Amid all the dystopian hellscapes the 21st century has ushered in, we should savour the mercies. Air fryers. The Shazam app. And shoals of promising young female artists such as 21-year-old Nia Smith. Historically, each big record company picked one “soul/urban/R&B” prospect, backed them half-heartedly then gave up when they didn’t become stars by single three. Now, as acts such as Raye show that you can flourish without traditional industry muscle, paths are lit for a Nia to follow.
Like many talented south Londoners – including Raye – Nia (say it “Nee-a”) is a Brit school alumna. Self-taught before that, as a teen she picked up guitar, piano and trombone while dreaming of becoming a firefighter and/or precocious pop star. Going viral on TikTok during lockdown encouraged at least one of those ambitions and led to high-profile support slots with Mahalia, Tems, Jordan Rakei and Elmiene.
Nia grew up on soul and reggae, and while there’s more of the former on her excellent recent debut EP Give Up the Fear, Jamaican dancehall veteran Popcaan punches up its spiky lead single Personal. There’s also ladles of low-frequency cool in Nia’s live show, her stylish delivery full of poise and attitude that hints at Adele’s imperious yearning and Alicia Keys’s honeyed anguish without copying either. Nia says her songs are “a place where I can tell all my secrets”, and she does so deliciously.
