NOLO GRACE: INTERVIEW


by alex grainger

photo courtesy of nolo grace

Nolo Grace’s latest release “Winter Blue” is a time capsule to an uncertain time during the pandemic. The self-produced single was crafted in the early morning hours where she would discover and grow into her own voice and sound as a musician. The dreamy electronic song takes us into her world of searching for answers in a time where she was lost in her own mind. “Winter Blue” leads with the message of embracing your emotions and the choice we have when approaching those emotions. Read more about Nolo Grace and “Winter Blue” below!

Can you tell us what “Winter Blue” is about?

Nolo: “‘Winter Blue’ is about my inner struggle for answers during a period when I was feeling particularly isolated and lost during the pandemic. At the time, I knew how important it was to have compassion for the darker, more shadowy sides of myself, but I was having a hard time getting there. I was twisted up in my inner dialogue — battling how I felt vs. how I thought I should feel — and all the ruminating patterns that go with that. The musical journey and repetition reflect the meandering path of my own mind.”

You refer to “Winter Blue” as a time capsule, why?

Nolo: ”It was a period of time that felt very interstitial and transitional. It feels nostalgic thinking about those months. I had moved in with my boyfriend as LA went on lockdown, and we decided on a whim to get married. His second bedroom became my makeshift studio and office. For about six months, I would start my days making beats at 6am in that room. I was still pretty new to Ableton and was learning to produce. It was a precious time for me. It was very much a solo, exploratory endeavor. I hadn’t even released any music yet, so I had no conception of what the process of sharing music with the outside world would be like. I didn’t know how the pandemic would even develop. So ‘Winter Blue’ represents the music, thoughts, and mood of that little window of time. Two months later, we closed on a house in Silver Lake, moved in literally the next day, and then I started releasing music a few months after that.”

What was your creative process like for your self-produced single? How is it different working on your own as opposed to collaborating with other artists like you did on your release with Sean Kingston?

Nolo: ”The creative process was much more straightforward working on this song. The process felt very meditative and intuitive because there wasn’t a need to communicate my ideas to another person. It also has probably 30 more vocal layers than it would have if I were working with someone else. I honestly felt a bit shy releasing it for those reasons, but I also know that it was an important step to break through those feelings. Collaborating with other artists, producers, and writers is a great experience, and it can enrich the song. There’s a purity of intention that persists when creating something entirely on your own though.”

Do you have a favorite lyric in your single that is especially meaningful?

Nolo: ”I think it’s probably, ‘I’m all twisted up. Can I turn it around? Spinning upside down. Where’s my gravity now?’”

Is there a specific message you are sending to listeners of “Winter Blue?”

Nolo: ”Well, I think I want people to feel that they can embrace the darker emotions and experience healing. I want people to realize how powerful the mind and our belief systems are, and that we have a choice. When you’re sitting with a lot of darkness and confusion, your mind can lead you to believe and assume the worst. The negative emotions can become an addictive cycle. The key is to love and have compassion for those feelings and experiences within yourself while realizing you have the power to choose and change your beliefs and circumstances. No matter how difficult and impossible things seem, we do have the power to create change in our lives.”

You made your musical debut last year, how has this past year been? 

Nolo: ”It’s been an incredible year with a lot of personal realization and growth. Making and releasing music has been a big part of that, and I feel grateful for the expansion. I’ve made some great friends and stepped into a space of reinvention and possibility. It’s interesting, but by exploring my artistry in this way, I’ve found that it’s enabled me to see a bigger picture for how I can have a broader positive impact on the world.”

How would you describe your sound? How has it developed since your debut a year ago?
Nolo: ”Well, I think it’s evolving, so I’m curious to see where it will go. I would say that it’s dreamy and message-driven, influenced by various electronic, hip hop, and pop genres. Recently, I’ve been drawn to a more acoustic sound, so it’s evolving.”

Do you think you’ve learned any valuable lessons as an emerging artist from the pandemic? How, if at all, has this translated into your music or creative process?

Nolo: “Honestly, I think the most valuable lesson I’ve internalized is learning to stay true to my vision and caring less about the opinions of other people. I experienced disappointment over the past year, and it came from different sources. The root of all these issues, however, was me not having the confidence to fully own the vision for my art. My journey as an emerging artist has been about finding my voice in so many areas of my life, so that has been both the biggest lesson and the greatest gift.”

photo courtesy of nolo grace

You’ve had an incredibly successful career thus far from Wall Street to co-founding PARASOL to your music career, but how did you get here? How have all your experiences influenced the music you create?

Nolo: ”It hasn’t been a straightforward path, but it has been necessary. Just as it’s articulated in my song ‘Winter Blue,’ I’ve gotten tangled up in the search for answers. It’s both a blessing and a curse, but I’ve always been a person who wants to do everything. I’ve often been criticized for doing too much, and it can get overwhelming at times. For me, music was always a dream, but I never pursued it seriously because I had so much fear. It meant too much to me, so I decided to give it up altogether. I went into the non-profit world and then into international development and then business. All through this period, I had the nagging voice inside around what I truly wanted to do, which was music. As the years passed, that voice never went away. There was an ever-present daily undercurrent of, ‘what if I had?’ and ‘could I?’ I have no regrets about it though because it had to unfold this way. I believe having the business, technology, and international development background is a big part of what I will do in the future. My new organization PARASOL is about integrating these sides of myself and bringing the creative, business, and wellness communities together.”

What’s next for you?

Nolo: ”I’m excited about the releases I have planned for this year, and I have a music video for ‘Winter Blue’ coming out in a few weeks. The director, Dani Okon, created multiple animated worlds for ‘Winter Blue.’ I can’t wait to share it. I also have a new band I started with my husband called ‘Grace & Moji.’ We’re working on an album, which we will release later this year. Beyond my personal music projects, I’m really passionate about the mission of PARASOL and growing the community of conscious creatives, entrepreneurs, and change makers to create a better world. Given my background and everything I’ve struggled with, I feel passionate about creating a safe space and community for creatives to share and be supported.”

 

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NOLO GRACE: INTERVIEW


by mariah estran

photo courtesy of nolo grace

From a New York City corporate executive to an emerging pop artist, Nolo Grace has found her voice. Through the brazen new single “Miss Perfect,” we’re taken on a journey of self-reflection. A reminder that accepting yourself is the perfection of its own.  

The singer says on the track: “Over the past few years, I’ve worked to deprogram myself of that kind of thinking and realize that my worth has nothing to do with my achievements. My worth — everyone’s worth — is intrinsic.”

The song’s lyrics elaborate on that mental breakthrough. She recites words of how she lost herself while fighting for an ideal image. While the visual, directed by Sasha Rivero, is set in a 1950s home, trimmed with unrealistic standards. By the end, the characters are seen breaking free, dancing, and being just themselves.

“For me, the message and my story are the most important aspects of my music, and it’s important that I share a positive and helpful perspective with the world,” she says.

We spoke with Nolo Grace to get more insight on “Miss Perfect” and her own story. She tells us about her background, creating the music video, producing the single, and what she hopes her music does for others.

You’ve recently released “Miss Perfect,” the empowering video and single about accepting who you are and reimagining the concept of being perfect. Why was it important to you to write such a bold, anthem-worthy track such as this?

Nolo: “The song is definitely a statement, and I’m communicating with myself as much as I am with the world. I had to step out of my comfort zone to make this song, and that was part of the process of me embracing the message. Some of the significant lyrics in the song are, ‘I lost myself, couldn’t see myself, always living for somebody else,’ and ‘Trying to be Miss Perfect, wasn’t really worth it, found myself unearthing what I was already deserving... found my own perfection by accepting my reflection.’

Many of us work so hard to live up to impossible standards, and as a result, we never feel good enough. We never feel that anything we do is enough. Over the past few years, I’ve worked to deprogram myself of that kind of thinking and realize that my worth has nothing to do with my achievements. My worth — everyone’s worth — is intrinsic. The way we feel inside is then mirrored back at us in the situations we attract into our lives. I had to lose my addiction to hardship, worries, and struggle. I’m still working on it because it’s been ingrained in me for so long.

At the moment when I wrote the song, I was specifically reflecting on my old life as a corporate executive in NYC — all the worries, stress, and struggles tied up in the high-powered and fast-paced life and career I was leading at that time. I was desperate for answers and change, but I was also out-of-touch with myself. Over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey to completely reinvent my life. The major shifts I’ve experienced have come from changes in my thought process, including letting go of impossible standards and learning to listen to and accept myself. We often look externally for answers because we don’t prioritize our own wisdom, but the reality is that we truly are the only people who know what is best for ourselves. We all have a unique path.”

The video for the single continues to display that “ideal life." However, you incorporate the obstacles women of color face while being held to high and unattainable standards. What was the process like while developing this visual?

N: “I knew I wanted to play on the 50s theme without it being too on the nose. I had a lot of fun working on it with the director, Sasha Rivero, and DP, Tammy Santos. I’ve always been fascinated with identity — what it is, how it gets formed, and how gender, race/ethnicity, language, class, and other factors are constructs that determine so much of our lives. Maybe it’s because I spent my life constantly feeling different from other people.

For me, the idealized context in the video encouraged conformism and homogeneity. You see us breaking free of those standards as the video progresses. I’m really grateful for the talented team who worked with me on this project. It was an incredible amount of work to write up the treatment, production design, style, and finalize everything, all the way through to getting the right film grain look on the color grade.”

You’ve had your own experience pursuing perfection, just as many women have. You attended an Ivy League school and worked on Wall Street. Now, you’ve transitioned to music and found a way to express your emotions through your work. How has music helped you find your voice and identity?

N: “Well, I think of it as a mutually reinforcing process. The process of recovering my voice led me back to my passion for music. It’s really what I always wanted to do, but for most of my life, I ignored it. I had so many fears and limiting beliefs. As for expressing my emotion in my music, I think I’m still in the process of unlocking that side of myself. I’ve been in environments where it wasn’t safe or where it was weak to express emotion, whether at home, in relationships, or in my career. Music is technical, of course, but to me, it’s also primal in the way it transports and conveys emotion.

I love how magical and limitless it is. The production, writing, expression, and delivery. There are so many variables, so many ways to experiment, so many unexpected outcomes. I absolutely love it. One of the things I struggled with was the overall sound and direction of my project. I have always struggled with being someone who wants to do everything. I think that expansiveness will come with time. I’m trying not to rush it. I want to trust and enjoy the process of it unfolding.”

Through the two singles you’ve released, you’re showcasing this electronic, alternative-pop sound. What has the production process been like for you?

N: “The production process for ‘Wake Up’ was extremely involved while ‘Miss Perfect’ came together pretty quickly and effortlessly. The instrumental track for ‘Wake Up’ was made during a session I had with my collaborator BlakeQuake. He’s really talented at capturing an emotion, and I was inspired to write a song to my inner child. I took the production from there and went through many different rounds experimenting with layers, drums, and vocals. That was early in the quarantine, so I was working on my own. My husband, Martin Wave, is also a producer. At the time, I was private with my music and didn’t share it with him. I thought of it as my own oasis in a way, and I’d work on it with headphones in our apartment or at 6am while he was sleeping. I eventually did open up over time, and he was inspired to work on the production with me. We made a version together and made yet another version with Sean Kingston featuring on the song. The way I work tends to be iterative in that way, working on a song for a period of time on my own and then working with others to finalize or elevate it. I love producing, but it’s still relatively new to me, so it can be time-consuming and meandering at times.”

As you continue to release singles, how will the rest of your music continue to showcase these empowering themes?

N: “I feel like I’ve gone through a personal revolution in the way that I think and experience life. It’s been so transformative for me that I can’t imagine those messages, practices, and experiences being part of my music for a long time to come. For me, the message and my story are the most important aspects of my music, and it’s important that I share a positive and helpful perspective with the world. I was raised by strict Korean immigrant parents and had a difficult and violent childhood. I escaped that and ended up succeeding in the corporate world, but I internalized a way of living marked by hardship, worries, and struggle. I thought that my ability to be tough and to push myself harder than others could was a mark of strength, but I realize now that it was a disorder. Over the past few years, I’ve learned how to live from a more positive place and positive vision of myself. Reflecting on how stuck and hopeless I’ve felt in the past, I know that change comes from within — from listening to yourself and changing your inner dialogue. I dream of a world where everyone follows their heart and shows love to themselves and others, and that’s a theme I’m sure I will continue to write about. As I mentioned, it’s important for me that music feels expansive, so I’ll probably also explore many other themes, but that will continue to be an important one.”

What advice would you give to your listeners and even fellow artists who are struggling with keeping up with idealistic standards?

N: “My advice is to remember to do what makes you truly happy. Ask yourself what you want. Journal, meditate, or take up practices that help you get closer to your own voice, not the voice of other people’s expectations. Always try your best, but don’t sacrifice your wellbeing in the process. Remember to celebrate yourself, and celebrate the small wins.”

 

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