Nikitaa
“Scheming” is a massive record. As soon as the song starts, you immediately know it is going to be huge. The production is big, the melodies are brilliant and Nikitaa’s vocals are powerful and soulful. Knowing she wrote, produced, mixed and mastered the entire song by herself makes it even better. I cannot wait to hear more songs from Nikitaa. A beautiful talent for sure.
“Scheming” is a must listen.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Well, my name is Nikitaa, and I love telling stories of mythic levels through music. I come from a long line of musicians on my mother's side and I didn't even know it until I was in my teens! I'm the first of them, however, to actually pursue this passion unabashedly and fully. I like to call my genre of music Goddess Pop, because I believe that the ancient archetype of the Goddess fully embodies all emotions and feelings unapologetically - which is what I love to do with my music.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up listening to a wide variety of genres, but my earliest influences were an odd mix of 60's and 90's Bollywood, Indian indie acts like Lucky Ali and Strings, and also heavy rock music (Metallica, Black Sabbath, Guns n Roses, Iron Maiden). I loved the lyrical poetry common to all those genres, and I still do!
When did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music?
I always imagined myself on stage, and my mother specifically loves telling this story too. I was 3, and I had gone with my parents to watch a cousin's school dance performance. I turned to my mother and promptly informed her "One day, that's going to be me up there!" and badgered her until she found me a dance, piano and vocal teacher each. I was determined to perform in some capacity or other since I was a kid, but the need fully solidified when I was 14 and moved from writing poetry to writing lyrics.
Could you list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
Both of Frank Ocean's albums have been pivotal in the way I perceive music! Frank fully affirmed for me that songs didn't have to have such rigid structure to be absolute masterpieces. I know my music is largely very structured, but when I first started writing it wasn't at all. And Frank reminded me to keep that piece of me alive. Beyonce's Crazy In Love and Deja Vu were the first songs that made me want to sing with the kind of abandon and passion she has. And Jon Bellion's "The Human Condition" album redefined lyrical cleverness and poeticism for me... More subtle for me are the ways A.R Rahman and Lucky Ali's influences. The way Rahman uses rhythm and strings is unreal... I could keep going, there are so many records I cherish and prize as influences!
Who was the first person to ever believe in your music?
It was a friend and fellow songwriter - Natania Lalwani. Natania had also attended Musicians Institute like me. She was already a working musician when I met her - she was visiting India and hosted an extended songwriting workshop alongside my vocal coach at the time. She was the one that encouraged me to pursue what was then a very secret dream, and helped me pick out Musicians Institute as a school to apply to! She encouraged me to tell my parents this was what I wanted to do professionally. It was the first time I saw that I was actually a good songwriter.
"Scheming" is your latest single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
Scheming was inspired by this TikTok video of a dating show. There had been a couple that had matched weeks ago, and it turned out the guy had been talking to the "other woman" whom he hadn't chosen. His partner confronted him on the show and used the exact phrase "she may be a Goddess but I'm a demon, I'm gonna drag you to hell for talking to her". Turned out both women had planned this live confrontation on the show together. I LOVED the deviousness of it, but I also noticed the comments wanted to paint these women as villains which annoyed me. I had been experiencing a dry spell, creatively speaking. But this video and the comment section spurred me into writing Scheming. If they wanted a villain, I'd give them one of epic proportions! Kethryn (the girlfriend) had been wearing beautiful butterfly clips in the video. So that's where I started - "Butterfly clips in my hair turn to dragons". I wanted to take this incident, this moment, and turn it into a tale of ferocious and mythic proportions. The bassline was clear in my head. I was done writing the whole song within the hour, and posted the first half online just for fun. It was received so well and was so fun to make, that I knew it needed to be on streaming platforms!
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? Who helped you create it?
I wrote, produced, mixed and mastered the entire song myself. I really just wanted something simple, sinister and dark but playful... And I added the foley sounds in because, well, I have a fondness for dramatics haha. I first discovered how much I love doing this while producing my 2021 single Boomerang. I feel like it's those little things that paint a vivid and complete picture. As far as songwriting - as I said, my focus on mythic level storytelling. I wanted listeners to be able to picture this ferocious dark feminine character who was unafraid of their own rage.
What's your favorite lyric on "Scheming"?
It's hard to pick one because it's all so good to me haha... But I think my top favorite is "She and I raze and ruin entire worlds just to stand by a woman" - because I truly would. I would tear down the world to defend the she's and they's of this world! And a close second is "Butterfly clips in my hair turn to dragons" - because how badass is that? Just picturing it gives me goosebumps!
What made you want to release "Scheming" as a single?
I think it's one of those songs that BEGS to be heard, truly. It's so versatile. It's a perfect song to channel your rage into, it's also sensual and fun with a dark quality, it's empowering, it's EXCELLENT for cosplay - and lets be real, we all cosplay in our minds while listening to some of our favorite songs... I just had to put it out!
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
I think the hardest part is choosing what to share and what to keep. There are days where I want to serve my bleeding heart on a platter, but there are days where I'd rather keep my feelings private. Balancing the two while still creating music that moves people is a delicate dance! But, it's also the best part. It's the freedom to say whatever you want in a song, to be as tongue in cheek and unhinged or vulnerable and weepy as I want to be - to decide how far I want to go.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I have a love/hate relationship with today's music industry. Bedroom production is now popular, but only if it fits into certain genres. Women and queer producers and writers are gaining footing, but there's still so much inequality and also lots of clique-like dynamics. People of color from all over the world finally have spaces where they can shine, but there's a hierarchy dictated by money, connections and beauty standards... I feel like we're getting a handle on larger concepts of inclusivity, but we're missing the nuance. And nuance is the only way too affect true change.
You were born and raised in Mumbai, India. How does this impact the music you are making today?
My experience as a person of South Asian origin who was born and raised there shapes everything about me - my influences, my brand, my stance, my writing, my melodies.. everything! I may not live in Mumbai anymore, but I carry Mumbai with me always.
How did things change for you since you moved to Los Angeles?
I honestly didn't like the lifestyle in Mumbai growing up. But it was all I knew, so I used to think - "maybe I'm just boring". Then I moved to LA and realized I'm far from boring, I just hadn't found somewhere that brought out my aliveness, my spirit. That's how I feel about LA. It's where I turned 21. It's where I ended a long distance relationship, only to meet someone who was the worst person for me and actually emotionally abusive... But it's also where I fell in love with open skies and hillsides, where I understood why people love the beach. It's where I partied far too hard at 21-24, met my closest friends that have become family no matter where in the world they move to, where I started writing songs the way you hear them now... It's where I've found me - over and over again. It's not a perfect life, but it's a beautiful one. I wouldn't have learned that had it not been for my decision to move here.
What does singing make you feel?
Free. When I sing, I'm absolutely free to be whatever I want to be. It's always been that way. Singing is where I come to play and also where I come to heal.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
1. Semantics are important - the way you speak to people is possibly more impactful than what you have to say.
2. Do not apologize for what you need and want.
3. Make and release music because it excites you, not because you think "it'll do well." You can't convince anyone to believe in something if you don't believe in it first.
4. You're not weird or too much in any given room, you just haven't found the people that get it yet, whatever "it" is. Find them, always.
5. What most people understand about both gender and love has nothing to do with either of those two things.
6. You are not "them", you are you. Others will compare you and your art to someone else, why do it to yourself? Embrace who you are. Celebrate the differences.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I think if we stopped placing definitions and concepts over people's actual lived experiences... We would all move with so much more compassion, care and appreciation. Most of the world currently argues about what "should" be, rather than accepting what is.
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