’s biggest song on platforms like Spotify.
“I really love that track (Love Victim). It’s very different as well to what I’m doing now.
“It’s a much more soulful kind of sound.”
Nadia’s other releases include Every Step and Push the Button.
“I definitely try and release as much as I can.”
Is the plan for an album eventually? Do you believe in albums?
“I think for now, I’m kind of focusing on just the singles, but I’m definitely not against an album.
“I love albums.
“It’s something I would definitely love to do.
“I think you’re able to tell a story with an album, which I really love.
“It’s got that start, middle and end.
“I’d love to do a body of work like that.
“Being on tour with Lyra, that was what her tour was for, it was for her new album.
“It really inspired me, just being able to hear her tell a story with each song from start to end.
“I think it’s really beautiful.
“Maybe an album will be something in the future.”
You started releasing music in 2020 which was, of course, the same year that the pandemic arrived. What effect did the lockdown have on you?
“Well, Love Victim was done before COVID.
“It would have been recorded in 2019 so it was before all of that, but I think everybody went through a slow period.
“It was just a bit of a crazy time.
“I think it allowed me to kind of be able to write and gave me that time, I guess.
“And then I signed with my record label as well, just after all of that, so it gave me some time and I think sometimes you need that for songwriting.”
You have grown up in Belfast with the hangover of the troubles, how do you see the city today?
“I think Belfast is a beautiful city, beautiful people.
“And in terms of music, there’s a really brilliant music scene here.
“I love it. It’s where I grew up.
“I do think there’s a tonne for singers and musicians and everything to be doing here as well.
“There’s just a really vibrant music scene for young people as well getting into music.
“It’s a great city to be in.”
What’s next? I imagine after the Lyra tour the goal’s to come back with your own show..
“Yeah, definitely. That’s a huge goal. I would definitely love to go on tour: Something to work towards.
“I’m excited to do more gigs and things and I’ll just be putting more music out this year as well.
“I did a little gig with the Oh Yeah centre recently which is in Belfast for International Women’s Day.
“That was great.
“I’d definitely love to do some more gigs in Northern Ireland and I’d love to be able to tour around Ireland and Northern Ireland as well. That would be great.”
You say you have more music to come, can you tell us a bit about the forthcoming song?
“Yeah, it’s called Freedom.
“I played it whilst I was on tour as well.
“I’m excited for that one to be out.”
Cry to Me is your biggest song on Spotify, what is it about that that you think people connect with?
“I released the original version of Cry to Me and then I did an acoustic one so it’s just me and then a great piano player. We just recorded a live version of it and that is the one that’s done really, really well online. It’s done amazingly.
“I think there’s something about an acoustic version of a song people connect to.
“I think as a singer, you kind of get to really get into the emotions of a song, especially because we recorded it live.
“It’s just very raw.
“It’s a beautiful song and I’m really, really grateful for everyone who’s been listening to it.”
What sort of reaction did that song get on the Lyra tour?
“I actually didn’t do that one on tour just because I wanted to keep it fun and upbeat.
“It’s a real sad song so I don’t want to be bringing the audience down getting them all sad,” Nadia laughs.
“It’s definitely one I think resonates with a lot of people as well.
“It’s a beautiful song but definitely one of my sadder songs.
“If I have a longer set, I would definitely love to include it.”
Catch Me if you Can is out now.
For more information, search for NADIA on social media.