Nea is not a newcomer to music, far from it. After having established herself as one of Sweden's most prolific songwriters, penning songs for Zara Larsson or Felix Jaehn, among many others, she now presents the first single to be released from her forthcoming debut album, TRANSPARENT, due out fall of 2023. Defining this sneak peek taken from her next project such as “a rowdy love song for yourself and a reminder to never settle for less,” this year promises to be a turning point in the career of the multifaceted artist, who has proven to be fluent in different facets of the creative process. We speak with her to find out more about her debut album, expected later this year, and to delve into her vision of her music.
“Now I feel like I 'm finally in tune with myself and I can't wait to release this record and finally play live,” Nea replies when asked how she feels about a particularly important moment in her artistic career. The singer-songwriter advances step by step as she undergoes an interesting process of introspection with which she seems to have found her place in the music industry. A place where kindness, with oneself and with others, is a fundamental element, as well as the songs loaded with messages and the importance of surrounding yourself with a good and trusted team when creating.
Nea, how are you and where do you answer us from? How has the first month of 2023 been?
Hey there, I’m in Stockholm, Sweden. Life is busier than ever but in a good way, so I’m pretty happy and excited for what’s to come in 2023.
Now you're releasing your new single, A Lover Like Me, along with a music video. If you had to define this new release with just one sentence, what would it be?
A rowdy love song for yourself and a reminder to never settle for less.
The track is the first single to be released from your debut album, expected later this year. What can you tell us about this great project and what stage of the creative process is it in?
I started my musical career as a songwriter for others and I’ve probably written thousands of songs over the years, but it’s the first time I've made an album and it’s so fucking fun and at the same time so exhausting, haha. I wrote the album with producer/songwriter Daniel Ledinsky and the sound spans between rock and pop to country and low-fi hip-hop. Most of the tracks are recorded live with my band so it all has a very organic and unpolished/raw feeling, unlike my earlier releases which have been more clean pop. We’re going to write a final song or two but apart from that, it’s time to mix and master.
What comes to your mind when you think back to the beginning of your career, specifically your 2019 debut single as a solo artist, Some Say?
I feel like I started as a ‘songwriter that was releasing songs’ and it’s taken until now to actually feel like I am ‘a real artist.’ It took the longest time to not feel like a fraud when I said I was, even though I had a top 10 radio song in Europe and 500 million streams on Spotify (laughs). Anyways, now I feel like I’m finally in tune with myself and I can’t wait to release this record and finally play live. I’m so proud of Some Say – what it’s meant for my career but especially what it seems to have meant for other people – but I’m also overly excited to share this next step of the musical Nea journey.
What message would you like to send to the world?
Be kind. To others, to yourself, and to the planet.
