Interview: Los Angeles Based Singer-Songwriter and Actress Nina Unofficial
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Nina Unofficial is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter and actress, originally from Iran, whose music video “Sure Thing”, we recently showcased. Not content with just a video feature, we connected with Nina for an exclusive interview to discuss “Sure Thing”, as well as the upcoming EP (With Love, Nina) that it will be appearing on, and we find out whether she feels that her music is a reflection of the experiences she’s had in past locales and currently in Los Angeles.
After reading our Q&A with Nina Unofficial, stream “Sure Thing” on Spotify and connect with her on IG and Twitter.
Congratulations on the release of your single "Sure Thing". What motivated you to write that song and to create a visual for it?
Thank you so much for the love! I had a strong sense of urgency when I wrote that song. It was a dark time and there were a lot of people around me and the world struggling. I was in Joshua Tree on a retreat and the lyrics and melody just poured out of me one evening. It eventually became more than just a song about heartache as I realized it’s about my own sense of self and negativity setting me back in my life.
That no one can truly hurt us without our consent and that winning to me is having utter faith. That’s why I did the visual video. It was a lighthearted take on being an artist here in LA, a town where a lot of rejections and disappointments can lead to a sense of defeat. But In the big scheme of things we are lucky to be alive and to be us. All of us are a “Sure Thing” and the possibilities are endless we just have to reach that state of mind.
Will "Sure Thing" be appearing on your upcoming debut EP "With Love, Nina"? If so, is "Sure Thing", a precursor of what we can expect from the other songs on the EP in terms of subject matter and instrumentation?
Yes, “Sure Thing” is one of the four songs on my EP "With Love, Nina". The theme of each song in my album is love; “Sure Thing” is about self love and the rest are different aspects of the subject.
The instrumentation of my other songs are somewhat different from this one but having listened to them all recently, I feel there is a cohesive aspect in that I’m a visual writer and all songs can be movie soundtracks.
You've lived in London, Moscow and Toronto and are now based in Los Angeles. Would you say that your music is a reflection of your experiences in those cities and your location now?
Yes definitely. Those cities I grew up in were all so vastly different, they each gave me a unique perspective on music and life in general. Los Angeles is home to me as I’ve lived there longest of all and moved here by myself so it has shaped me the most. There’s also so much music I’ve been exposed to here it has certainly influenced the way I see the world and write my songs.
What lessons about yourself as a solo artist would you say that you learned as a bandmate in "The British Accent"?
Being in a band and putting your work out there is less frightening and in some ways easier to tackle as all success and failure is shared. I’m not someone who needs all the attention so it was more of a chill fun vibe. The down side was having different ideas as to what was best musically and that was somewhat challenging as I hadn’t yet come to my own to know what I wanted and to make sure it was translated into my work.
As a solo artist there is only you to motivate you or to take blame. I find myself working much harder now and trying to do my best is sharpening my tools and allowing me to grow as a person and that's important to me.
Finish this sentence - "In 2019, Nina Unofficial will ..."
In "2019" Nina Unofficial will be playing live in a city near you! I have put off playing live for some time and am getting ready to put myself out there and share my music with as many people as I am fortunate enough to share it with.