Kat Harlton
Bulgarian born, England raised, and now Canadian based, Niiva has found her home with music. The singer/songwriter serves up organic modern-pop hymns wrapped up in a digital bow. Spinning relatable stories with a cool and conversational flow, she delivers a sort of lyrical liquid courage in a defiant yet approachable voice.
Niiva recently released her new single “Trigger” and we had the opportunity to chat with her about music, life lessons and what’s next.
Kat: How would you describe your sound? and for those just being introduced to your sound, is there anything you think they should know about your music before getting into it?
Niiva: My sound is throwback R&B vibes wrapped in a digital-pop bow. No prep-work required for new listeners, come as you are and let’s talk about people pushing your buttons and being in love with people you maybe shouldn’t be.
Kat: You recently released your new single “Trigger”. Can you share with us your thought process and inspiration behind the track? and why you felt it was the single you wanted release?
Niiva: I love this song, which may be redundant, but it’s true. I love how dark and eerie it is, and I love the attitude it has. It’s one of the songs off of my upcoming debut EP (excitement) and it just felt like the snippet I wanted to share next. Essentially I wrote it about my partner pushing my buttons when I’m in a mood, and letting him know it’s about to go down. It might have a happy ending for both of us, or you might die, let’s find out.
Kat: You’ve worked alongside some of North-America’s top songwriters and producers including Kuya (Alessia Cara, Christina Aguilera), Jimmy Harry (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears), and Matt Beckley (Camila Cabello, Avril Lavigne) and have shared the stage with incredible international artists such as Shawn Hook and Ria Mae. What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Niiva: There have been so many highlights that I really try to focus on and celebrate along the way because I believe it’s incredibly important to celebrate every win along the way, no matter how big or small. Meeting and working with all of the people you mentioned have all been highlights, and each one of them has taught me something incredible – to not be afraid to jump, to be a better writer, a better singer, a better musician, a better collaborator. If we’re talking specific highlights outside of that, my last single “Love Games” just surpassed 200K streams on Spotify, which is a big thing to me. It means a lot to me that people are receiving it so well.
Kat: Do you have any advice for emerging artists? or have you been given any advice that really made an impact?
Niiva: I would say the thing that has made the biggest impact for me is to not let fear keep me from moving forward. I was scared when I thought about moving to Toronto, leaving family and friends, but I said yes despite the fear and it’s been the best decision possible. I’ve had sessions and opportunities where I’ve been afraid that I would actually have no clue what to do, how to do it, etc. but I said yes anyway, and have surprised myself every single time. As preachy as this might sound, there’s so much more within
you, and so much more that you’re capable of than your fear will let you believe. Just say yes, and figure it out later, honestly.
Kat: How have you been staying connected during Covid-19? What’s next?
Niiva: I’m a pretty social and interactive person naturally, so I feel like I’ve stayed just as socially connected as before – while staying safe and keeping a distance of course – but it just means that much more now. I’ve really felt the value in it even more than before. Coming up next is my debut EP NEXT MONTH!!!! This has been a work in the making for a couple of years now and I could not be more excited to finally be sharing it with everyone!
For more on Niiva visit: http://www.itsniiva.com