Cloudy On The Other Side – NOMINA, AMBASSADOR OF THE UN WORLD PEACE BERLIN, OPENS UP IN OUR INTERVIEW
Nomina, you have just released your new single ‘Fetish Daddy’, which is available worldwide. The YouTube video has already over 1m views.
1. Did you expect such a positive vibe?
I was hoping for a positive vibe of course, but I didn’t expect it to happen this fast.
2. What were your intentions for writing the song “Fetish Daddy”?
My intentions were to write a song, that is not merely to entertain, but to tell a story, send out a message and draw attention to a real issue of sexual abuse and of girls and women being forced into relationships and acts that they do not desire, but also manages to be a fun song to enjoy listening.
3. Have you encountered negative feedback because of the sensitive topic of the song yet?
Yes, at times, some people didn’t want to identify themselves with the topic of the song „Fetish Daddy“ because the song addresses a tabu theme. Most people do not want to be confronted with such.
4. You are performing at the Worldpeace Day in Berlin this year! How did you get into the event?
Yes I’ll be performing at the World Peace Day-Berlin this year because I’ve been appointed as the ambassador of the UN World Peace -Berlin, representing Germany internationally.
5. Are there any memorable moments on stage so far that you want to share with us?
Yes, the time when I performed with the roots warriors at reggae in Wulf, Germany and pulled the crowd, without us having rehearsed.
The other time when I performed at a charity Gala in London, where by I had to keep on repeating the high notes in order for people donate more money for charity.
6. You grew up in Botswana. Are there any African elements that you usually incorporate into your songs?
Yes I grew up in Botswana. I like to fuse modern music with traditional Southern African elements that is why I also work with some producers ( beat makers) from Botswana so I do not loose touch with my roots. I was born Zimbabwe, so both countries have an impact on my my African elements.
7. You currently live in Germany. Are there any plans for you go back to Botswana someday?
Germany has become my home and am proudly German, though Botswana will always remain my home too since I grew up there, So yes I love both counties and wouldn’t mind living in either one of them.
8. You also write your own songs. At what age did you write your first one?
I started writing lyrics and melodies at a very tender age as soon as I was able to read & write. I think at the age of 8, i’d use text books as lyrics and make a song out of that.
9. Do you remember the first line of your very first own written song?
Yes „Every time am wondering i look at you and me, Sometimes when I look up the sky I imagine you and me by the waters of the sea so come back and do me right coz you know I’d never do you wrong, Come back coz you know we are right for each other…etc.
10. By what music were you influenced when you grew up?
I listened to a lot of gospel music, RnB, Soul, Kwaito, Reggae and many more.
11. Do you play any instruments? If so, which one was your first one that you learned to play?
My instrument is my voice. I can play a bit of percussion though.
12. Since you are writing your own songs, can you explain your creative process?
Usually, an idea crosses my mind and i record it on my phone so I do not forget the idea. I then find some time to write the lyrics and the melody, if I feel like I am ready then I record the whole idea on garage band and send it to my producer who then creates a suitable beat or instrumentals based on my melodies. We work together till we are both happy with the results. After this I go to a professional studio and record the song. At times it’s vise versa, I receive a beat and I write the lyrics and create melodies to it.
13. What are the principles of songwriting for you?
It is important to have an idea and an imagination of the story you want to tell. Don’t bother about the structure of the song first. Put down on paper whatever you feel at that moment. All will fall into place later on.
14. Is there a hidden message in your songs?
Not really because I want people to understand the story behind my song.
15. What do you think are elements of a hit single?
Oh thus a difficult question, I guess. I think it is not easy to tell if a song can be a hit or not because they are so many great songs out there but they are not necessarily hits, but on the contrary, I believe a hit song has to have a catchy tune, which most people can relate to.
16. Who is producing your songs?
I produce most of my songs with Orchidan Waworka based in Germany, but I also work with some producers like Rekesh Dukaloo from Holland.
17. How would you describe the music you typically create?
It is a blend of electronic composition, with African tribal special sounds. It´s something quite unique, I think. It is a sound that doesn’t necessarily have a specific genre although I would describe it as future experimental Afro Pop with house-electro elements and at times reggae elements too. I like to fuse modern music, like (Pop/ RnB) with traditional Southern African elements. It could be in the form of instrumentals and/or just using my African languages like Setswana, Ndebele or Kalanga, as well as English. I always try to push the African sounds upfront to give them emphasis.
18. If it wasn’t for your music career, what would you wanted to become growing up?
An actress or tv presenter.
19. You released 5 singles so far, which of your songs do you personally feel is your best one and why?
Mhhh.. I love all my songs, I don’t think it’ll be fair to choose, I feel like each song has it’s own character, so that makes it a bit difficult to choose the best. What I have realised though, is that my voice has definitely improved within these last 3 years.
20. What part of making music do you find most creative and why?
Working on a song idea and watch it develop into a full great song and of course writing video scripts, being at set playing the role or character you imagined. I’d say the creation and production process is the most creative for me.
21. To break into the music business can become demanding. What do you find most challenging as an artist?
The thing is, everybody wants to sing nowadays, wether talented or not, the market is packed with great music and very bad music, so to really make it as an Artist you need to work hard on your self and your talent. You have to be outstanding and recognizable, be patient and a bit of luck might do too. You must be strong to hear that NO so often, take in criticism. The often changing and updates of digital platforms is also a big challenge especially if you’re an independent Artist, it is a forevermore learning process.Oh not to forget the financial challenging part, music production, music promotion, marketing etc all this need to be financed.So it is a very big challenge for many up coming artists.
22. If you could bring back any musicians from the past to work with, which one would you choose and why?
That would be Miriam Makeba and Aaliyah. These two because I feel like, if their music were to be fused, then something similar as my music would emerge. Just a thought. I love the kind of music each of them made, very different. Mariam Makeba had this typical African sounds while Aaliyah did con-temporal RnB.
23. You have planned an album release called „I FOUND MY SELF” in 2020. What is the main message and the story for this one?
Nomina means „I’ve found myself.“ I was a teenager when I lost both my parents so I’ve been aware of my mission and that is to motivate disadvantaged people, give them hope, hence my slogan „ Inspiring For Change“
Thus why my Album takes us on a journey through passion, fun, misery, pain, hope and love. On the album I share my soul with the world.
24. Germany is one of the largest music industries in the world. What do you think about the German music market?
It is great that Germany is one of the largest music industries in the world, since I live in Germany now, it is an opportunity for me to test the market and try to establish my music career also in Germany.
Thank you for your time and good luck with the release!
Link to article: https://cloudyontheotherside.claudiaerecords.com/blog-postsfeatures/new-single-release-by-nomina-fetish-daddy