ON OUR RADAR : NIA CHENNAI, THE NEO-SOUL SONGSTRESS TAKING OVER YOUR FYP

who: nia chennai

genre: neo-soul/r&b

where: south london

Nia Chennai has mastered the art of making self-respect sound sweet. Kicking off 2023 with ‘Since We Ain’t Together’, Nia made a diligent effort to get her music out there by promoting the song daily on TikTok, grabbing her audience with the lyrics “I’ve been running through your mind / I’m so damn tired.” The melodic guitar riffs combined with ambient sounds gave Nia’s charming vocals a dreamy landscape to spill her thoughts about an ex-boyfriend. It’s as if a diary entry has come to life, especially when she gets to the second verse and starts rapping poetically. This landed her over 300K streams and she then went on to support Ojerime on tour.

Nia’s music feels a lot like some of the music we heard growing up in the UK, she’s got the wittiness of Lily Allen and lush melodies reminiscent of Corinne Bailey Rae. When you press play you instantly feel hit with a wave of nostalgia.

Follow up single ‘See It Through’ has a drifting melody that partners with her soft, soulful tone to make the sonic sound like a daydream. She contemplates a potential lover and shows off her ability to riff and run.

Her latest single ‘Wasting Time’ contains an upbeat tempo that allows her to tap into a rhythmic hip-hop flow while she relays all the ways she’s been done dirty in a toxic relationship. She seamlessly transitions from the rapper-like flow into soft, honeyed vocals

Nia Chennai’s been running through our minds, and we’ll never get tired. Her debut EP, ‘Diary Is A Waste Of Paper’ is set for release later this year.

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