Where are you currently based?
I am an artist based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have been here for the last 13 years, and have loved developing as an artist here.
How did you first start playing music?
I first started playing music because my dad had an acoustic guitar in the house. I taught myself how to play using tabs from popular songs, and eventually started writing my own songs.
What’s been happening recently?
Recently I was awarded the SOCAN Foundation HER Award. It is an award given out to two female-identifying artists in all of Canada for their accomplishments within their careers. It was really cool and I was very honoured.
Your new single ‘Awakening’ will be released on April 1, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
“Awakening” is one of those songs that went through the most work to get to where it ended up. It started out as more of a downtempo afrobeat song, but definitely evolved into this anthem about standing in your light and owning your space.
How did you go about writing ‘Awakening’?
When I started writing “Awakening” I had the verses all flushed out already. It was more of a rap sing kind of feel, that I haven’t really explored before. And then when we finally figured out the feel of the song and the chorus, the lyrics and melody came and fit in there so well.
Where and when did you record/produce/master?
I started the song in my apartment in September 2021, but then went to Los Angeles in October to finish working on it with producer Matt Parad (Selah Sue, Will Joseph Cook). We did a bunch of songs together over a 2-week span, and then I had it mastered in Toronto, by Grammy-nominated João Carvalho.
How did you approach the recording process?
With this project I was very hands on. Everything started from an inspiration nugget that I started by myself, and usually ended up writing the first verse and chorus. And then once I was confident in that I would send it to my producer, and he would flush out the production, and give me a song structure to allow me to finish writing the lyrics. We definitely got the songs mostly done, before I went to LA to record lead vocals and finish production. I then recorded the backing vocals in my apartment when I got back home in November. The rest was such a blur but it was all mixed and mastered by mid-December.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
My usual go to’s are Nothing but Thieves or Sam Fender, but I have a Spotify playlist that I updated each month, with new discoveries and songs that I’m loving. At the top of that list currently are Young Franco feat Pell, Sycco, Royce Wood Junior and Wolf Alice to name a few.
What do you like to do away from music?
To be honest this is something that I am working on – actually having a life outside of music. However, I really enjoy watching movies, or being outside on my grandparent’s farm with their horses.
What’s planned for 2022?
2022 is going to be filled with tons of new music! I’m super excited to be able to kick off this new era of Nuela Charles songs that are the most reflective of who I am as a person and an artist.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Fave food would definitely be Mexican. And I really like hanging out at home – is that weird? If I’m not working – I like to chill because I know how it feels to be super busy and always on the go, and I’m definitely slowly heading into that season, so I’ll take couch nights while I can!
Website: http://www.
Twitter: @nuelacharles
Facebook: /nuelacharles
Instagram: @nuelacharles
