Photography © Estelle Mithra
Photography © Estelle Mithra
"Music is an unlimited mission,
that’s what makes me the happiest."
"Music is an unlimited
mission, that’s what makes
me the happiest."
A Rap & A Cup Of Tea had the chance to meet Nadjee, this artist who captivates the French public thanks to his bangers made of R’n’B and Afro sounds. This young man, with a voice as seductive as his songs, straight from the north of Paris, opened up about his journey and desire for success.
The artist, who made a hymn to Kylian Mbappé during the summer football World Cup, was very comfortable answering our questions with spontaneity and humour. This 24-year-old artist stayed true to himself in this interview, where he agreed to reveal many things about his playful and surprising personality.
Tell us more about you, Nadjee!
I come from a musician's family. Everyone makes music at home, whether it’s my sister, parents, or cousins. I have had a close relationship with music for as long as I can remember. I'm a born singer. (laughs) When I went to high school, I decided to choose the musical path, which means that in the morning, I went to school like the other students, but in the afternoon, I went to the Conservatory of Romainville near Paris, where I played different instruments.
What about beatmaking – this art in which you excel now?
I was still a teenager when my dad gave me his old drum machine, and that’s when it all started. Then I tested beatmaking software, and I have never stopped creating since then. So it was quite at the same time.
So... nothing has changed since then?
Not really, I’m still the same person who does what he likes and tries to change things. (laughs).
You've always been in music, studying musical theory, trumpet, drums, stage expression, etc. Have you always known from childhood that you wanted to stay in this industry, or was it more like a hobby?
I’ve always enjoyed making music and never had any doubts about it. Music is my whole life, and there’s nothing else I like to do as much. Music is an unlimited mission in my conception - that’s what makes me the happiest.
I saw that you started making videos of beatmaking in 2015, and then in 2016, you posted ‘Voyager’, which was an immediate success. How did you decide to go from composition to interpretation?
I have always composed since my teenage years, and my problem is that I have always kept my compositions to myself, without ever releasing them. One day, a friend of mine decided to film me, but at the core, it was just to release my work on social networks, so I started with ‘ORBEAT’. My people who always knew I was singing encouraged me to release my songs to show what I was capable of. It’s hard for an artist in 2018 to succeed and break into the music industry without going through a record company.
You referred to that in your last release ‘Zumba’ when you said ‘‘I want views’’.
I think it’s like anything in life: yes, it’s hard. (laughs) No matter what you do, if you want to prove that you are the best in your field, you must be driven and always stay determined. That's why it’s essential to do what you love in life.
How would you describe your music?
Wow, that’s an impossible question! (laughs) Some people say I sing, others will say I rap. In urban music, there's so much variety... Hip-Hop is a musical style with different variations as well. Let’s say that my music has a great Hip-Hop influence, mixed with Afro and Latin sounds for the rest, and I'll let people judge by themselves. (laughs)
Did labels seek to change you as an artist?
We often think about labels trying "to shape you" but it didn't happen with me. The truth is that young people today do not pay enough attention to what is written on their contracts; they are not business savvy enough. (laughs) It's every kid’s dream to make money while making music. It’s easy money, you know. So, when labels ask them to change some things, they're lost and confused because they don't understand what’s happening. A contract is something that has to be negotiated, and we shouldn't let someone change our image or our core personality. But I do think that's different now. We all make songs on the internet trying to show what we are capable of, and I think the label's role has evolved, too. They're here to give us the financial support we lack.
How did you come up with the idea of making a song about Mbappé, a football player who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
On Instagram, I have launched a small series of videos called ‘Inspiration of the Day’, where I show the evolution of a song: from its beginning until the moment I record my voice. Honestly, I don’t know what made me do it. (laughs) I always do theme songs where I tell stories, and there, I feel inspired by this guy. It's as if I had found myself in him, in his driven attitude and his mastery of what he likes to do. Him, with football, and myself, with music.
You often talk about women in your songs... The question that every girl asks themselves and none of the rappers ever answered is: When you write a song about love... do you have someone in mind?
It depends on the artist, I guess. (laughs) Personally, I'm not a fake storyteller, so when I talk about a woman, I genuinely speak about her. Sometimes, I put myself in someone else's shoes, so it has nothing to do with my own story. (laughs)
Are you working on an album at the moment?
For now, I'm focused on ‘Universe’, the project I launched a few months ago, which featured my latest songs ‘Kamikaze’ and ‘Dans 100 ans’. The album will follow, I think.
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