Photo Credit Robert Verbarg
Catch up with LA-based singer-songwriter Nilu and listen to "A Thousand Tangled Lies" from her upcoming album to be released in 2017.
What first got you interested in music and songwriting?
Nilu: What first got me interested in music was the feeling it gave me. How connected I felt to everything every time I sat at the piano, it was electric, irreplaceable, and my body needed it.
Do you remember the first song you wrote?
My mom got me a Tascam voice recorder once she heard me singing at the piano (I was too shy to actually sing in front of her). I played with a few piano chords and wrote a song called "Sing For You".
Which musicians have you been influenced by?
Classical pianists such as Debussy, Chopin, Rachmaninov and other artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Fiona Apple, Radiohead are all huge inspirations.
What words would you use to describe your sound?
Haunting. Like a dream.
What were your inspirations behind your single, "A Thousand Tangled Lies"?
It came out of an emotional journey with plenty of peaks, troughs, screams, and tears that led to the shedding of old thought and renewal of core philosophy.
Is that indicative of what we can expect to hear on your upcoming album?
There's a variety of moods and colors on the new album. There are a few more dark ballads like "A Thousand Tangled Lies", but there are also pieces that live in hope, happiness, and the lighter side of me.
What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?
I just want the listener to feel something. Anything. Perhaps that feeling will ignite a sort of softening of the heart and a personal connection within that promotes compassion towards others.