Meet R&B Artist Nieah!

Nieah shares the stories behind some of her songs, the ways she hopes to influence the K-R&B scene, and more!

For those who have not heard your music before, how would you describe it to them? How would you finish the sentence “Nieah is ___” or “Nieah’s music is  ___”?  

It is an unfamiliar spice at first, but soon you'll find [it].

Did you always want to be both a singer and a songwriter, or did you start out wanting to do just one of those things? How did you get started?  

At first, I just liked to sing. I accidentally made music, and it was so much fun. I've been doing [both] ever since.  

Please describe your new single, “Not Me”!  

“Not Me” is not [in a] mood that Koreans like, but I wanted to make real R&B, which I like. So I guess I [was] brave enough to give it a try. Thanks to that attempt, I realized that more Koreans like this mood than I thought.  

How has your music evolved since your debut?  

If I was obsessed with the mood [of my music] before, now I focus on the overall sound. I became very interested in vocal effects. For example, I [have] studied a lot of vocal mixing methods used by SZA and Summer Walker.  

Please share some information about each of these songs: 

A song from iamnieah: “Password” is [about] flirting: "If you want to enter my heart, tell me the password." It has a very calm and affectionate atmosphere.  

“Galaxy”: “Galaxy” is a song I made before I let go of my dog. Although it was released after  her death, it is a song expressing love for her. 

“Flex On It”: “Flex On It” is a song I wrote when I was very tired. The lyrics were written with the hope that things would get better quickly, and it was expressed in an exciting mood.  

A song from 1%: “Deserve it” is my favorite song on 1%. [It expresses the] desire to play hard after working hard. 

What has been the most exciting moment of your music career so far?  

It’s the feeling of recognition when [I] get to do an interesting interview like this, and when [I] hear compliments from a great artist. And I [am] very happy when I receive messages from fans saying they are inspired by my music.  

What are the best and worst things about being a musician?

It’s hard to [make] non-mainstream music in Korea. However, I think it's special, because being a big inspiration to someone is not something that just anyone can do. And since I can spend my time however I want, I have a lot of time to travel or relax!

What is the best advice a fellow musician has given you?  

When I was skeptical about [pursuing] R&B music, a colleague gave me strength. In Korea these days, there are many songs in the “R&B” category, even though they are not R&B. Among them, I was told “Nieah's music is real R&B.” At that time, I [was encouraged and] wanted to make better R&B in Korea.  

What is next for you? 

These days, I am interested in dancehall and afrobeats. [I am] working hard to make more enjoyable music!

Lastly, is there anything else you want to say about your music?  

The reason I [have been] able to do music for a long time is thanks to my fans. Thank you for allowing me to work for a long time without giving up. [I] will work harder to live up to your expectations and support.

Follow Nieah and her team on Instagram here, here, and here!

Answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. Photo credit: Instagram.