Singer-songwriter Nya, who is also an accomplished model, is a talented performer with a voice that blends and crosses several styles and genres and who has to-date been championed and featured by the likes of Earmilk and American Songwriter to name just two. Her new EP ‘Requiem of Me’ was released on Friday, and here, Nya talks us through the stories and inspiration behind each track on the collection.

“High”

“…I don’t want to post anymore lies. I want a digital demise…”

“High” was my first single off ‘Requiem’. While sonically, this song is upbeat and disco-tinged, the subject is slightly heavier. I love the unexpected direction my producer and co-writer Femke took this track from where it started initially. High is all about my discomfort with society’s and, more specifically, the music industry’s obsession with social media. So much is based on inane stats and numbers today that it feels like making good music is the second priority. And if you are more of a wallflower than a social butterfly, the idea of constant online interaction and creating a socially acceptable virtual life is exhausting. What if you simply want to live IRL? 

“Won’t Pick Up The Phone”

“…Pain got my number, wants to hold me tight. Heartbreak, she stalks me on a lonely night…”

“WPUTP”, the second and final single off ‘Requiem of Me’, is lush, cinematic, and dark. The song’s subject matter is very much in line with its sonic palette. I wrote WPUTP as a reminder to resist giving in to depression as I transitioned off an anti-depressant – under the supervision of my psychiatrist – that I had taken since I was a teenager, but no longer needed. It was a reminder to be strong and see myself through a challenging period of adjustment. I struggled for about four months with physical and emotional withdrawal, but when I had stabilized, I truly felt stronger and more present than ever. This song is a testament to that and finding out I was stronger than I knew. It is also the song I chose off the record to turn into a music video due to its cinematic vibe. The WPUTP video and song are personal favorites.

“Little Ole Me (The Old Me)”

“…She, who was too blind to see there was nothing wrong with little old me…”

This song is fun and jazzy and was a joy to create. It is all about realizing you have to find love for yourself first. I spent my teenage years and honestly my early twenties overwhelmed by self-loathing. I struggled socially in school and was bullied for how I looked and acted; For the things I now realize make me unique. When I look back, I see the girl I was with so much more love and compassion. I had to accept myself first before I could take in acceptance and love from others. 

“Lost Girl”

“…No one’s gonna miss her, a victim of this broken world. She’s falling thru the cracks; she’s just another lost girl…”

I wrote the first version of “Lost Girl” almost five years ago after watching a heart-breaking documentary but never had the opportunity to release it. During quarantine, my producer and co-writer Femke dusted it off and helped me create an even better version. She made a haunting yet aethereal electro-pop track for this record to balance sonic appeal with respect for the weighty subject matter. The song is about the sex trafficking of young girls in the United States and how it often happens in plain sight. The lyric “She was only 13” refers to the average age of children sex trafficking in the US – between 11-15.

The majority of domestic child trafficking victims have been in the child welfare system, and statistically speaking, girls are more likely to be victims, which is why I chose to write this song as I did. It is so easy to turn a blind eye to the injustices of this world, but if we remain apathetic, there will never be a change for the better. For more information on this issue and ways to help, please check out organizations like Polaris and AnnieCannons.

Give ‘Requiem of Me’ a listen below and to keep up-to-date with Nya, visit her website, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.