Nia Ray
1) Tell us something about yourself that your fans may not know.
A: Fun fact, but really really sad fact, I used to have a pet pig! I don’t have him anymore, unfortunately he passed, but his name was Bubba! A.k.a. Piggie Smalls, I have a tattoo of a ‘B’ on my shoulder for him, people ask what it stands for a lot.
2) How has being from Miami had an impact on your music style?
A: Being from Miami has had an impact on my entire upbringing, I honestly can’t imagine who I would be if I grew up anywhere else. Being a girl who’s mixed, with a father who’s black and a mother who’s white and hispanic, I ran into a lot of those “feeling too black for white people and too white for black and never hispanic enough to be hispanic” situations, and I can’t imagine how that would’ve played out if I didn’t live in Miami. There’s such a large melting pot of cultures here, and the lines between many cultures almost blur, which made it easier for me to be comfortable in all these different settings. Also moving around different areas of South Florida in my life, I’ve lived in and experienced the “hoods” as well as the suburbs, and have gained plenty insight from experiencing both. I think musically, you hear absolutely everything here, which is probably why I have such a large music library in my head playing at all times!
3) Who are some artists who influenced your style?
A: I can’t pinpoint one artist who necessarily influences my style, if there is one it’s subconscious, but there are plenty I’ve looked up to and studied over the years. Starting with Britney Spears, she was the first artist I remember being obsessed with, then we have people like Alicia Keys, JoJo, Aaliyah, so many classic artists that were popping when I was young. I definitely started studying powerhouses as I got older, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, their hard work always shows on stage, it’s admirable and puts me in a hypnotic trance while I dream about what my future converts will look like.
4) What was the inspiration behind your EP 'What's Love Anyways?'
A: Honestly, it started how most of my music started, which is just writing out how I feel. I don’t remember exactly which one came first, nervous or heat, but it was sparked by an argument in my relationship. Once my anger and frustration gave me those two songs I got to thinking about relationships and love, is this love? If this was love there would be xyz. One day the thought really just came to me.. what’s love anyways, and it fell together from there, I thought about my relationships, tracked out a map of emotions. From beginning to end of the relationship, what have I been through, what do most people go through? It was all built from there. A few of the other songs were already made and I just realized they went along with the sequencing, while others were created specifically for the project.
5) Who would you say your style resembles the most?
A: I’m not sure who my style resembles, I feel like the go-to name to grab is always Aaliyah, but I like people to get their own interpretation and tell me what they think. I think also because my songs have some range it’s hard to lock me into one category or person.
6) What's next for your career heading into 2021?
A: Heading into 2021, the only goal I have is growth! Getting bigger and better, giving better quality music and videos with every song or project, giving the best version of myself, connecting with more fans and spreading my music as far as it can go!
