'5 Questions With': Nia Wyn
"That’s why I put so much about my mental health into my music - I’m finally not afraid to talk about it due to stigma and find it therapeutic to express it."
Part time jobs, various vexations and inner turmoil - all these things come with the territory of being a creative. Meet Nia Wyn, the welsh singer-songwriter who’s airing her frustrations in a raw and irresistible fashion with her latest single ‘Muzzle’. Teaming up with R.A.E, the winner of Glastonbury’s 2020 Emerging Talent Competition, Nia offers up a delectable, soul infused track in which she showcases her skill for storytelling. With her iconic and recognisable vocal tone, she details her personal battles whilst simultaneously worrying that she’s shared too much (relatable? We think so too). Speaking on the track, Nia explains:
“I wrote Muzzle about working a 9-to-5 and how it can grind you down, and the desire to quit that office life and pursue my music full-time. I wanted to represent that even if things are going well and you’re making progress, the impact of mental health issues and comparing yourself to others can lead to a lot of self-doubt. The idea of ‘someone get me a muzzle’ is that often I’ve vocalised this but then I get paranoid that I’ve said too much.”
Nia’s ability (and bravery) to wrap such topics in a smooth and soulful sound has caught the attention of various tastemakers. Huw Stephens, 6Music with Tom Robinson, BBC Introducing and Represent Radio to name a few. With music that underpins themes of identity and belonging, she certainly presents herself as a respectable and credible artist, who we believe has a long career ahead of her. We caught up with Nia for a quick yet insightful Q&A, speaking on mental health, musical inspirations and the complex nature of being an artist.
Read the feature below…
Words by Elle Watson
EQ: Hey Nia! Tell us about yourself, where did your love for music and storytelling stem from?
N: Whew, big question! Ok, I’m a Welsh soul artist, dabbling into other genres like RnB, jazz and hip hop. My love of music like most probably started when I was a kid, started playing guitar at school and it became a (healthy) obsession. I grew up in a household where my dad played a lot of northern soul, disco, bits of reggae - it encouraged me to be curious about different genres of music that were outside of contemporary pop music. As a teenager I was big into Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, pre-1960s blues, Stax and Motown… there was a story-telling element present through all those different artists and styles and I guess that informed my approach to lyrics writing when I started making songs.
EQ: The subject matter in ‘Muzzle’ is something that so many artists can relate to, it can be so hard to not compare yourself to others in a digital world. Are there any boundaries that you’ve set for yourself to prevent such constant comparison? How do you manage to quiet your inner critique?
N: In short… yes and no. It’s very much a work in progress and on my good days I can have tunnel vision and just focus on what I’m doing, be more compassionate to myself and accept wherever I’m at. On bad days it’s very hard to quiet my inner critique and it can easily become quite big and feeling much deeper than whatever it was that set me off. Objectively I know that things like avoiding social media when I’m feeling that way is probably a sensible move but it’s so easy to get sucked in and get obsessed. My mate Lem actually posted something the other day that I want to try and come back to though - ‘there was a time not long ago you desperately wanted what you have right now’. I actually need to write that down because I’m probably going to need it next time.
“Music has always been a big coping strategy with me ever since I picked up the guitar at age 9 - I was turning to it not fully realising it until later on that it had been self-soothing for me.”
- NIA WYN
EQ: You use your music as a medium of talking about your struggles with mental health. As someone who knows exactly how you feel, there are times when I would give anything to change the way my mind worked… Yet simultaneously there’s a level of gratitude, almost an appreciation for it, it can be confusing. What’s your inner dialogue with regards to that?
N: Yeah this is definitely a weird one - I’ve never known anything different. I was in and out of mental health services from the age of 10 so struggling with that has always been the norm for me, and it has therefore been a key part of my identity. That’s the thing that I remember though, it is not the whole of me, but one part along with many others. What I would change if anything is my ability and resilience to handle the distress when it comes. I do think through my experiences and work I’ve done it has encouraged me to be more empathetic towards others and mindful of what might be going on for them. Due to my particular mental health issues, when I love something or someone I am really passionate about it and will put my all into it, which is an upside to something that has a lot of downsides. Music has always been a big coping strategy with me ever since I picked up the guitar at age 9 - I was turning to it not fully realising it until later on that it had been self-soothing for me. That’s why I put so much about my mental health into my music - I’m finally not afraid to talk about it due to stigma and find it therapeutic to express it in this way. I think we are seeing more people with mood and personality disorders, psychosis, paranoia and trauma talking openly about their experiences and whilst less common than depression and anxiety, they need to be taken seriously and treated with the same energy, compassion and acceptance.
EQ: Knowing what you know now, what do you wish you could tell your younger self?
N: At the risk of getting way too deep, I’d tell her that life will be in fact worth living and you will find happiness in places.
EQ: What are your dreams for the future, Nia? What can we expect to see from you in 2021?
N: 2021 is going to see me release a fuller body of work which I’m so excited about - it’s been a long time in the making, it’s very personal and I can say I’m really proud of it. I am hoping and praying we will see a return to live music as I’m missing being on stage and want to play the Paul Weller tour in March and my own headline show in Bermondsey Social Club on the same stretch. The uncertainty since the pandemic started means like many other artists, I’ve had to really look at what I can do right now, which is make music, experiment, connect with other artists. I have a couple exciting collaborations in the pipeline outside my own project and I want to do way more of that - last month I did a collab with German producer Shuko and Manchester rapper KinKai and that was a lot of fun. I can only hope to continue doing what I’m doing and be able to do that, and be more confident in myself to take risks to achieve the bigger picture.
Watch the video for ‘Muzzle’ below
YouTube/NIAWYN
Stream ‘Muzzle’ HERE
Keep up with Nia Wyn on socials
Instagram: @niawynmusic
Twitter: @niawynmusic