Interview with RockLan One

RockLan one magazine sent me these questions.

Check them out here: www.ROCKLANONEMAGAZINE.com

I hope you enjoy :)

<3 Nadia

What is the meaning behind your name?

So my first name "Nadia" was chosen by my father. He told me he chose the name as it's used worldwide and in many cultures. Ironically, later on, when I was writing a school paper in the 4th grade called "What's in a name?", I found out that my name means "hope" in Slavic and my dad's name Raja, also means "hope" in Arabic. 

 I decided for my artist name to create my own last name/identity separate from my family name. I wanted a name combination that I knew no one had! So it was a weird thought process to arrive at "Vaeh." I had always loved the name Nevaeh, which is "Heaven," spelled backward. I liked the way removing the NE sounded in flow with my first name; it just felt right! 

Where are you originally from? I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, and am first-generation Lebanese on my fathers' side. 

Did you always want to be in the entertainment industry?

Ever since I was a toddler, I remember being a little ham of an entertainer. I was that kid organizing plays and casting the whole neighborhood as characters, or I'd coordinate lip sync and fully choreographed Spice Girls performances with my sisters or girlfriends. I first knew I wanted to be a singer when I was seven years old! I was singing "Tearing up my heart" by N*SYNC (lol), and my aunt was like…was that you or the radio?! You have such a pretty voice! I just knew it was something that I needed to immerse myself in! Then I discovered poetry and songwriting, and the rest is history in the making ;)

How did you first get started in the entertainment industry?

 I had my first band in high school, but at age 17, circumstances took me on a journey away from music and entertainment. This was the aftermath of my mom passing away due to losing her battle with depression. I went on to work in the fashion world and decided to go to school after a few years of trying to party the pain away. As fate would have it, though, I would be pulled back into music and entertainment in a unique way! I woke up one day and decided I was unhappy in my pursuits, so I decided to embark on a different pursuit of happiness as an artist! I quit school, quit my job, and quit my boyfriend all in the same week and decided to give the creative life a try - not knowing ANYTHING about what that would look like. While moving out of the space I lived in with my now ex, I realized I needed to do one last load of laundry. I was moving out of a very comfortable apparent and into a subsidiary living facility with roommates (as I would find out later, rodents and roaches galore would also become my roomies). We were out of laundry detergent, so I went down to the neighbor's door to ask to borrow a cuppa soup, and a gentleman with a handlebar mustache and striped pants opened the door to reveal an apartment full of all this fun circus gear! I learned at that moment that he was the "ringmaster" of a local circus which he invited me to join and train with that following Tuesday! I started learning hand-to-hand acrobatics and performed one show series with them as an acrobat and singer! I later realized that circus acrobatics was not for me when I fell on my neck at practice and quickly pivoted to just the music, writing original music with one circus band member Ben Farmer! We formed a little folk duo, and I got to reignite my love of words and songwriting! Then from here, I started collaborating with so many different creatives and styles of music around Atlanta and the world! I fell in love with pop and pop/rock as those are the genres I connected with when I first started writing with my band in high school. I also love pop because you can mesh many different genres and influences! It feels limitless! 

What project are you currently promoting? What is the meaning of the project, and what does it mean to you? 

I have a new single coming out on January 27th called "Promise Not to Kill You," and it's exciting for many reasons: 

1) I last released new music almost a year and a half ago, which is the most prolonged hiatus I've been on since I started putting out music in June 2019! 

2) This song shows a bit of a different side and is the beginning of a very strong era for me! I've been on a crazy healing journey, and I have finally found my voice and strength! Of course, that will continuously evolve, but I've never felt this grounded since maybe I was a kid and before life kicks you around, ya know?

This song, to me, definitely embodies how relationships can be so tricky, but the ones worth fighting for, you stick around and find ways to keep it exciting and make it work!

What is your thought process when working on new music?

Usually, when a new song starts to form, I see a scene or a theme! Often, a line or lyric will hit my brain and nag at me repeatedly until a whole song is born around it. For example, right before the session where I wrote "Never Leave the Basement," the lines "Advertisements scroll like pavement; Max us out like credit cards - don't pay them" would not stop nagging at me!!! Then when I sat down to write with my buddy Dion Shaw, we talked about the woes of being creative and being on social media and how life can feel so simulated sometimes! 

What inspires your music?

Love, loss, coping mechanisms, just life in general!! I write many songs on what I've been through, am going through, or things friends/peers have struggled with. So much of this work is about what we have been dealing with collectively. We all go through so many similar strifes. It doesn't matter who you are or your background; at the end of the day, we all want to love and be loved. I hope that my music can be there to help anyone out there feeling like they don't have a voice to find empowerment within themselves to conquer their biggest fears and dreams. 

How would you classify your music?

My music is a little edgy, sassy, outspoken, and honest. I say what I'm feeling when I write, and I have these songs inside me; I have to get out! 

How would you describe yourself as an artist? Driven, dedicated, and loyal, not only to my fans, but I ride for my team till the trophies are on the shelves, and the money is in the bank account!! 

What sets your music apart from others in your genre?

My songs have been influenced by many different genres and cultures while remaining pop. I'm writing from a sincere place. The music y'all will be hearing throughout 2023 is my most real yet, and it's only gonna get more so as we move along. I feel like a lot of pop music is highly contrived and the subject matter is all the same thing regurgitated. When I'm writing, I'm no longer thinking, "is this a hit - is this what people wanna hear?" My mantra -this is what they need to hear!!! People need real. 

Who do you feel is your demographic market (audience and location), and why?

My audience is interesting and hard to gauge because I've had so many different analytics, ages, and demographics at my shows. I've had a 60-year-old woman come up to me after a show and let me know that my song about fake friends was her favorite and that she really related, and then I've had 17-year-olds vibe with my song about body dysmorphia. (Both dropping in 2023). So my music is just for whoever needs it!!

What other genre would you actually consider working in or releasing music under, and why?

Ooo…this is a good question!! I would say either folk/pop or rap because both genres leave a lot of room to say a lot, to truly tell a story!! 

When you are working on a new song…do you already have a concept in mind, or do you prefer writing on top of music/beats?

I am a very visual writer! Most often, I already have a story or concept in mind. I usually envision a scene, and then the rest of the song fills out this mini-movie in my mind! Sometimes a piece of music or beat will trigger that scene for me, too, though!!

What are some of your musical influences?

Those are all over the map! I grew up on a lot of middle eastern music and island sounds thanks to having family in Lebanon and Curaçao. I also listened to a lot of classic rock and Celine Dion French albums by way of my dad. My mom loved world music, so that all got absorbed. Then when I ventured out on my own, I was super eclectic! I listened to all the great pop girlies like Britney, Shania, Christina, Spice Girls, etc., and then I got more into the angsty pop girlies like Avril, Alannis, Gwen, Jewel, etc. After that, I was really into an album by Robert Plant and Grace Potter in my softer era. From there, I found myself listening to a lot of pop-punk, metal, and alternative music like Blink-182, Silver Sun Pickups, Lacuna Coil, Bring Me the Horizon, Devil Wears Prada, Green Day, Nirvana and the list goes on and on. I also grew up on many of Atlanta's finest; OutKast, Ludacris, Gucci Mane, John Mayer, Mastodon, Ciara, TLC, and T.I. are most notable for me! 

What does music mean to you? 

Everything. Music is how I make sense of life and process things! Whether I'm listening or creating it, it's a beautiful tool to work through things!! Music also helps me connect with people I might not have the room to connect with! Music is one arena where communication is boundless! We all speak the same language with the sonics of music, as it's all frequency and energy that anyone can be fluent in!  

What obstacles have you faced in the music industry?

So. F-ing. Many!!! It's not an industry for the thin-skinned. You deal with a lot of rejection regularly, but I feel like my biggest obstacle when I first began this journey was myself. I lost confidence in my abilities and let the industry and rejection tear me down. It's been a crazy, beautiful rebuilding process, and it's constant, but it's so easy to get in your own damn way when you don't believe in yourself! How can you believe in what you're doing if you don't? 

Also, finding funding as an independent artist is so problematic!! It creates an interesting challenge to get something done on a dime! I've been lucky to be able to create a lot of my works with friends on a collaborative front, but then there's working lots of odd jobs to make shit happen while playing shows and keeping up with the million hats we indies wear!!

What does being an independent artist mean to you?

It sometimes means 90-hour work weeks, depending on what's going on. It means a lot of sacrifices. You miss out on things with friends and family because the vacation is outside the budget. It's a hard grind, but I wouldn't trade it !! I know it's all going to pay off, and a good bit of those hours will go off to someone else to help take the load off, and I'll be able to take my whole family on the trips they want to go on!

What hard lessons have you learned while working in the industry? First, trust yourself—your intuition. Your voice, and don't force a collaboration. If the vibe isn't right, it's not right for a reason. 

Do you feel that artists really understand the business aspect of the music industry?

The business side doesn't come naturally for many artists. I think creativity is a very different way of thinking. I've had to train my brain to see the business side as creative. I am constantly thinking of out-of-the-box ways to get my music out there and investing time and energy into networking and growing my business with my community in mind. It's important to remember that, unfortunately, it's a business first before the art comes into the mix. Without strategy and planning, you're just playing and making music as a hobby. 

What changes do you feel that need to be made in the music industry?

Royalties and payouts need to be more straightforward and easier to collect (especially on the master side of things). Payouts from the streaming side of things need to be higher!! Without mechanical royalties, shifts have to be made for artists and songwriters to sustain off of their WORK…because while it's fun and art, it is work! The artist to GOOD management gap is huge and needs to be remedied. 

What direction do you see the music industry going? 

The music industry is shifting into more of an independent artist model where independent artists will hold the keys to the kingdom. I believe that the days of the artist working for little to nothing while labels pocket the majority of the fruits of their labor are coming to an end. We will be able to sustain off of our work without the help of these major deals, thanks to platforms like TikTok and new social media platforms coming into the sphere. 

What steps have you taken to market your music?

I have done it all! Radio, press, playlisting, social media, grassroots/word of mouth, shows, collaborations, music videos, content creation, telling the employee at Walmart or my Uber driver to check out my shit (I have no shame, lol), and more!! I can't stop and won't stop till my songs are everywhere!!!

What steps have you taken to brand yourself as an artist?

I have put a lot of time and thought into my whole vibe/aesthetic. It's been a process that develops as you find your sound and artist's mission. I started this journey in June of 2019, and now I'm here in January 2023, finally feeling solid about my branding. It takes time, so if you're an artist trying to find your footing on the branding front, let time sort it out and pinpoint some solid visual inspirations!! Then, it will become more apparent. When I sat down and looked back on the first year or so of my career and tapped in with artists and brands, I resonated with, and then we got it nailed down. 

What do your fans get when they come to watch one of your shows?

It's more than just music being played! It's a whole full-on show with lights and a message. I have created my show with the dreamer in mind and I genuinely believe we are all dreamers. But, unfortunately, some of us have just forgotten a massive piece of ourselves that I aim the concert go-er to leave my show back in touch with that side of themselves. 

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

Pink - because she is a force of nature with a powerful voice and unique look!!! She has a song for everyone and everything and is such an inclusive creator. I admire her as an artist, woman, and mama. I hope to be like her when I grow up! lol 

If you can work with any producer, who would it be and why?

I would love to work with John Feldman! He's produced so many bands that inspire me, and he works in depth in both the pop and rock genres. 

How important do you feel is having the right team?

It's vital. Without a good team, your hands can become tied, and that whole saying, "you're only as strong as the weakest link," is so true. I've had some challenging experiences trying to find proper management with follow-through, which has definitely been a setback in the past! 

Do you feel the role of an A&R is essential?

 Yes, they are important in helping to push new talent, but they can be detrimental if they get too involved in the creative process. If a team or a thing is working, let it be!

How important is it that artists have their own label setup?

I think it's crucial because to get noticed, you have to be about your business and show you understand the business and the many hats that a label will be assigning your artist project to ensure your works are heard and that their time and monetary investments are not wasted. 

How have your music changed in the past couple of years?

 It's shapeshifted into a more bold embodiment of who I am spiritually and personally. I've honed in on who I am and what I wanna use my voice and platform for as well as who I'm speaking to! 

What are your projects plans for 2023?

I am releasing so much new music!!!! 10 originals, 2 covers and a remix!!! 

Describe yourself in one word.

Effervescent!

What three albums do you think everyone should own?

From my formative years:

Enema of the State 

Spice World 

Missundaztood 

When people first meet you, what is their impression of you?

Hold up lemme ask my boyfriend: LMAO.

He said "that you were boojey" and then he said he was impressed that "I showed up to the meeting that we had planned" because he was so used to people in LA flaking and that "I was nice and inquisitive about him and the process of us working together!" 

We went on to work together for two years before dating, and this was my first time hearing his first impression. Lol. Thanks for a laugh 😆 

Who do you feel has had the most significant impact on your career in 2022 and why?

In 2022 it has been a powerful triage! My friends and teammates Alex Fulton, Kristin Engineer, and my life partner Tyler Spratt have all been major in the shifts and growth that have occurred in 2022. 

Which decision or plan do you feel had the biggest impact on your career in 2022 and why?

Moving back home to Atlanta has been one of the best career moves I could have dreamed of, and it's set me up to be ready for a wild 2023 !!!! I've had so much excellent support and love here to help sustain what I'm doing spiritually, especially! 

What do you feel that you will do differently or work more on in 2023 that you feel you didn't do in 2022?

I will be doing more marketing and visuals because we finally have a solid release plan for the year ahead. 

What project plans do you have for 2023?

So many single releases coming at you every single month, and I'll be going on my first tour!!! There are several other things in the works I can't expand on at this moment 🤫 

What other aspirations outside of music are you interested in and working on?

I am building and designing my own merch line out of sustainable pieces, which has been such a dope experience. I absolutely love fashion and will have my own full-fledged clothing line at some point. I am also enjoying set design as I do it on a dime for all of my song cover shoots and such at my house, and I've been enjoying that creative process…Really anything that involves me thinking creatively, I love!!

What are your business plans and goals for 2023?

To take the world by storm and leave a rainbow with a pot of gold;) 

What is your long-term goal in life?

To live off of being a creative and help people through the trials and tribulations of life via these creations. 

What is your motto in life?

Be present and grateful for the now, but also take action each day toward the goals you have for your future!