INTERVIEW WITH ... BRITISH POP-R&B SONGSTRESS NIKITA BASSI

Nikita Bassi is a British Pop-R&B Singer whose latest single "Rescue" from her upcoming SATIN EP is drawing critical acclaim. The song features lots of bright world percussion inspired by her Punjabi-Indian roots intertwined haunting cathedral organ as it talks about a toxic relationship. Nikita Bassi's SATIN EP is due out on September 19th and I got a chance to discuss that with her, music inspirations, social media, and much more in this interview below.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I always start off with a fun icebreaker question. So Twizzlers or Red Vines?

NIKITA BASSI: Feeling really British right now but I researched and I’m going to guess I’d prefer twizzlers. 

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: For my readers of The Reclusive Blogger that may not know about you Nikita can you tell us how you got started as a singer and songwriter? 

NIKITA BASSI: I always loved writing poems, songs and stories as a kid. Music was always huge passion whether that was playing piano, singing or listening to music. I moved to London after school to study it full time and then just started to explore my own sound.

TRB: I love the EP and the melding of genres. Can we start off and talk about the creative and recording process for "SATIN"? 

NB: Thank you. I wrote/‘produced’ Satin a few years ago on my laptop in my bedroom. It was extremely distorted, the vocals weren’t even done with a proper microphone, just through my laptop and headphones. It was a shambles but I knew there was a song in there and Cores (who built on my homemade tracks to produce the Satin EP) felt a click with Satin as soon as he heard it. We both knew it was the first track, so we worked on it first, but in his studio this time. I got better at production after writing Satin but I’ve still got nothing on Cores.

TRB: Do you normally come up with the melodies or lyrics first?

NB: Usually I play around with the melodic/instrumental side before I add lyrics. But as I like writing poems, there are often lyrics lying around that I’ve been hoping to use in a song, if the words and the music happen to connect.  Although sometimes I will sing a line I’ve had in my head or one random lyric, then put an effect on it and built music around that. That’s how I started when writing ‘Satin.’

TRB: What song on SATIN do you feel was the most difficult to write and come together?

NB: There’s a song on the EP called New Love which had a mad structure. It was more of a little experimental floaty thing I made for fun and liked, but it needed some sense of order. The problem is, once I’ve got a track in my head a certain way, it’s quite hard to hear it any differently, so it took a bit of adjusting to. 

TRB: Is there a lyric off the SATIN EP that speaks to you the most currently?

"You left your mark with the softest scars"

Nikita Bassi

Nikita Bassi

TRB: Switching gears a bit... If you could live in any fictional universe, which would you choose and why?

NB: I just asked my friend and she said a world with no racism, harassment and crime. But I’d also hope we can all fly and everyone has dogs. 

TRB: If you could collaborate with any artist past or present who would you collab with and why?

NB: Nelly Furtado - she’s consistently made songs I love throughout my life, while exploring different styles but still keeping her sound. I love that. 

TRB: What artists and bands have been “On Repeat” on your playlists recently? 

NB: Billie Eilish, Lyves, Yasmin Leigh, The Hunna, KYRI, Lana Del Rey, Jorja Smith.

TRB: In what part do you feel that social media has played in your growth as an artist? Do you think social media is something that hampers artists as whole or is there a middle ground?

NB: At times it can feel pretty self indulgent, at times it can feel like fun. It’s cool to share music, ideas, pictures, sounds your vision etc, but I think there’s definitely a line - I don’t want to be someone that’s glued to my phone. 

TRB: And what is next on the horizon for you, Nikita?

NB: EP release is two weeks today (19th September,) I’m playing a couple of shows in the next couple of months. Working on new music, just seeing where the wind takes me. I’m just really enjoying putting music out into the world.

Be sure to stream Nikita's SATIN EP when it drops on September 19th and check out her current single "Rescue" out now.

https://open.spotify.com/album/4hnbMxi0HncLg44tSWQOMl?si=axz2o3LXQsCjGvyoH2yUdA

Nikita Bassi // Socials

Soundcloud // Instagram

Until then,

Brittney x

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