Nur-D claims to make music for everyone who feels just a little different. With addicting beats and catchy hooks, it's very evident. His effortless blend of hip hop and soul is sure to be your next obsession. We talked to the Minnesota native ahead of his SXSW appearance to learn more about his inspiration and influences.
You hail from Minnesota, tell me how growing up there has impacted and/or inspired your sound.
Nur-D: We have a lot of funk & soul here. More than I think a lot of people realize. So that was a big part of my sound. But not only that but we have a history of storytelling in our music so I think that really impacted my writing and how I craft a song.
Who were musicians you grew up listening to?
Nur-D: Obviously Prince. I listened to a lot of Gospel growing up too. I loved Outkast, Kid Cudi, Childish Gambino, and even though I would never admit it I was jamming to S Club 7 a lot.
What is your creative process like?
Nur-D: It's a lot of finding an emotion or life moment that I want to connect with and sitting with it for a long time. I like to write and create from something I either experienced in real life or a story that really stuck with me from someone else's experience. Then it's a lot of humming random notes until I find a string of those that connect to the feeling I am feeling.
You have a mix of hip/hop and soul - how did you find that balance?
Nur-D: I think Hip-Hop and Soul are like living in the same house. It's all black culture. So many of the artists that I admired were also mixing soul into what they do so it didn't even seem like something I was DOING. It just felt right.
What song are you most excited to perform live?
Nur-D: I love performing "All My Friends Are So Hot" in front of a crowd. Not only is the song just a vibe but I also love watching people's faces light up and their friends' faces light up when they hear it. I bet A LOT more people think their friends are hot than is talked about. So I like giving people a time to finally get that off their chest.
What's something you want your fans to know about you?
Nur-D: I am forever appreciative of the energy, time, and support you give me. I will always give you 100% whether there is a room of 10 people or a stadium of 10,000. If you have taken the irreplaceable time out of your life to spend it with me and used your hard earned money to buy a ticket I am going to give you the absolute best show I can.
What's a piece of advice you'd give your younger self?
Nur-D: You are enough.
Samantha Fong
"At 15 years old, I begged my mom to take me to Walmart to get Taylor Swift's debut deluxe album and I never turned back. This was my very first entry point to stan fandom. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee I was exposed to a ton of music - from rapping 3 6 Mafia to bopping to Justin Timberlake's solo discography. Now, in LA have a day job working in nonprofit development, but by night, I'm a full-fledged fangirl. I'll listen to generally any genre, but I'm a sucker for a good pop song. If you ever need someone to scream sing Carly Rae Jepsen's E·MO·TION with, I'm your girl. No, I still have not gotten over the One Direction hiatus. Please continue to respect my privacy. Twitter : samfonggg, Instagram : samantha_fong"
