In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet. 

This time we had a chat with Nia Wyn, the rising UK soul-crossover artist who today presents her debut EP, Love I Can’t Ruin.

As with all our interviews, this isn’t the first time that you’ll have heard us rave about this artist. We recently featured the EP’s title-track ‘Love I Can’t Ruin’, praising Wyn’s distinct contemporary soul sound as she wrestles with love and desire through bluesy, questioning verses. Before that, we discovered this promising Welsh talent through ‘10 Seconds’, a vibey beat-driven number that expressed cautious lust through that gritty style of hers that we’ve come to know and love so well. There are many reasons why you may connect with Nia Wyn, perhaps you also grew up in a quiet monolithic community where any hint of difference could be isolating, perhaps you also found solace from the world in music at an early age, perhaps you’re tired of hearing the same hetreonormative love songs and are thankful that Wyn’s perspective as an LGBTQ+ person is here? Whatever the reason, you’ll no doubt find a reason to fall in love with Nia Wyn’s eclectic and honest sound.

Check out our conversation with Nia Wyn below where we discuss her debut EP, musical influences, growing up in Wales, opening up on matters of the heart and more.

TMR: Hey Nia, so you’ve just released your debut EP, what can you tell listeners about what to expect from Love I Can’t Ruin?

I’d say expect a soul fusion EP with themes of intense emotions: love, lust, frustration and anger. An introduction to me as an artist and my daily mood swings!!

TMR: We recently covered the EP’s title-track, particularly noting those golden era soul flavours and spades of personality that came through your lyrics. What does that song mean to you?

That song holds the EP together not just because it’s the title-track… it’s about vulnerability and feeling strong emotions for someone/something which I think is a theme throughout the EP. I don’t do things in halves so I wrote this song specifically about falling for someone and worrying that the more they get to know you, the more likely they will lose interest or be repulsed (lol). In that song I’m half confident as hell that things are going really good, then half terrified and self-depreciating. Just another day at the office.

TMR: Another List Pick ‘10 Seconds’ is a perfect example of your soul crossover style, with those raw bluesy melodies, vibey backbeats and scene-setting keys. Do you enjoy experimenting with well-trodden genres to make something unique to your sound?

Big thanks for featuring 10 Seconds! I grew up listening to a pretty eclectic range of music, I’m a big soul head but also I love my blues (and my resonator guitar), well into hip hop and and jazz too. I really admire artists who push genres forward by blending them - that experimentation is what moves music forward. So yes, definitely important to me.



TMR: The EP is rather personal, especially around matters of love and lust as a young person. What was the process in drawing all these emotions up?

I’ve been writing songs since I was a teenager but I never really wrote about sex or lust until now. Then once I started, I felt pretty comfortable delving into those feelings and where they can overlap into love and identity. In honesty, as I have become more and more comfortable in myself as a young queer woman I’ve been able to open up about these topics in my music.

TMR: Music is often a salve for those isolated, whether that’s geographical, mentally, culturally or any other circumstance. Did you find this was the case for you living in a quiet corner of Wales? For sure. I grew up in Llandudno which is a beautiful place to visit, but a hard place to grow up if you don’t feel you fit in, whether that is because of your sexuality, race, gender identity, mental health issues… I felt massively disconnected from other people when I was living there and music quickly gave me solace from how I was feeling and more confidence. Even when I first picked up the guitar as a little 9 year old and all I could play was Greensleaves on a loop (yes I’m that 16th century bitch) it was meditation and, in a way, refuge from what I was experiencing at the time.

TMR: Did music also become a way for you to connect with others?

I think it has in many ways. For people who know me well, I can sometimes struggle with what feels like basic communication - interpreting facial expressions or words, reading in between the lines so to speak. With music that shit doesn’t really matter because music is its own language that doesn’t require you to be able to do those things you’d need to do in traditional communication. 

TMR: Name three pivotal artists/bands for you while growing up.

Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Elliott Smith

TMR: Aside from music, what are the other influences that have played a key role in forming the kind of musician you are now?

I’ve struggled with mental illness since I was 10 years old and whilst I’m not any diagnoses I’ve been given, it has played a role in my identity as an artist and a person in general. I think my sexuality has also been a big contributor, I definitely hold myself different now in how I present to the world and just being my little self.



TMR: For any other young, aspiring musicians living in these secluded spots of the UK, do you have an essential piece of advice or wisdom for them?

I’d say tap into your local area as much as possible, or if you can’t at least the nearest city. There is a music scene everywhere, you don’t have to go to London to find it. Also making use of what funding and mentoring opportunities there are locally - as a Welsh artist I was selected as one of the 12 Horizons artists, a talent scheme run by BBC Radio Wales and Arts Council Wales. From that, I got to record sessions at Rockfield Studios where Bohemian Rhapsody was recorded, as well as a lot of live opportunities.

And if there isn’t much of a live scene in your area but you and your mates are making a vibe playing music, create one. Someone will surely thank you for it.

TMR: Looking ahead to the rest of 2020, what do you have planned? More music? Gigs?

I’m in the studio writing this right now so for sure much more music! Currently recording a lot more songs to go into the next project, hopefully some exciting collaborations in the mix. In May I’m supporting Paul Weller on his sold out UK tour which the band and I are hyped about. Much more to come.

By Hannah Thacker