Meet Nerika: The fast rising singer behind the video "Runnin"
A unique island vibe you HAVE to hear
Nerika's move to the US many years ago may have removed her from her beloved Jamaica in the physical sense, but one listen to her music proves that the spirit of the islands never really left her. After garnering some momentum with her single 'Untameable' which was featured on Spotify's new music Friday playlist, she's followed up with another banger 'Runnin', a dancehall infused tune with a video that feels like a trippy ride through her inner psyche. By embracing her Jamaican roots and assimilating to American culture, Nerika has created a sound which serves as a melting pot for both parts of her. She took the time out of her busy schedule to break down her creative influences, views on life, and chat about her debut vid with us below.
https://youtu.be/byjyolBUB7c
1. With you being Jamaican but also having roots in the states, how would you say your music helps you reclaim your identity?
"I felt like I was standing between two worlds growing up in NH. I lost my accent and began assimilating into the American culture when I started attending public school. Somewhere along the way, I felt like I lost my a piece of my identity/Jamaican heritage. On both ends of the spectrum, I felt like I was expected to act a certain way that just wasn't me.
Making music in my native tongue is often time instinctive. It feels pretty natural. It reminds me that my heritage is running through my veins as we speak. I carry the spirit of my ancestors with me and I’m proud.
I grew up listening to a lot of old-school reggae such as Bob Marley, Capleton, and Dennis Brown around the house and at family gatherings. My dad shaped a good portion of my musical taste and gave me a lot of insight into the spirit and message of reggae music that often speaks on concurring the mind, positivity, and resilience. But lately, I’ve also been drawn to the music that narrated childhood in the suburbs.
“Runnin" is a track that started out as an interlude, but became one of my more experimental songs. It fuses a few of the many sounds that I grew up listening to -- dancehall, electronic, and a sprinkle of 808s. I don't speak patois on the daily, but the spirit of the track and process creating it freed me up to get in touch with a side of myself that isn't always shown. Runnin’ is meant to depict the sensations of wrestling with your inner self. But I still wanted everyone listening to be able to pop that back and look back at it if they wanted to."
"I wanted the people watching it to be teleported into a visual interpretation of my frame of mind when the song was created."
2. What was the experience like filming your debut video Runnin? What were the vibes that you came in looking to create that day?
It was a lot of fun. We got a lot of different shots and I have a pretty short attention span so moving from one thing to next was definitely ideal for me. When you have so many creatives in one room and you spend all day together you subconsciously soak up a lot of different worldviews which is always dope. The shots in Chinatown were the best part for me because it was basically just all bunch of college kids talking, hanging out, and laughing while getting filmed lol.
I used to start my mornings as a kid getting up super early to watch on MTV/TRL videos that often featured a lot of reggae/dancehall music videos cause it was really poppin’ at the time (Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Nina Sky, Rihanna, Damian Marley etc.) I remember how fun, vibrant, and carefree a lot of those videos were. I wanted to incorporate some of that energy into the “Runnin” video.
When I close my eyes and hear the song I envision really deep red and blue colors so I definitely wanted that to be incorporated in the video visually. I wanted the people watching it to be teleported into a visual interpretation of my frame of mind when the song was created. I wanted the viewer to experience overstimulation, but not necessarily in a negative way. This meant, a lot of face-paced chaotic visuals almost like a contained type of trippy feeling (no I wasn’t on LSD haha)."
3. What are your thoughts on this social media-fueled generation and music scene? What do you feel is your place in it?
In our current age of overstimulation through social media trends, fake news, politics, and cultural waves it's super easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to feel like you don’t have a voice. You don’t have control. You don’t have a say. I think there’ too much pressure to be so tuned in when there’s a whole “real” world outside of the one we’ve virtually created. Tbh, I’m not the one waiting to hop on the next viral meme.
"Making music in my native tongue is often time instinctive. It feels pretty natural. It reminds me that my heritage is running through my veins as we speak."
Aside from the much needed message about gun violence in “This is America”, Childish Gambino touched on the idea that social media is a distraction from facing the issues that plague our society and rightly so, but sometimes I do think it can be a much needed alternate universe that we can use to laugh and bond (even if it’s at hella dumb sh*t lol ), reminisce about our childhood, and use it to start conversations. I’m not saying social media is the way to solve real problems, but there’s a lot of sadness and hate in this world and it definitely takes a toll on all of us sometimes we truly do need distractions.
As an artist, social media can be a great tool to reach people you wouldn’t be able to otherwise, but you have to know that it works for you, not the other way around. You can’t become a slave to it. If used it has the power to connect like-minded individuals and create a community. Through proper representation, I believe it can create positive change by challenging our normal way of thinking. At this point, I want to start using social media to speak to people who are like me. I hope that sharing my experiences can let others know they are not alone in how they feel and help guide them to be their best selves. I think the LA streetwear line Kids of Immigrants, is doing a great job of that. They’re all about spreading positivity and love : )"
"I hope that sharing my experiences can let others know they are not alone"
4. Are there autobiographical elements to your song Runnin? How do you connect to the lyrics?
“The entire song is basically autobiographical. Runnin’ is my attempt to teleport people into my mind that is constantly racing with thoughts. It's about wrestling with your inner self. “You keep on runnin, but you never get away”. It’ easy to get lost in those feelings, but they don’t have to win."
5. What projects etc. should we be looking out for from you going forward?
You can expect more music and videos coming soon! But also, I’m excited to create a lot of new content on my own terms and express myself in mediums beyond a sonic scope with really dope, talented people I’m lucky enough to call my friends. “Runnin” actually just made it into the top 25 for Afropunk’s battle of the band's competition. If you want to see me perform at the festival you can vote for ya girl at:
http://afropunkfest.com/brooklyn/battle-of-the-bands/vote-now/ :) "
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