December 2, 2025 • 20 mins
What does it take to blend the rich traditions of jazz music with contemporary pop influences? Join us on this episode of takin' a walk as host Buzz Knight dives deep into the indie music journey with the incredibly talented Italian American jazz pop artist, Niia.. In this captivating conversation, Niia unveils the heartfelt journey behind her fifth studio album, "V," sharing insights that resonate with anyone passionate about music history and the creative process.
As we explore Naya’s musical evolution, she reflects on her inspirations from legendary figures like Ella Fitzgerald and how their legacies continue to shape her artistry. This episode of takin' a walk offers a unique glimpse into the balance she strikes between honoring traditional jazz roots and embracing modern sounds, creating a bridge that connects diverse genres. Niia emphasizes the importance of collaboration and trusting her instincts, revealing the emotional depth that fuels her work.
Listeners will appreciate Niia's candid discussion about her unique experiences navigating the music industry, her cultural identity, and her ambitious aspirations, including her dream of scoring films. Buzz Knight music, as always, brings his signature style to the table, guiding the conversation to uncover the inside music stories that make Niia's journey so compelling.
This episode is not just an interview; it's a heartfelt exploration of what it means to be an artist in today's world. Whether you're a fan of jazz music, pop, or simply love musician interview podcasts, this episode of takin' a walk is sure to inspire and entertain. Tune in as we delve into the emotional and artistic layers of Niia's music, and discover how she navigates the indie music journey and complexities of her craft, all while staying true to herself.
Don't miss out on this enriching episode filled with insights, passion, and the essence of creativity. Join us on takin' a walk with Buzz Knight, and immerse yourself in the stories that shape our musical landscape. Available now on iHeartPodcasts and wherever you get your podcasts!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk. This record was all about everyone together,
obviously about me, but it was much more than that.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Buzznight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast.
Now they say good things come in fives, and for
the artists by the name of Naya, that couldn't ring
more true. The Italian American jazz pop provocateurs pouring out
her fifth studio album, V Like one of her signature slow,
sultry melodies. After years of experimenting where electronic dreams meet
(00:32):
jazz tradition, She's returned to her first love with an
album The New York Times might describe as a slow
pore worth savoring. We'll talk to Naya next on Taking
a Walk. Taking a Walk. Hi, Naya, welcome to the
Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We like to open with this question. I wish there
was some dispenseful music to lead up to the question.
But anyway, now, if you could take a walk with
somebody living or dead, who would you take a walk
with and where would you take that walk?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
That's a great question. I think I would take that
walk right now, maybe with Ella Fitzgerald. I think I'd
want to take a walk with her right now. I
think she'd be a good one.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, where do you think you'd go?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I think I would take her. I mean it'd be
fun to just walk through New York City with her.
I think just through from downtown to uptown. Maybe just
just go straight and see where we go.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah. Do you ever recall seeing the commercial she used
to do, the glass breaking commercial?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
No, but that sounds amazing. I need to see that.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
You got to see if you could find that, it's
probably available. But yeah, it was an incredible demonstration of
the power of her voice and her personality. For sure,
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, I mean I think she's, you know, gone through
so much nothing but FaZe her walking down the streets
of New York like I could get some wisdom out
of her.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I agree. Now, did you grow up in Boston?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I did. I grew up grew up right outside of Boston,
but I went to school in Newton and did a
lot of music stuff that was kind of in the
Boston area.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So what part of Boston did you grow up?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I grew up right outside in Needham, maybe like twenty
minutes from the city, and oh yeah, went to school
in Newton.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
This is all the territory where i'mm I'm outside of Boston, actually,
the next town over from Conquered.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Oh amazing, Conquered, so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, so we've got the Boston roots.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
This is great. So congratulations on your fifth album, Thank you.
And you've said that this is your most personal album
to date. What did you learn about yourself and the
make and of the record that you didn't know before.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I think something I learned with this one especially was
just I knew when to keep going and I kind
of knew when to stop. I think that was something
I struggled with in the past. You know, because when
you work with so many people, you take into account
their time and their energy and just how the music
(03:27):
shapes itself and leads, and you know, you have a
certain certain amount of days and studios you kind of
want to get it all done and you think you
might have it. But I really trusted myself this time,
and there were definitely moments where I was like, I'm
not sure this is going to work, but I really
did show up and kind of decide no, I have
(03:47):
to see this through, and that was really important for me.
So I'm proud of myself for kind of deciding when
it was time to be done and when it was complete,
which I don't usually do. I usually listen to other
people a little bit more, but this one, I really
I was the boss.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, you work with Spencer Zohn and Lawrence Rothman, and
I know Lawrence's work. I don't know Spencer's work, but
Lawrence's work. I know because I've had Amanda Shiers on
the podcast a couple of times. Yeah, I know. She
just absolutely adores working with Lawrence and sort of really
(04:24):
gets pushed by Lawrence into these great places. Tell me
about the different energies that Spencer and Lawrence brought to
you into this project.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I mean, they're both such heavy hitters. You know. Lawrence,
he's been doing this for a while. I remember, you know,
his artist desography is incredible. I think he's one of
the best songwriters living personally, and he was the one
that really encouraged me to make my you know, Naya
Jazz album. And he he's cutthroat, he's brutally honest, and
(04:56):
he's radically determined, you know, and he he loves a
challenge and he has this way where he really knows
how to guide you, but not lead in a sense.
And you know, he worked with a lot of women,
which I really like. And he's funny, but you know,
he means business. You know, can't you can't kind of
bring your B minus with him. You got to show
(05:18):
up and work hard. But he's really easy to collaborate with.
And I usually tend to write specifically with females, and
it wasn't really a choice. It just kind of happened naturally.
I think, maybe because I'm so emotional and we just
kind of all gathered together. But Lawrence and I he
really helped me with my lyrics, which was a real gift,
(05:39):
you know. And Spencer is a bit more I want
to say, you know, he's he's I think from Massachusetts too,
but he's newer to the scene. He's more in the
ambient jazz, kind of more emotional melodic side, and he
had just the sensibility to know what was kind of
missing from maybe the stuff me and Lawrence had worked on,
(06:02):
and just the three of us kind of found this
perfect pairing of how to balance everything and give it
all the colors that we needed. And working with Spencer's
great too. He's a bit more emotional quiet, you know,
So it's the best of both. Lawrence walks in with
a cowboy hat yelling at me, and then Spencer's more like,
tell me about your feeling. So I got kind of
(06:22):
the ying and yang of the best balance.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
How much of working with a great producer is like
a therapy session.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Oh my gosh, it's only therapy, really, you know, and
it's the best, you know, everyone, I really believe in collaboration.
I think sometimes being an artist, you're so you have
to be kind of all about yourself, but you can
lose perspective of how it sounds or you know, I'm
so determined to make the lyric make sense for me.
(06:54):
It has to be true to me. So it's nice
to have other people to bounce ideas off of, or
you know, stop me if I'm spiraling in ways that
aren't serving myself musically or as the artist. So, yes,
they've heard a lot of therapy stuff from me.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Probably Now, who taught you the art of collaboration?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think that was just jazz growing up, And you know,
I studied classical piano and then started doing jazz and
was thrown into some jazz ensembles in Newton, Cambridge, and
I think it was just so vital to understand, especially
as the singer of a band, to listen to the
other players. And I think that's where a collaboration. I
(07:36):
think you're as good as the people you surround yourself with.
And I also don't want to do it all alone,
you know, And this record was all about everyone together,
obviously about me, but it was much more than that.
So I think it just kind of happened naturally where
I knew I wanted to just continue to be around
people that were better than me or that could really
challenge me to help my music grow.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
What are some of your favorites to listen to jazz?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Chet Baker gets me every time. I love Chet Baker.
You know, Ella Fitzgerald I used to love just because
I was such a you know, student of jazz and vocally,
you know, she's one of the top pinnacles of accuracy.
You know. All her scatting was something I, you know,
would transcribe in college and things like that. So I
(08:24):
listened to her a lot. Chet Baker, Blue and Green,
just the song Blue and Green I'd listen to forever so.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And any particular places that you would go to take
in jazz, whether like, let's just say in New York
City is an example.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, in New York City there were so many places,
you know, there was the Vanguard, the Blue Note, the
fifty five bar, Smalls, all the little places, which is crazy.
And then even in Boston, I remember I wasn't old
enough to go, but my mom would sneak me in
and we go to the Regatta Bar or just you know,
places like that where even my vocals, I was taught
(09:01):
by Rebecca Paris and Cassandra Wilson in high school. So
lucky to get to sneak and see their shows when
I was little.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So yeah, I love this description of your singing. She's
someone who sings like a slow poor.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
How does that sensibility and that patians shape just not
your vocals, but your entire creative process.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, I think I am a slow poor you know.
It takes me a while to arrive at things. You know,
I'm a slow writer in contrast to other artists. You know,
people write really quickly. You know, there's a lot of
urgency of getting music out. But the process to me
needs to take as long as it takes, you know,
And I think I've learned I'm a bit more reflective
(09:50):
instead of impulsive. I'll take a little too long to
respond or answer, which could be bad. I don't know,
but I think it's just kind of my way. I've
always been a little bit more introverted and shy, which
I think then kind of breeds a bit of spacing
and taking my time with things because it could be
scary to release music, create music. There's a lot of
(10:14):
power in it, so I always want to kind of
get in the shallow end first before I jump fully.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You've called this return to your first love jazz. What
holds you back and what does jazz give you that
other genres maybe don't.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, I think you know, jazz is what I really
first fell in love with when it comes to singing, genre, songwriting, everything,
and I fell head over heels, just fully down a
rabbit hole when I was young. And then I think
I kind of got distracted by other genres, which I
think are really important to explore. But I think where
(10:53):
I'm at now or where I was when I started
this record, I was starting to see other artists really
transform what their definition of jazz was. There's a big,
big modern jazz scene happening again, and I felt, you know, jealous,
but also happy that jazz was kind of coming back
in its own way. And I thought, I don't see
(11:14):
that many singers trying to bridge the gap between you know,
more of this like ambient experimental jazz that I see
in more of these like instrumentalists or bands, and there
seems to be just a separation of traditional vocal jazz
and then the kind of modern experimental and I really
wanted to try to find a bridge between the two
and take some risks but still be true to what
(11:36):
I love about jazz, which is the songwriting, the singing,
and just kind of the mood invokes. So yeah, I
think it was just kind of that I wanted to
figure out what jazz means to me now, as you know,
an adult woman.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
The album it sits at the intersection of electronic experimental
pop and live jazz musicianship. How do you navigate that
balance in this studio and what do you know to
lean into you know, sort of organic versus you know,
(12:14):
kind of synthetic totally.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I mean, I think that's really where collaborating is vital,
you know, And I think for me, I really knew
I didn't want to make a throwback album. I think
it's important, you know, if I want to listen to
that kind of music or something that feels old, I'll
listen to an old record, you know. I don't want
to make an album that sounds like it's from the forties.
(12:36):
So it was really important to me to make sure
we had elements that feel modern, you know. And I
think that's where minimal electronics or just even the composition
could be a bit more forward than just so traditional
like a jazz standard. And yeah, I think there's a line,
you know, when you can identify synths or instruments, you're like, oh,
(12:58):
that's that's is from it represents like twenty twenty four.
I really wanted my music to be timeless and not
be able to remind you too much of the past
and not too much of the future. So that was
really important how we kind of put all the ingredients together,
and picking the players was very important in that role too,
(13:19):
of who who's the right player, who has the same
you know, sensibilities and sonic choices and arrangement and you know, again,
having a Lawrence or a Spencer's helpful because they also
are the co pilots here to really make sure we're
staying in our range.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Tell me about what would be surprising to the audience
that's on your playlist right now.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think what would be surprising is I've been listening
to a lot of death metal recently, which is crazy.
It surprises me every time. Yeah, I haven't fallen in love,
but I've become slightly drawn to this genre because it's
so foreign to me.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
How did you discover it?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
I think that I was touring in Germany this last month,
and you know a lot of the venues that we
crossed over were kind of these like punk jazz intersecting things.
So there was a lot of band posters everywhere and
I just kind of took some photos because their imagery
was amazing. And I just started finding these strange bands.
And you know, I've never sung into a screened into
(14:27):
a microphone, and I take all this care of my throat,
you know, I'm such a psycho for throat care to
make sure my voice is healthy, and here they are
these people screaming into a microphone. So I was just
I think, what scares me? Sometimes I can be very
drawn to you know, and I also can be a
bit of a snob, and when I actually listened to
(14:47):
some of this music, I'm like, this is pretty cool,
you know, there's something interesting here. I don't know if
I'm gonna listen to this for the rest of the night,
but it's good to keep your ears open sometimes. So yeah,
I would say death metal right now would be the
most surprising shuffle through my chet Baker shaw De. You know,
other artists, are there.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Any Not that I would necessarily recognize them, but are
there any particular artists or bands that you that you
can highlight?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean, there's this one that's been around forever called
Mortician that everyone's obsessed with, and it sounds as terrifying
as that name. You know. They also incorporate a bunch
of old horror like audio clips in their music, so
there's a bit of this kind of humor with horror
and gore. But it's very playful and it's very intense,
(15:36):
you know, at the same time, and I love seeing
how other people present and express emotion, I guess, and
it's the only genre I probably won't embark into, but
there's potentially ways to learn from them, you know. Even
their lyrics are pretty pretty out there.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I reckon that Amanda Shire has made mention of finding
a way to incorporate fit with death metal.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Yeah, I mean I get that totally, totally. Yeah, you
never know where inspiration will find you. I think that's
kind of the silver lining with this stuff. I listened
to a lot of different music, but death metal is
definitely the most surprising.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
But you do have to be open.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
That's the cure, sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah. How does your cultural identity, your Italian American cult
cultural identity show up in your music, if at all?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
I think it does. You know, I grew up, you know,
listening to a lot of film scores, Ennio Morriconi, Nina Rota,
you know, watching a bunch of mobster films that I
probably wasn't supposed to, And I think just kind of
the cinema of music in some regard of just how
it scores your life or big emotions, you know, in
these old foreign films, I especially the Italian cinema I've
(16:54):
fallen in love with. And you know, I think it's
just being expressive. I grew up in a family that's
extremely musical. You know, we have big emotions and I
thought everybody did, so I think it's helped me kind
of know that I have to share how I feel,
and that was always celebrated and the norm in my household.
So I feel lucky that I had that support and
(17:16):
kind of encouragement to be an emotional person. And you know,
everyone thinks maybe Italians are a bit dramatic, but I
kind of love the drama. You know, my mom's named
after an opera, so there's a lot of drama in
our house.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Could you ever envision your music being part of a
movie score?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
I hope So, I mean, I think that's a big
dream to score a film or write something specific for
a movie. Yeah, I would love to do that. That
sounds so fun.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You've been described as a provocateur. What are you provoking
with this album? And talk to people on why they
to hear it?
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, back to our
you know, talking about Ella Fitzgerald or someone like that.
These musicians and artists I grew up listening to shocked me.
You know, some of them were drug addicts. You know.
Ella Fitzgerald was such a rebel she had to barely
walk through the front door some of these gigs. So
I was always under the impression that you kind of
(18:22):
had to be a provocateur or risk taker in some way.
And I think for me, I'm a bit of an
introvert and shy at heart, but in my art is
where I can really take the risks, and visually I
really love to explore there. It's kind of it feels
like the safest place to hide in my imagery. And
(18:43):
I also feel like jazz has gotten so buttoned up
that I really wanted to shake it up a little
and make it a bit edgier and explicit, because that's
the jazz I was taught. You know, it's hardcore to
some degree, it's a bit punk. These are rebels doing
their own thing, And yeah, I think the provocateur I'll take.
I don't know if I'm walking the walk. But I
(19:05):
really wanted jazz vocals and like a traditional singer. I
studied jazz voice, like very traditional jazz voice, but I
wanted to find a new space for that and not
just like swing standards. Right now, maybe that'll I think
that's where I'll end up as I get older, just
swing in and doing some beautiful standards. But I wasn't
ready to kind of do that yet, so I wanted
(19:25):
to kind of find a way to exist now in
jazz and shake it up a bit. So yeah, And
I think that's why you should listen to it because
my album I hope I did it where I bridge
the gap between traditional jazz and what that means to
me at least and how it can show up now
in like you know, twenty twenty six. Almost.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Congratulations on v Thank you, and it's an honor to
talk to you. And I know you've got to be
excited to take this out and be in front of
people with it, but it must be really good to
get it out to the world.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Yeah, it's really exciting. You always, you know, I never
really got into music to share it. It was always
kind of the thing that helped me. And now it's
just so exciting to see how people respond and the
right people get it. And the more I get to
perform it, the happier I get, which I love.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I feel very grateful, grateful that you had the time
to talk to us and Taking a Walk Naya, thank
you so much, Thank you, appreciate you. Thanks for listening
to this episode of the Taking a Walk Podcast. Share
this and other episodes with your friends and follow us
so you never miss an episode Taking a Walk is
(20:38):
available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you
get your podcasts.
Taking a Walk. This record was all about everyone together,
obviously about me, but it was much more than that.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I'm Buzznight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast.
Now they say good things come in fives, and for
the artists by the name of Naya, that couldn't ring
more true. The Italian American jazz pop provocateurs pouring out
her fifth studio album, V Like one of her signature slow,
sultry melodies. After years of experimenting where electronic dreams meet
(00:32):
jazz tradition, She's returned to her first love with an
album The New York Times might describe as a slow
pore worth savoring. We'll talk to Naya next on Taking
a Walk. Taking a Walk. Hi, Naya, welcome to the
Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
We like to open with this question. I wish there
was some dispenseful music to lead up to the question.
But anyway, now, if you could take a walk with
somebody living or dead, who would you take a walk
with and where would you take that walk?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
That's a great question. I think I would take that
walk right now, maybe with Ella Fitzgerald. I think I'd
want to take a walk with her right now. I
think she'd be a good one.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, where do you think you'd go?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I think I would take her. I mean it'd be
fun to just walk through New York City with her.
I think just through from downtown to uptown. Maybe just
just go straight and see where we go.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah. Do you ever recall seeing the commercial she used
to do, the glass breaking commercial?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
No, but that sounds amazing. I need to see that.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
You got to see if you could find that, it's
probably available. But yeah, it was an incredible demonstration of
the power of her voice and her personality. For sure,
I believe it.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, I mean I think she's, you know, gone through
so much nothing but FaZe her walking down the streets
of New York like I could get some wisdom out
of her.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I agree. Now, did you grow up in Boston?
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I did. I grew up grew up right outside of Boston,
but I went to school in Newton and did a
lot of music stuff that was kind of in the
Boston area.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So what part of Boston did you grow up?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I grew up right outside in Needham, maybe like twenty
minutes from the city, and oh yeah, went to school
in Newton.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
This is all the territory where i'mm I'm outside of Boston, actually,
the next town over from Conquered.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Oh amazing, Conquered, so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, so we've got the Boston roots.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yes, I love it.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
This is great. So congratulations on your fifth album, Thank you.
And you've said that this is your most personal album
to date. What did you learn about yourself and the
make and of the record that you didn't know before.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I think something I learned with this one especially was
just I knew when to keep going and I kind
of knew when to stop. I think that was something
I struggled with in the past. You know, because when
you work with so many people, you take into account
their time and their energy and just how the music
(03:27):
shapes itself and leads, and you know, you have a
certain certain amount of days and studios you kind of
want to get it all done and you think you
might have it. But I really trusted myself this time,
and there were definitely moments where I was like, I'm
not sure this is going to work, but I really
did show up and kind of decide no, I have
(03:47):
to see this through, and that was really important for me.
So I'm proud of myself for kind of deciding when
it was time to be done and when it was complete,
which I don't usually do. I usually listen to other
people a little bit more, but this one, I really
I was the boss.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, you work with Spencer Zohn and Lawrence Rothman, and
I know Lawrence's work. I don't know Spencer's work, but
Lawrence's work. I know because I've had Amanda Shiers on
the podcast a couple of times. Yeah, I know. She
just absolutely adores working with Lawrence and sort of really
(04:24):
gets pushed by Lawrence into these great places. Tell me
about the different energies that Spencer and Lawrence brought to
you into this project.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I mean, they're both such heavy hitters. You know. Lawrence,
he's been doing this for a while. I remember, you know,
his artist desography is incredible. I think he's one of
the best songwriters living personally, and he was the one
that really encouraged me to make my you know, Naya
Jazz album. And he he's cutthroat, he's brutally honest, and
(04:56):
he's radically determined, you know, and he he loves a
challenge and he has this way where he really knows
how to guide you, but not lead in a sense.
And you know, he worked with a lot of women,
which I really like. And he's funny, but you know,
he means business. You know, can't you can't kind of
bring your B minus with him. You got to show
(05:18):
up and work hard. But he's really easy to collaborate with.
And I usually tend to write specifically with females, and
it wasn't really a choice. It just kind of happened naturally.
I think, maybe because I'm so emotional and we just
kind of all gathered together. But Lawrence and I he
really helped me with my lyrics, which was a real gift,
(05:39):
you know. And Spencer is a bit more I want
to say, you know, he's he's I think from Massachusetts too,
but he's newer to the scene. He's more in the
ambient jazz, kind of more emotional melodic side, and he
had just the sensibility to know what was kind of
missing from maybe the stuff me and Lawrence had worked on,
(06:02):
and just the three of us kind of found this
perfect pairing of how to balance everything and give it
all the colors that we needed. And working with Spencer's
great too. He's a bit more emotional quiet, you know,
So it's the best of both. Lawrence walks in with
a cowboy hat yelling at me, and then Spencer's more like,
tell me about your feeling. So I got kind of
(06:22):
the ying and yang of the best balance.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
How much of working with a great producer is like
a therapy session.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Oh my gosh, it's only therapy, really, you know, and
it's the best, you know, everyone, I really believe in collaboration.
I think sometimes being an artist, you're so you have
to be kind of all about yourself, but you can
lose perspective of how it sounds or you know, I'm
so determined to make the lyric make sense for me.
(06:54):
It has to be true to me. So it's nice
to have other people to bounce ideas off of, or
you know, stop me if I'm spiraling in ways that
aren't serving myself musically or as the artist. So, yes,
they've heard a lot of therapy stuff from me.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Probably Now, who taught you the art of collaboration?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I think that was just jazz growing up, And you know,
I studied classical piano and then started doing jazz and
was thrown into some jazz ensembles in Newton, Cambridge, and
I think it was just so vital to understand, especially
as the singer of a band, to listen to the
other players. And I think that's where a collaboration. I
(07:36):
think you're as good as the people you surround yourself with.
And I also don't want to do it all alone,
you know, And this record was all about everyone together,
obviously about me, but it was much more than that.
So I think it just kind of happened naturally where
I knew I wanted to just continue to be around
people that were better than me or that could really
challenge me to help my music grow.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
What are some of your favorites to listen to jazz?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Chet Baker gets me every time. I love Chet Baker.
You know, Ella Fitzgerald I used to love just because
I was such a you know, student of jazz and vocally,
you know, she's one of the top pinnacles of accuracy.
You know. All her scatting was something I, you know,
would transcribe in college and things like that. So I
(08:24):
listened to her a lot. Chet Baker, Blue and Green,
just the song Blue and Green I'd listen to forever so.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And any particular places that you would go to take
in jazz, whether like, let's just say in New York
City is an example.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, in New York City there were so many places,
you know, there was the Vanguard, the Blue Note, the
fifty five bar, Smalls, all the little places, which is crazy.
And then even in Boston, I remember I wasn't old
enough to go, but my mom would sneak me in
and we go to the Regatta Bar or just you know,
places like that where even my vocals, I was taught
(09:01):
by Rebecca Paris and Cassandra Wilson in high school. So
lucky to get to sneak and see their shows when
I was little.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
So yeah, I love this description of your singing. She's
someone who sings like a slow poor.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
How does that sensibility and that patians shape just not
your vocals, but your entire creative process.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, I think I am a slow poor you know.
It takes me a while to arrive at things. You know,
I'm a slow writer in contrast to other artists. You know,
people write really quickly. You know, there's a lot of
urgency of getting music out. But the process to me
needs to take as long as it takes, you know,
And I think I've learned I'm a bit more reflective
(09:50):
instead of impulsive. I'll take a little too long to
respond or answer, which could be bad. I don't know,
but I think it's just kind of my way. I've
always been a little bit more introverted and shy, which
I think then kind of breeds a bit of spacing
and taking my time with things because it could be
scary to release music, create music. There's a lot of
(10:14):
power in it, so I always want to kind of
get in the shallow end first before I jump fully.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You've called this return to your first love jazz. What
holds you back and what does jazz give you that
other genres maybe don't.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, I think you know, jazz is what I really
first fell in love with when it comes to singing, genre, songwriting, everything,
and I fell head over heels, just fully down a
rabbit hole when I was young. And then I think
I kind of got distracted by other genres, which I
think are really important to explore. But I think where
(10:53):
I'm at now or where I was when I started
this record, I was starting to see other artists really
transform what their definition of jazz was. There's a big,
big modern jazz scene happening again, and I felt, you know, jealous,
but also happy that jazz was kind of coming back
in its own way. And I thought, I don't see
(11:14):
that many singers trying to bridge the gap between you know,
more of this like ambient experimental jazz that I see
in more of these like instrumentalists or bands, and there
seems to be just a separation of traditional vocal jazz
and then the kind of modern experimental and I really
wanted to try to find a bridge between the two
and take some risks but still be true to what
(11:36):
I love about jazz, which is the songwriting, the singing,
and just kind of the mood invokes. So yeah, I
think it was just kind of that I wanted to
figure out what jazz means to me now, as you know,
an adult woman.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
The album it sits at the intersection of electronic experimental
pop and live jazz musicianship. How do you navigate that
balance in this studio and what do you know to
lean into you know, sort of organic versus you know,
(12:14):
kind of synthetic totally.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I mean, I think that's really where collaborating is vital,
you know, And I think for me, I really knew
I didn't want to make a throwback album. I think
it's important, you know, if I want to listen to
that kind of music or something that feels old, I'll
listen to an old record, you know. I don't want
to make an album that sounds like it's from the forties.
(12:36):
So it was really important to me to make sure
we had elements that feel modern, you know. And I
think that's where minimal electronics or just even the composition
could be a bit more forward than just so traditional
like a jazz standard. And yeah, I think there's a line,
you know, when you can identify synths or instruments, you're like, oh,
(12:58):
that's that's is from it represents like twenty twenty four.
I really wanted my music to be timeless and not
be able to remind you too much of the past
and not too much of the future. So that was
really important how we kind of put all the ingredients together,
and picking the players was very important in that role too,
(13:19):
of who who's the right player, who has the same
you know, sensibilities and sonic choices and arrangement and you know, again,
having a Lawrence or a Spencer's helpful because they also
are the co pilots here to really make sure we're
staying in our range.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Tell me about what would be surprising to the audience
that's on your playlist right now.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I think what would be surprising is I've been listening
to a lot of death metal recently, which is crazy.
It surprises me every time. Yeah, I haven't fallen in love,
but I've become slightly drawn to this genre because it's
so foreign to me.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
How did you discover it?
Speaker 1 (14:05):
I think that I was touring in Germany this last month,
and you know a lot of the venues that we
crossed over were kind of these like punk jazz intersecting things.
So there was a lot of band posters everywhere and
I just kind of took some photos because their imagery
was amazing. And I just started finding these strange bands.
And you know, I've never sung into a screened into
(14:27):
a microphone, and I take all this care of my throat,
you know, I'm such a psycho for throat care to
make sure my voice is healthy, and here they are
these people screaming into a microphone. So I was just
I think, what scares me? Sometimes I can be very
drawn to you know, and I also can be a
bit of a snob, and when I actually listened to
(14:47):
some of this music, I'm like, this is pretty cool,
you know, there's something interesting here. I don't know if
I'm gonna listen to this for the rest of the night,
but it's good to keep your ears open sometimes. So yeah,
I would say death metal right now would be the
most surprising shuffle through my chet Baker shaw De. You know,
other artists, are there.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Any Not that I would necessarily recognize them, but are
there any particular artists or bands that you that you
can highlight?
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean, there's this one that's been around forever called
Mortician that everyone's obsessed with, and it sounds as terrifying
as that name. You know. They also incorporate a bunch
of old horror like audio clips in their music, so
there's a bit of this kind of humor with horror
and gore. But it's very playful and it's very intense,
(15:36):
you know, at the same time, and I love seeing
how other people present and express emotion, I guess, and
it's the only genre I probably won't embark into, but
there's potentially ways to learn from them, you know. Even
their lyrics are pretty pretty out there.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I reckon that Amanda Shire has made mention of finding
a way to incorporate fit with death metal.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Yeah, I mean I get that totally, totally. Yeah, you
never know where inspiration will find you. I think that's
kind of the silver lining with this stuff. I listened
to a lot of different music, but death metal is
definitely the most surprising.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
But you do have to be open.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
That's the cure, sure, for sure.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah. How does your cultural identity, your Italian American cult
cultural identity show up in your music, if at all?
Speaker 1 (16:30):
I think it does. You know, I grew up, you know,
listening to a lot of film scores, Ennio Morriconi, Nina Rota,
you know, watching a bunch of mobster films that I
probably wasn't supposed to, And I think just kind of
the cinema of music in some regard of just how
it scores your life or big emotions, you know, in
these old foreign films, I especially the Italian cinema I've
(16:54):
fallen in love with. And you know, I think it's
just being expressive. I grew up in a family that's
extremely musical. You know, we have big emotions and I
thought everybody did, so I think it's helped me kind
of know that I have to share how I feel,
and that was always celebrated and the norm in my household.
So I feel lucky that I had that support and
(17:16):
kind of encouragement to be an emotional person. And you know,
everyone thinks maybe Italians are a bit dramatic, but I
kind of love the drama. You know, my mom's named
after an opera, so there's a lot of drama in
our house.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Could you ever envision your music being part of a
movie score?
Speaker 1 (17:38):
I hope So, I mean, I think that's a big
dream to score a film or write something specific for
a movie. Yeah, I would love to do that. That
sounds so fun.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You've been described as a provocateur. What are you provoking
with this album? And talk to people on why they
to hear it?
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, back to our
you know, talking about Ella Fitzgerald or someone like that.
These musicians and artists I grew up listening to shocked me.
You know, some of them were drug addicts. You know.
Ella Fitzgerald was such a rebel she had to barely
walk through the front door some of these gigs. So
I was always under the impression that you kind of
(18:22):
had to be a provocateur or risk taker in some way.
And I think for me, I'm a bit of an
introvert and shy at heart, but in my art is
where I can really take the risks, and visually I
really love to explore there. It's kind of it feels
like the safest place to hide in my imagery. And
(18:43):
I also feel like jazz has gotten so buttoned up
that I really wanted to shake it up a little
and make it a bit edgier and explicit, because that's
the jazz I was taught. You know, it's hardcore to
some degree, it's a bit punk. These are rebels doing
their own thing, And yeah, I think the provocateur I'll take.
I don't know if I'm walking the walk. But I
(19:05):
really wanted jazz vocals and like a traditional singer. I
studied jazz voice, like very traditional jazz voice, but I
wanted to find a new space for that and not
just like swing standards. Right now, maybe that'll I think
that's where I'll end up as I get older, just
swing in and doing some beautiful standards. But I wasn't
ready to kind of do that yet, so I wanted
(19:25):
to kind of find a way to exist now in
jazz and shake it up a bit. So yeah, And
I think that's why you should listen to it because
my album I hope I did it where I bridge
the gap between traditional jazz and what that means to
me at least and how it can show up now
in like you know, twenty twenty six. Almost.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Congratulations on v Thank you, and it's an honor to
talk to you. And I know you've got to be
excited to take this out and be in front of
people with it, but it must be really good to
get it out to the world.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Yeah, it's really exciting. You always, you know, I never
really got into music to share it. It was always
kind of the thing that helped me. And now it's
just so exciting to see how people respond and the
right people get it. And the more I get to
perform it, the happier I get, which I love.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
I feel very grateful, grateful that you had the time
to talk to us and Taking a Walk Naya, thank
you so much, Thank you, appreciate you. Thanks for listening
to this episode of the Taking a Walk Podcast. Share
this and other episodes with your friends and follow us
so you never miss an episode Taking a Walk is
(20:38):
available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you
get your podcasts.
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