“Very eclectic, moody and a little dark,” is how Nxdia describes their newest EP ‘in the flesh’ to us. We meet in a church in Central London on a sunny afternoon, our day spent amongst gothic architectural ruins.
Shamelessly obsessed with the internet, Nxdia took to TikTok in the peak of lockdown to showcase their music; in the process, they amassed a following of more than 700k. Online, they describe having found a space and community where they are finally allowed to be weird and their most authentic selves. ♡
A Gemini, born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, and later migrating to the UK at the age of nine, Nxdia's life has always been steeped in music and various art forms. They reminisce about creating fake concert tickets for their mom, who was an unwitting audience to their bedroom performances, as well as having a major crush on P!nk, “She was so androgynous I think I was a bit in love with her (...) I'm like, why did I watch that one clip of her throwing eggs on the car so many times?!”
Nxdia’s music transcends boundaries, both sonically and lyrically, and ‘in the flesh’ perfectly encapsulates the rich makeup of their identity and personal experiences. A distinguishing feature of their music is the fusion of both Arabic and English, which they explain came naturally due to their bilingual upbringing, “whenever I was around the house I would speak in English and Arabic. So naturally that would extend to my thinking. I was coming across all these people [that spoke Arabic in the UK] and it felt like a surprise every time; so I was like, damn, a lot of people must feel like me, so I'm going to start including it.”
One standout track from the EP is ‘decay,‘ a music middle finger aimed at the government about the hurdles young people face every day, such as the cost of living crisis, capitalism, and mental health. Nxdia describes the process of creating this track, which was coincidentally the first one they helped produce, as an act of channelling their anger and frustration, into a powerful anthem aimed at their community.
Their creative process is fluid and they are an advocate for sharing one’s work even when it doesn’t exactly feel ready, as the pursuit of perfection can be paralysing – this is a refreshing reminder of the ever-changing nature of creativity. To them, the creative process is not about achieving a state of flawlessness but about acknowledging that it's an ongoing journey, a continuous evolution, “you're going to hate something that you made a year ago like it is what it is. It's not then a reason for you to stop”.
Growing up in the noughties, and during the rise of YouTube, they witnessed the power of online platforms like never before. By following artists like Stromae and Shawn Mendes (Nxdia playfully mentions the Shawn Mendes-Lesbian Pipeline during our chat), they are acutely aware of the feeling of interacting with one's favourite artists; their profound connection with their own fans is a testament to this.
“The fact that anyone comes up to me and they're like, 'I love you,' makes me so happy because I'm not, 'Oh, someone loves me,' but more because of how excited I am because of it. I'm still excited by it, I just want to be accessible. I want it to feel like a community. We are all just kicking around. We need people. We need each other so much,” they conclude.
With a heap of new music in the making and an unwavering desire to be on stage, you’ll surely catch Nxdia near you. Their dedication, kindness and appreciation towards their community is palpable and it is safe to say that their unique voice will continue to resonate.
WORDS BEA VASQUES
PHOTOS ANA PINTO
TALENT NXDIA
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