Where are you currently based?
Now I live in Toronto, but before that I lived in Vancouver, London (England), and Bulgaria, which is where I was born.
How did you first start playing music?
I’ve been in performance groups and choirs since I was a little girl, so I’ve been singing since day one. When I got a little older I started writing poems and such, and then when I joined a band in high school is when I started to dip my toes into actual songwriting.
What’s been happening recently?
It’s been a really exciting, crazy time actually.. Late last year I released a single called “Friends” which ended up charting #13 on the CHR/Top 40 chart in Canada, and it also earned me my first two Billboard chart placements with my own music, which was insane. I’ve been lucky enough to earn a few #1 Billboard Chart plaques for the writing I’ve done in the KPop world (“Black Mamba” by aespa specifically), but when you chart with your own music it really is an entirely different feeling of accomplishment.
Then Amazon Music chose me as their Breakthrough Artist this April and put my face on a big ol’ billboard in downtown Toronto, which coincided with my birthday so it was the absolute best birthday gift I could’ve asked for!
And now I’m releasing a brand new single called “That Song” which I adore because it’s very much a redemption anthem for all the songs that my past relationships have ruined.
Your new single ‘That Song’ is out on August 25th, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
I wrote “That Song” with Ali Milner and Joel Stouffer (who also produced it), and from the get go I knew I wanted to write a feel-good, rhythmic song that makes you want to bounce along. I have this thing where I tend to put lyrics that aren’t necessarily happy on top of bouncy, up-beat instrumentals because I feel like in that way I don’t have to be sappy about whatever I’m going through. For a while I’ve been wanting to write a song about how all my favourite songs have been tainted because they’re so connected to memories of past relationships that now I can’t enjoy them fully. Ali and Joel were totally on the same wavelength as me and I’m so grateful that this song fell into their hands to help craft and shape it into exactly what I wanted it to be.
What does ‘That Song’ mean to you?
It feels very empowering to me because like it says in the song, I get to create new melodies and shape new memories for myself now; free of negative associations of the past. I’m reclaiming the joy that music brings me. It’s very therapeutic, actually.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
Ali, Joel, and I wrote and recorded at Sony Music Studios in Toronto earlier this year, and I instantly fell in love with it and wanted it as my next single. That Song was mastered by Joao Carvalho, who’s also absolutely amazing.
How did you approach the recording process?
We actually originally wrote the song in a slightly lower key than the final version, but when I got in to do the final vocals we decided to play around and take it up a little bit. That ended up being the total right move because it added that extra bit of energy and sparkle.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I am absolutely rinsing Tori Kelly’s new EP “tori”. It’s the perfect EP and I can’t wait for her to release more. When I like something, I absolutely obsess over it and listen to ONLY that, all day, every day, until I throw up.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2023?
I’ve got more music coming this year, music videos, and shows! More to come 🙂
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I could eat tacos and sushi every single day for the rest of my life, and die happy. Now give me that, put a book in my hand, and put me on the new couch I just bought, and you’ve got yourself the happiest camper you could ever imagine. I get wild, I know.
Instagram: @itsniiva
Twitter: @itsniiva
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Website: https://itsniiva.com/
