Nisa is a solo project from the New York City-based musician, Nisa Lumaj. She’s now based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but was born and raised by Albanian immigrants in a neighborhood near Morningside Heights after moving from The Bronx at age 10. Because her parents spoke English as a second language, she wasn’t exposed to American pop or rock music until she moved to Manhattan. As a byproduct of spending her teen years in the city’s most metropolitan borough, she found herself around a circle of musicians interested in more contemporary music than what she’d previously been exposed to at home and it wasn't long before she began gigging on the open mic circuits around the city.
While living in the UK at the age of 21, Lumaj was exposed to indie-pop music for the first time. This approachable, but underground influence really beams through on her output as Nisa, drawing on the sounds of Frou Frou, Nilüfer Yanya, Soccer Mommy and Sorry. The sound informed her early EPs, Guilt Trip and Time To Plant Tears but is especially apparent on her new EP, Exaggerate – tipped at Pitchfork, New York Times, NME and more – which comes produced by Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes, My Idea) and is the first release from the brand new Los Angeles label Hit the North Records.
https://nisa.bandcamp.com
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Blending personal narrative with universal observations of both the mundane and mystical, Thomas “creates worlds with her words” (American Songwriter). Shifting between focused calm and propulsive rhythmic explorations, the Hawaii-born, Hudson Valley-based songwriter weaves together reflections on transformation and self-discovery with vivid imagery of the seasons and landscapes she draws inspiration from.
Her songs have been called “hypnotic” and “empowering” and garnered praise from NPR’s All Songs Considered, The Guardian, and more.
www.lealealea.com
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Ben Seretan: Born in California, lives in New York. Plays the guitar and sings with ferocity and a surprising tenderness and sometimes slowly walks through a dense fog of delay pedals.
https://benseretan.bandcamp.com