An Interview with Nizar

Dami: What was your first introduction to music?

Nizar: I’ve always been passionate about music since a very young age. It’s something that I pretty much grew up with, whereas I even wrote my first song at the age of 12. To be honest, there is no clear “introduction” to why I started. It’s just something that had always been a part of my life, and what i’m sure of doing for the rest of my life.

Dami: What then inspired you to start making music?

Nizar: Growing up with YouTube and television, and getting introduced to music at a very young age by watching all these music videos & performances on my family’s PC in the early 2010s had kind of awakened something deep inside of me that made me say “I want to be part of this!” haha. There was a time where I used to always sing at gatherings in front of my family & friends, which I really enjoyed. I used to post a lot of covers to my YouTube channel back in 2019 and I even performed at my school’s festival. I’ve always loved music, but I never took it that seriously actually. Now since I got older, I remembered what I really wanna do with my life and how badly I always wanted this career to somehow become reality. It’s something that I can’t get out of my head and something that I truly know is meant for me. 2 months ago, I finally bought myself my first microphone with the money I’ve saved and since then, it is pretty much the only thing I enjoy doing- recording & writing music. I feel like now is the right time to finally take my passion & career seriously, whereas I finally released my very first single “better (i gave you all my love)” and I am so excited of what’s coming next.

Dami: Even though, you’ve only dropped one single. How would you describe your sound?

Nizar: I usually don’t like to directly categorize myself in specific genres since I am still developing and trying to figure it all out, but I would describe my sound with elements of r&b, neo-soul & pop with a hint of hip-hop.

Dami: Which artists would you say inspired your sound?

Nizar: Oh that’s a good question. I’ve always looked up to R&B artists such as Brent Faiyaz, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Bryson Tiller which are all artists that I kind of look up to and get inspired by. But there’s actually a lot of artists that I listen to and get inspired by. But since I am right in the beginning of my career and only have one song out, I wouldn’t say that my song “got inspired” by any artists particularly

Dami: Speaking of your first single, can you tell us more about it?

Nizar: My first single “better (i gave you all my love)” is about giving your love, trust and time to someone who doesn’t even give you anything back and who doesn’t see what your true values are. It’s about finally letting go and to instead treat yourself better in focusing on YOU.

Dami: Is the single directed to anyone in particular?

Nizar: Even though some people might wonder if this single is directed to a particular person, it is not the case. I think my message in this song is directed to everybody in general, who didn’t treat me the same way as I treated them and who didn’t see me the way I wanted to be seen.

Dami: What was the creative process for this single like?

Nizar: While listening to the beat for the very first time, I knew that it was something I needed to start a song with. I immediately began to hum and scat out melodies & words, trying to figure out what would fit, while also recording my “sing-along” at the same time. Then I would eventually sort out what sounds best and replace the “nonsense” with actual words and sentences that popped up in my head. That is how the lyrics slowly developed. After improvising and looking for what works best, I got a sense of what the song is going to sound like and corrected & re-recorded the vocals until it sounded preferable. Btw there is some improv in some parts of my song, especially during the second verse, which you might slightly hear in the background. 

Dami: What’s next after this single?

Nizar: Oooh, I can’t wait for you guys to hear it!! My next single is very different to my previous single, giving off some summer & afrobeats/pop vibes. That is definetly something for you guys to look out for and you don’t wanna miss out! Snippets and content coming soon.

Dami: You got a date for release?

Nizar: No, the release date isn’t clear yet. But somewhere between the end of July and the beginning of August for sure. TBD.

Dami: What made you select “better” for your first single

Nizar: I’ve actually worked on some other songs during that one, but I just felt like that this song had to be released first, since it is also the first song I completely finished out of all of them, which I was also the most proud of.

Dami: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Nizar: I’m not sure tbh. But I hope to see myself traveling the world, meeting a lot of like-minded and amazing people and to simply be happy, while doing what I love.

Dami: How is it balancing life as a 16 year old while pushing your music?

Nizar: Of course focusing on music while going to school full-time and having a lot of duties going on isn’t always easy. There are days where I don’t really find the time for my music, which kind of saddens me haha. But now since I’m past all my exams and I’m about to go on summer break, I have the opportunity to finally focus on music more. 

Dami: What’s been the most stressful part of being an artist so far?

Nizar: I think making sure that my songs are released in good condition with no “mistakes” occurring when it comes to distribution etc.

Dami: And how do you know when a song is in good condition?

Nizar: When it’s mixed & mastered correctly and it doesn’t distort, and when everything sounds right to me combined with the adlibs, harmonies, timing, layers etc.

Check out better( i gave you all my love) here