Chatting With NANI about Her New EP Honey And Her Artistic Journey

We started our discussion with Honey, discussing her latest EP, "NANI," which feels like a step in a different direction from her previous work. She shared that while creating it, she felt like she was taking all the expected steps in the right direction. Despite following the usual path for emerging artists it didn't feel authentic to her, so she's planning on taking a step back and finding a path that works for her. For her, this means cutting down on gigs, working solo on more projects, and being in closer collaboration with her bandmates. She also told us she's spending time considering how politics might fit into her art and if she's even obliged to couple them. While she is undoubtedly politically engaged as a person, she views her art as only one aspect of herself.

Her inspiration won't change too much though. If you've listened to her music, it's not hard to see her drawing on the styles of Bon Iver and Japanese House. We talked in depth about the impressive quality of production behind Bon Iver's music and how much she values technology as part of the music-making process. The level to which she utilizes technology is fairly uncommon in the indie scene, perhaps because it's associated with a completely opposite sound. NANI has studied music tech and understands all its capabilities and how to use it to create the perfect sound for her, all while acknowledging its flaws.

While she grows as an artist, NANI has perhaps the best environment a young artist can hope for: the Scottish music scene. We discussed the Edinburgh scene and how she could grow alongside musicians in the same boat as her. This scene allows for a lot of collaboration and support. It also enables her to play gigs as small as she wants at this stage in her career, where she's reorganizing everything. We’re most excited about a potential Crowded Flat gig that she teased, where she'll be playing in an apartment.