What is your names?
My name is Nív

What is your genre of music?
Folk/singer songwriter

Give us a little bio about you.’
I’m Nív and I’m an Irish Singer songwriter from Kildare. I began my solo music career a little over a year ago. Since Covid began, I’ve had more free time on my hands and have been busy writing a lot of new songs and working on some exciting projects. My new single “Home” (will be released on the 26th March) will be my 3rd single that I’ve released in this pandemic. Music has given me something to focus on and has gotten me through a very tough year ; so I always hope that my music will help someone through some difficult times

What made you go into music?
My family are hugely into music so I was surrounded by it all my life. My dad is a musician and plays many instruments. My mam has great taste in music and introduced me to the likes of Joan Armatrading and Joni Mitchell. My brothers and sisters are all great singers and musicians so I had a lot of inspiration growing up. I would say that that inspiration is what drew me to music.

Who are your influences?
My family are a huge influence on me music wise. I always really love Joni Mitchell and her style of lyricism. I also admire artists like Damien Rice. I went to see him play live when I was a child and fell in love with his genre of music.

Are you a signed?
No I’m an independent artist.

Your new single ‘Home’ is set to release, tell us more about the single.
‘Home’ is a song that was written during the very first Covid Lockdown. The song was created under circumstances of uncertainty and but its message is still of hope and resilience. The song uses warm descriptions of home as a distraction from pain and anguish.
The lyrics of the song mirror what many people are going through at this time. They epitomise people’s need for safety and familiarity and a want for finding “our way back home”.

What is the meaning behind the single?
This song has ended up meaning quite a lot to me. It was written during the very first lockdown and so you could say it’s a gateway into my mind and what it was feeling at that time. As a result of the pandemic, I think that people haven’t been able to make it back home to see family and friends. I think as well everyone is missing what life was like before all of this began. Those kinds of feelings are where this song came from. It’s an echo of the warm nostalgic feeling that goes hand in hand with memories of home.”

Who did you work with on the single?
I worked with Stephen Lovatt from Little Wolf Records on this single. He really brought the piece to life. With his production, the song was given a warm homely feeling and I am delighted with the finished product.

Describe the track in two words.
Nostalgic hope.

What was the writing and recording process like?
I remember when I was writing this song, I sat down at the piano and began playing the chords and the song just came out. I guess it’s just what was going on in my head at the time. I wasn’t able to travel home at the time due to the restrictions and I was also longing to go back to life before covid. The lyrics mirror this feeling. The recording process was unusual but brilliant. The process has changed completely now due to covid. We weren’t able to spend the same amount of hours in studio. However, working with Stephen was brilliant. We worked a lot through Zoom and his professionalism really made the process so much easier!

Will we see a video for Home’ and if so what can we expect?
Yes, the video for “Home” is nearly completed and it will be out a month after the Single’s release.

Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect from it?
Yes, I am currently narrowing down the tracks for my debut EP. It’s so hard to choice which tracks to put on it because I think the newer songs you write are going to be your favourite but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are the strongest ones. I’m really looking forward to being able to show people a wider variety of my music though!

What else can we expect in 2021?
Hopefully, a debut EP. I’m also praying that things open back up even slightly so that I can do a some live gigs for my followers. Fingers crossed that will be possible during the summer.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Signed to a really lovely and supportive label and gigging around the world … hopefully!

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
You are what you believe yourself to be.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
1. My piano pedal
2. My phone
3. My lipstick and lip liner
4. my lucky ring (given to me by my mam)
5. Water

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram
Facebook
Spotify