Interview: Toronto Based Artist TRULY NXSH Talks About His Debut Single "On My Way"
Salute to you on the release of your debut single "On My Way"; how did you connect with the producer OK! Taylor and what was your creative process for the song's development?
OK! Taylor and I met at Battle Of The Beat Makers back in 2018. We were both competing in the competition and we ended up exchanging information. After about a year of following each other on Instagram and talking back and forth we finally got into the studio mid 2019. The chemistry was there off the rip. Taylor is a solid guy and one of the best producers out right now in my opinion.
Tell us about your journey as an artist who is originally from Swaziland, and now based in Toronto. Would you say that the music you create now has any cultural influences from Southern Africa?
I would definitely say my background has influenced the music I make. In Eswatini and South Africa, which I both consider my home, there’s a popping party scene and there’s none of that ‘’I’m too cool to dance’ or have fun.
Our local music is very rhythmical and always has that groove, and makes you want to move. People let loose and have fun and I take that same approach into the music I make. I want to always have fun, I take music very seriously but at the same time I have to keep it fun and playful. I feel like keeping things playful allows me to never get tired of making music, and it helps me stay in love with creating. I’ll always have love for my home country and I can not wait to one day perform out there.
When I started making music I was just trying to get it however I could. I remember installing FL studio on everyone in the families laptop and the home computer as I didn’t have my own at the time. For the most part I just had to figure things out on my own and make the most with what I had around me. That hustler mentality of trying to get it however I can has stayed with me till this day and I’d attribute that to where I’m from.
What are some things/people/places that inspire your creativity when you are working on new music?
Most of my inspiration comes from people/artists I know in real life, and I always try to let them know that. I started making beats because one of friends Lihle ‘’Lo Soundz’’ Dlamini came to me one day while we were in high school and played me some of the beats he had started making at home on a computer. This was around 2009 and I was mind blown. I had no real idea about how beats were made or what a DAW was so I have to give him credit for that initial spark because he showed me it’s possible. Soon after that I began working on my own music. From around that time I knew that this is what I was gonna do. I always wanted to be an artist from when I was a kid but I didn’t know how tangible it was until around that time.
I like to make songs that are reflective of my real life and situations that I’ve been through. I try to keep things accurate and mostly positive. I don’t want to make any music containing violence or or any type of hatred. I think being an artist comes with a lot of responsibility and I’m very conscious of who could be listening to my music. I want to make my family, friends and fans proud and to represent a good cause. I try to keep myself in check and stay true to myself and stay grounded and down to earth. I feel like there are a lot of things that are wrong in the world. I think music is a powerful tool and I want to make music people can enjoy and hopefully relate to which could help elevate their mood.
Tell us about the record label you are releasing music under, SEE THINGS VIVID. What about this label puts you in the position to be successful?
SEE THINGS VIVID is founded by LOST KID GAMBIT, TEJ and myself. The idea to make a record label came about due to all of us having the same goals and also each of us willing to put in the work to make those goals and dreams possible.
Although there are only three artists on the roster so far, there are many other people that are part of our community and we are all working to get this thing off the ground. It’s not really about what the label can do for me since I’m a part owner, but rather how far can we push our music under the umbrella. We have many plans for SEE THINGS VIVID as a company, and we are looking forward to sharing those as time goes on.
With your debut single now released, what are some of your goals musically for this year?
One of my short goals is to get my music on the radio within the first half of the year. I think it's possible and I'm working towards it. Honestly I'm just doing everything I can to pop in this industry and put Swaziland and South Africa on the map.
I take this seriously and I don’t care about doing stunts/gimmicks to get my name out there. I just want to make it off the strength of having a good product and hustling my music to get it in front of as many people as possible. To me making it is making a living off music. If I was a lowkey artist not many people knew about but I still had a strong fan base and was able to live off that, I'd be happy. At the same time I'm not shying away from potentially being a star and making it big in this industry. I’d be happy with both situations. It's just a matter of how things play out and how far we’re able to push the things my team and I are working on.