Words By: Aniya Washington
I talked with Rina Nahri, a Singer/Songwriter based in Las Vegas, Nevada about both of her new singles METAMORPHOSIS and skyline. Read down below on how metamorphosis and Skyline were in the works, and see what she says about creating shouldn’t feel complicated. Rina also grew up with an instrument playing parent then her mom put her and her brother into singing/piano lessons.
A: Hi, Rina, it’s such a pleasure interviewing you. Last time I saw you we did a photoshoot. How has life been treating you since then?
R: Pleasure is mine. Last time I saw you I believe was my 25th birthday so it's been a bit over a year then…lots can happen in a year. & i’ve been riding life’s waves honestly. There’s always some shit going on, always ups & downs and I'm just learning all the time. Life & I have been on pretty good terms overall though.
A: You also have two singles out called “METAMORPHOSIS” and “Skyline”, Skyline is your recent single. What was it like writing, Recording, Engineering, and finishing the songs?
R: Each song was a pretty distinct process I’d say. Each step to get the music out to listeners involved different people. It was dope to present the song to my engineers - all the ones involved in both the recording process & the mixing. When you share music like that w/ others it makes it more real & tangible. when that ball finally gets rolling you gotta really jump on it & keep going til we all come to some sort of completion. like those last 2 songs I truly had written some time ago but a lot of times it’s not until you open up that the magic happens. Like I said, I'm constantly learning…so that’s all it's been for me, such a learning process.
A: Were there any differences or complications in writing lyrics for “METAMORPHOSIS” compared to skyline. What were the differences and why did you choose to make that difference?
R: Hmmm I wouldn’t say complications at all. Creating shouldn’t feel complicated it should just feel like a flow….or like an ebb & flow, a push & pull and of course each process is never gonna be the same as the next you know? mos def both songs are their own thing and I did collaborate with different individuals on each song. Currently, I'm still working on the visuals for Skyline which is pretty different from last time. im taking more of my time w/ it and also taking more things into my own hands this time around. Channeling my inner filmmaker haha. just having fun with it, no rushing & also wanna see how the outcome is if I go this route this time around.
A: When people listen to METAMORPHOSIS do you want them to realize it’s ok to feel different by “Changing” within them and “spreading their wings”. Why did you also make this song, is it personal to you in any way?
R: When people hear my music in general, I definitely wanna transmit nothing but positive energy into their lives. If anyone feels it on a more personal or relatable level, man even better that’s a dream for any artist……I wrote the lyrics with the idea of change in mind. like it’s inevitable and is naturally part of our life cycle as human beings. At the time, I was in between moving a lot, still not being 100% stable with where I was living at the time all while still having to work, raise my kid & balance out time to create. Some of my songs are just self-reminders and metamorphosis definitely feels like one of those.
A: How do you define METAMORPHOSIS in your own words?
R: let life do its thing & own every cycle, every season. Even when you can’t do it anymore.
A: Your recent song skyline, where did you write it and why did you choose that place to write this song precisely?
R: I believe I started the song as a freestyle over some beat I heard online and I made a clip of myself freestyling it, I was sitting in my car parked downtown. It was hella windy out that day. I had just finished a quick test shoot & was just tryna warm up in my car. You can probably find the clip buried somewhere on my instagram feed. And honestly sometimes I can’t pick & choose when/where a song comes to me. when they come, they just come!
A: Where did your passion for music come from? Were you surrounded by music when you were younger?
R: Definitely, grew up around music/musicians. My dad always played the guitar to us and sang a lot. We’re Filipinos so karaoke is a ritual basically lol. I also grew up in a christian church where my cousins & I all learned to play instruments and sing, then when I was about 7-8 I wanna say? My mom put me and my brother through singing/piano lessons.
A: Is more music coming soon?! Possibility of an album maybe?
R: yes!!!!
A: Have you ever thought of going on tour anytime soon, and would you bring someone along also?
R: Always! I'm working towards that. tour would be a dream come true, i know traveling is part of my calling & of course only time will tell. I know I wanna have a beautiful solid team come along!! It would be amazing if my son could be with me!
A: How long did it take to write and record the skyline? Are you also planning to make a music video for it, and how would the visuals be seen?
R: I wrote it in like an hour but didn’t go about producing & recording it til later on. Visuals currently in the editing stage!
A: Coming up with the visuals for Metamorphosis, how did you ask anyone to help you with ideas? Did it take place all in one area or did you have to travel to find spots to shoot at? And why did you choose those certain spots?
R: Bryen & Haley (Brazen Honey Films), the couple that helped put that video together were super open minded & it seemed like before I could even open up my mouth about ideas- they already had a ton of them!!! Which I loved. They don’t usually work on music videos so they told me that it was really nice to do something different for a change. We filmed in multiple spots, each its own element. We were inspired by the different stages of a butterfly’s life cycle- metamorphosis.
A: When you were writing each song, how long did it take to record it? (if you took a long time to record it, answer why it took so long!)
R: Well I recorded METAMORPHOSIS in a few hours as well as skyline, they were recorded on different days though and at 2 different studios.
Thank you Rina for taking the time to talk with me. Can’t wait until more songs are released from you!
R: Thanks for interviewing me :-)
To keep up with Rina and hear her music you can click the links down below.
Spotify: Rina Nahri
Soundcloud: Stream Rina Nahri music
Instagram: ri nahri (@rina.nahri)
Article By: Aniya Washington
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