Buy Me A CoffeeMy first memory of music is of being very young, maybe three years old, held in my father’s arms while we danced in our living room. There was a large sound system filling the space, and I remember being completely absorbed by it. I didn’t have words for what I was feeling then, but I remember a deep sense of being alive, as if nothing else existed beyond that moment.
That feeling has stayed with me throughout my life. When I’m listening to music, making it, or dancing to it, everything else seems to fall away. These are the moments when I feel entirely present, almost touching a deeper sense of the meaning of life. Looking back now, I can see how that early experience quietly shaped the direction of my life, even when I wasn’t consciously aware of it.
I grew up dancing and spent much of my childhood and teenage years in the dance studio, moving to R&B, hip-hop, and contemporary music. R&B in particular left a strong imprint on me. I was drawn to its emotional depth and the way it centred storytelling through the voice, supported by bass, rhythm, and live instrumentation. Although my own music doesn’t sit within that genre, those elements, emotion, rhythm, and narrative, continue to influence how I create.
Music has always felt like home to me. At different points in my life, it has also been a form of escape from my humanity, yet simultaneously a place of deep connection to something greater. In my early adulthood, I spent years on dance floors and in warehouses, dancing in front of large sound systems and allowing the music to move through my body on a cellular level. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what I was seeking, but I can see now that music was helping me, almost like fanning the embers of my heart, to keep going, to keep seeking something greater than what society has imposed on us as a species. It offered connection, presence, and a sense of meaning during periods when I lacked true direction.
I recognised my voice as my instrument from a young age, but it wasn’t something I felt encouraged to share. Over time, I became shy and hesitant, and singing became a private ritual. I sang in the shower or when I was alone in the house, treating those moments as something sacred. Singing moved me deeply, it stirred my emotions, often bringing salty tears and a sense of release, yet I carried a fear that perhaps I was one of those people who loved to sing but couldn’t sing at all. That uncertainty kept my voice hidden for many, many years.
A significant turning point came when I spent time with the Shipibo tribe in the Amazon, healing a chronic pain condition I had lived with for many years. I was deeply moved by their connection to nature spirits, and I was enchanted by the healing songs sung in ceremony. I had the direct experience of feeling their songs recalibrate my being. Shortly after, my voice began to open in a new way, and I started channelling songs in my personal ceremonies at home while working with the medicine of cacao. For the past six years, I have devoted myself to creating space for these songs to emerge. I don’t experience this as songwriting in a conventional sense; the songs arrive through listening moment by moment. There is an emptying out of myself completely, and from that place, sound emerges.
In 2019, I had a moment of deep recognition during meditation, where I cried for hours, realising that music was a huge part of what I was being called to explore in my life, and that I had been unconsciously turning away from that calling. From that point on, my relationship with music shifted from something I simply loved into something I felt deeply devoted to.
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time in the studio, creating music shaped by grief, loss, and profound heartbreak. These experiences have been painful, but they have also deepened my commitment to the work. During periods of isolation and suffering, music became my altar, the place where I could lay everything down and remain connected to something larger than myself.
My current work moves along two parallel paths. One is more shamanic in nature, rooted in channelling and ceremony. The other sits within emotional, hypnotic techno. While these expressions sometimes overlap, they exist as distinct projects, each reflecting a different aspect of my inner world. I don’t usually begin with a clear idea; the music unfolds through intuition, moment by moment.
Nature plays an important role in my sound. I’m often drawn to incorporating elemental textures — wind, birds, water, and other natural sounds — creating environments that feel immersive and alive. I see my music as a landscape that invites listeners inward, into a deeper relationship with themselves.
I’ve played the piano by ear since childhood and have always resisted formal musical structures, preferring to feel my way through sound. At the moment, I’m writing a series of piano-based songs that began during moments of strong emotion. It’s a slow and patient process, one I’m learning to trust. This year also marked an important milestone with the release of several techno tracks on Linee Sonore record label, alongside a number of self-released shamanic pieces. More music is in progress, with further releases planned throughout 2026.
As an artist, I feel I am becoming more honest and transparent. Music is the clearest expression of who I am, intimate with my own heart. I don’t create with a specific outcome in mind. My intention is simply to listen and to follow what feels true.
Ultimately, I hope my music invites people into a deeper sense of presence. I hope it allows them to feel both their humanness and their divinity at the same time, even if only for a moment, and offers a pause from the pressures of everyday life. If my art can help someone feel more connected, more embodied, or more at peace, then it has fulfilled its legacy.
Nyah has been holding sacred containers and trainings since 2018, offering immersive spaces that explore sacred movement arts, sacramental medicines such as cacao and saffron, deep self-inquiry, and sound-based ceremony.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyah__nymphaea/
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