Nyanda of Brick & Lace is back, this time without her sister and with a whole new sound. She opens up to Yomi Adegoke about the virtues of going solo, pre-performance nerves and why her heart belongs to Africa.
What is it like being back after such a long absence?
It’s exciting being back in the arena. The thing is, me and Nailah [her sister and band member in Brick and Lace] never stopped touring. We were always doing shows, we’ve always kept busy. I think we were more off the radar because we formed a company called Bloodlines, which was me and four sisters and we started to write. So we took some time off to focus on that. But during that time we worked with Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Christina Milian- so there was a lot of behind the scenes things that were happening with us that I feel maybe a lot of people don’t know about. And especially with our African fans- we always stayed doing shows for them. But I think that now I’m back on my own I have a new fire, a new energy. It’s new again. It’s easy to go on autopilot as an artist so I think working on a solo project is like a whole new world to conquer. And that to me is very exciting.
What prompted you to go solo?
Nailah and I talked about it a lot. We did our last performance together in Congo in December last year and on the plane back we were like ‘Listen, we’re going into 2013. Let’s make a clean break, let’s work on solo projects’. Nailah was interested in doing interior design and other things in her personal life. And I felt it was necessary for me. We’ve been together for so long, we’re sisters- we’re like batty and bench. We’re always together. Sometimes you need to spread your wings. You need to breath. For me, I needed to express myself without having to compromise. If I had a creative decision I wanted to execute and Nailah didn’t like it, it couldn’t work- I had to park it. It was something I definitely wanted to do for a long time.
Do you miss your sister when performing?
I did my first show in Russia solo and I had lot of nerves about it going in. But once I was on the stage I didn’t think about it. I do miss her, the way you’d miss a friend but I’m so focused on me right now. It just felt natural when I was performing alone.
How is being a solo artist different to being in a band?
Well you don’t have to split the money in half! [Laughs]. It’s better. I still have a great team that I work with called Black Lion so I still get to collaborate. But I’m leading the ship. It’s my vision. And that is what motivates me. I know this is my thing so the buck stops here. I do still collaborate with my sisters sometimes but I’m running the show now, so I just do what I’m feeling as an artist, and that’s the best thing about going solo. You just get to express your whole self into your sound. And that’s what I’m enjoying.
Love is Wicked and Bad To Di Bone were huge successes- Have you changed at all since them?
I have to let the fans know that Nyanda is still Nyanda from Brick & Lace, because those who liked me from Brick & Lace are the same people I expect to like me now that I’m solo and listen to what I have to say now. So I’m definitely still bringing that flavour I brought on Love Is Wicked, still that flavour I brought on Bad To Di Bone, but with growth. I have grown creatively, so you will still get that essence of Nyanda you knew from Brick & Lace, but to the 100th power.
Your remix to Taylor Swift’s Trouble was very successful- what made you choose to do your own rendition of that song?
When I heard the song I said it had a reggae flavour to it. I liked the chorus. There was something about the song- I was feeling it. My producer Black Lion produced the dancehall track and I said, ‘Let’s say that I’m the one coming to cause the trouble, not the guy. Let’s flip it and say you knew I was trouble.’ And to me, its to let the people know that, see me? I’m here to cause some trouble!
Any more remixes we can look forward to?
It was just a one off- I don’t want to say that I’m going to become a remix artist because that’s definitely not the plan. I’m done with that for now. We’re on to Slippery When Wet, we’re on to Footprints. I think it was a good launching pad, but my thing is not about that. It was a good stepping stone for me and I’m just taking it from there. I want to give the fans good music and I want to keep the music coming. I think that’s how the game is now- you have to be very aggressive. I have on my boxing gloves, I’m ready.
For those who haven’t heard Slippery When Wet yet, what would you say the song is about?
It’s naughty but playful. It’s teasing. It’s a fun, flirty song and even has some comedic elements. Fun, quirky and sexy. I like that song.
What was it like working with big industry names like Lauryn Hill, Will.I.Am and Akon? Is it hard to keep up?
Where would you say you enjoy performing most?
I love going to Africa. I don’t know why. I’m a deep thinker and I always like to wonder, ‘God, you really want me in Africa don’t you?’ There is something about it that just connects with me when I’m there. When I’m there I like to visit orphanages- I feel like it keeps me real, being in the Motherland. Coming from Jamaica, we have an attachment to Africa. That’s where it all originated. I love my fans there, but I love my fans everywhere because ultimately we’re building the Nyatribe. That’s what I call my fans. And it’s all about being the best version of yourself and I want to inspire my fans to be the best version of themselves. God put something in everybody. If you have a dream, if you have a desire, God put it in you because he knows you can do it. It wouldn’t be there if you couldn’t to begin with. If you can’t sleep at night because you see yourself doing something, it’s because that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. Anywhere I connect with people is a blessing and I’m very grateful for the success of Trouble right now in the UK. Brick & Lace was never really able to come to the UK properly, so I want to come and jam with you. I want to feel the vibe here.
Who would you like to collaborate with now?
I have been blessed to work with a lot of talented people. Right now, I’m just taking it day by day. I like to allow life to unfold and enjoy the surprises. I just worked with an artist in Russia, who just called me and I’d never heard of him. He just flew me over this week, and he’s huge in Russia and many many European countries. He’s so talented and he brought me into his world. I didn’t set out to work with him. So I’m just enjoying the journey. I’m sure there’s a lot of talented artists out there. I think Kanye West is very talented and there are many people in the game that are very talented, but I don’t if its for me. If you listen to Footprints I say ‘what is mine is mine’. I just feel like what God has for you, is for you. Maybe that is the Aries in me, I kind of allow things to happen naturally.
Do you feel like your spirituality has helped get you where you are today?
I think spirituality is important for us all, but at the end of the day its about love. I’ve found out God is love. When you’re clear with everything and have love at the centre of you’re being, that is when you’re going to be happiest. So right now I’m definitely about positive energy and moving forward. Negative energy? Mi bun it. Mi shun it. I do think that’s important for me. It’s just love. Love and positive vibes.
You’ve also written for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera- which is your first love, writing or performing?
Performing. That’s the best thing for me. It’s funny because I can still get nervous when I go on. I’m like ‘What are these nerves? Why am I getting nervous right now? I don’t like this!’. But its a part of it. You may be nervous before but you still go on. Every time you do it, you feel stronger. When you go up there you realise; what the heck was I nervous about? I think these little things are healthy so that when you overcome it you have that victory. I feel like performing is where I come alive. I love writing and even the recording process, but I would say performing because that is where you connect with the people. You can’t connect with the people in a recording studio, it’s a mind thing. You have to be an actor, put yourself in a frame of mind. So definitely performing.
What can we expect from your future releases?
Well as you can see, I have a lot of songs but a good amount of quality songs, because I do believe in quality over quantity. Footprints took me a while to write. I wrote it in pieces. Some songs you write fast, but some songs are so special with the message you have to take a little more time to craft it. So what the fans can hopefully expect and what I expect from me, is just good quality records and I just want to feed the fans the music as much as I can. I want to be here to stay. I want to be here for the long haul. I’m really in this and I want the fans to know that. And I think I have to earn back their trust, I have to earn back their respect. That’s what I’m trying to do right now through the music. I write my own music so I don’t have the luxury of someone just writing a song for me. A lot of my music is personal to me, even when it’s a sexy record- it’s personal! I want the fans to know I’m going to be coming back with music that I’m feeling and I hope they can come along with me on this journey that I’m on now.