We had a chat with rising Swiss singer-songwriter Nadia Maria about her soulful and stirring new EP This Is a Solo and Not a Duet
Armed with the kind of laid-back R&B sound that oozes composure and casts a glance back to the golden age of the genre, Swiss singer-songwriter Nadia Maria is somebody who is rapidly earning reverence and acclaim for her compelling narratives and smooth sounds, with a stunning string of releases leading up to her new debut EP This Is a Solo and Not a Duet.
The new collection of tracks is the most cohesive and focussed showcase of Nadia’s appeal as an artist and songwriter to date, packed full of immersive moments, a comforting sense of warmth, and a relatable, engrossing appeal that is born through relatable lyrics and her emotive delivery. Here at CLOUT, we’re thrilled to hear how Nadia’s vision has come to life across these six tracks, and had a chat with the artist to take a deep dive into how it all came together and what inspirations and experiences informed the release.
Hey! We love your debut EP This Is a Solo and Not a Duet, what more can you tell us about it?
Thank you so much, that really means a lot!
I would call the EP a poetic journey to self-love, with all its ups and downs.
And I can say: it’s been a really long journey.
I mean, I wrote one of the songs ten years ago! But it feels like the right time to release it. The world is so obsessed with perfection, even though it doesn’t really exist. We’re all a little rough around the edges in our own ways and it’s incredibly important to see yourself the way you are. But it’s even more important to LOVE yourself the way you are.
“This Is A Solo And Not A Duet” is an homage to self-love and all the detours it can take. It took me a long time to reach a point where I can say that I genuinely love myself and it changed my life! I hope to convey that feeling through these songs and to inspire the listeners to meet themselves with more compassion – and, yes, more love.
What was the process like putting it together?
Well, it all started when I met my best friend OLO, who is now my producer. We were both studying classical music in Switzerland (he was a cellist and I was an opera singer). But we both didn’t really feel at home in classical music and wanted to do our own thing. So we ditched it for each other and started producing. We were in Warsaw at the time and it obviously wasn’t the easiest transition. We had never worked with a DAW before, but we were eager to learn, because we knew that we could make the music that we would actually wanna listen to.
The songs are basically the stories that happened along the way.
But we were hesitant to release them, because we always felt like there was something to “fix”. So, they all went through quite a few versions.
In 2024, I entered my song Upside Down in the Soundclinic Contest of the Musikbüro Basel and won! Thanks to that, I got to work with some amazing coaches, who taught me a lot about the industry and inspired me to put my music out there and get serious about what I want. Right around that time, OLO moved to London to study at the Abbey Road Institute. That’s where we finished the tracks and got them mixed and mastered by Lev Shteinberg, who studied with OLO and is now his business partner.
And although it was a very long process, my debut EP is finally here!
What were your biggest influences when creating it?
I grew up listening to a lot of R&B and Soul. I was a Destiny’s Child superfan and my first favourite song was Miss You Much by Janet Jackson. But my biggest vocal inspiration was always Aretha Franklin. She was playing with the juxtaposition of power and lightness like nobody else and I’ve always wanted to achieve that in my own way.
Paired with the theatricality of opera and my love for a good old hip-hop beat with a touch of disco, I think the EP is a beautiful mixture of all these influences.
Do you have a favourite moment or track from the EP?
Although it’s really hard to choose, I think my favourite moment is the one that I named the EP after: This Is A Solo And Not A Duet.
It’s the line that leads into the last chorus of ‘Beautiful Coward’ and it might be my favourite line I’ve ever written.
It perfectly encapsulates the meaning of the EP: My journey is dependent on the trust and love I have for myself and not on the opinion of others. I also love that it’s from the oldest one of the songs, because it just symbolises the importance of trusting the process and trusting the timeline you’re on.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I definitely DON’T plan on working on my next opus for another 10 years 😛
There’s still a lot that I want to put out in the context of this EP, like music videos and live sessions, maybe even a remix or two. But we also already have several new songs in the pipeline, which we’re very excited to share with the world. So, stay tuned! 🙂
