In your own words, tell us who Evin Nazya is.
Evin Nazya Musgrove … that’s me! I am an Indie-Alternative Singer-Songwriter and YouTuber, born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, but most importantly, I am a follower of Jesus. I was raised in a stable, Christian home, being the youngest of three siblings. My parents have always been supportive, encouraging my siblings and I to explore our strengths, interests, and creativity. It wasn’t until I truly committed my life to Christ in April of 2018 that I was convicted to cultivate my craft and share it with the world, and I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life! The purpose of my content is to simply inspire through personal experience, both visually via YouTube and lyrically through my music. Whether that be sharing about my journey with God, my passion for health and fitness, what it’s like being a full-time college student, or lessons I’m learning as I navigate through relationships, both platonic and romantic.
Your YouTube channel is a big part of your social media presence. Do you consider yourself first as a YouTuber or as a musician, or equally as both?
I definitely identify more as an Indie Artist rather than a YouTuber. My YouTube platform is really a space where I connect with my listeners by filming live songwriting sessions, breaking down the lyrics of my songs, and singing live. My channel is also an outlet to share practical, Godly advice with my generation about various concerns, especially as I prepare to be a Life Coach in the future, and achieving my Ph.D. in Psychology.
Since you are on YouTube, is there any of your music videos that you would consider your favourite? What was it like shooting that one?
Hands-down, my favourite music video to film was for my single, “Simple Things”. I worked with the talented, Joshua Martin (@ joshuamartinstudios) on this project back in April of 2019. The meaning behind “Simple Things”, to slow down and be fully present in every single moment, paired with the calming and nostalgic visuals directed by Joshua, make this project #1 in my book. I was truly at peace during the entire process, and felt deeply connected to my creativity in a way I never had before.
Your music is simultaneously hi-quality and low-fi. What is it about a low-fi aesthetic that appeals to you?
While I wouldn’t consider the main style of my music to be Lo-fi, my first ever ep “so this is what it’s like”, released on November 30th, 2019, is heavily Lofi-inspired. I was drawn to the simplicity of this genre’s sound after consuming it so often during my college study sessions. The minimalistic sound of Lo-fi serves as the perfect template for experimenting with various tunes during the song-writing process. Fun fact, I often find myself unconsciously writing songs while (supposedly) studying, as I listen to one Lo-fi playlist after the next. It actually makes studying rather enjoyable. It was only fitting that I develop this habit of mine, fully, through creating my EP.
You have expressed online at various times that you haven’t been using autotune or other vocal pitch correction software, and that is very evidently true from just listening to your music. Can you talk a bit about your reasoning behind that choice?
Truthfully speaking, I have always been offended by “I thought you used autotune” comments on my music, simply because I’ve always associated autotune with rappers or pop-singers whose vocals sound overproduced to cover up their natural vocals. I am flattered, however, when people almost always say that even after hearing me sing live, my voice sounds “naturally autotuned”, haha. Personally, I prefer to practice vocal techniques that wouldn’t require me to correct my pitch using autotune. Additionally, depending on the style of song, for instance, an Indie-Pop song, I’m fine with my vocals being a bit less crisp to resemble a more laid back, live vibe. With that being said, I respect those who do use autotune. It makes perfect sense.
Songs on your EP so this is what it’s like deal with an interesting combination of commonplace young adult concerns like friendship, dating, dealing with parents, feeling lazy, and so on, with questions of spirituality and God. You walk a really fine line between “sacred” topics and “regular life.” How do you strike this balance, and is it intentional?
This is definitely deliberate. It was never my intention to be listed in the Christian/Gospel charts, simply because I enjoy writing about everyday life issues in addition to my love for God, specifically. I’ve noticed that when artists within the Christian genre branch out to create more “secular” music, for instance, just a positive love song, they get flack from their fans for not talking exclusively about Jesus’ love. Personally, I believe that speaking on life topics like laziness, parent-child issues, friendships, and dating, are all important for a Christian. While not all of my music discusses God directly, each of my songs always reflects my Christian character, and that’s the goal.
You were recently nominated for an Elevation Award in the Bahamas. Congratulations on that! How does it feel to be recognized so early in your music career?
Yo, honestly, I did NOT see that coming! The Bahamas is rather small in comparison to other countries, so it’s more common to recognize raw talent once we put ourselves out there. I never realized how important it is to me to be recognized amongst my own people, though, as I’ve always been so focused on international exposure. Being nominated for the Elevation Awards as Best New Artist, here in my home country, is definitely humbling and has allowed me to connect with other Bahamian creatives.
Are you connected to any local music scene in your area? Have you found yourself networking at all with other Bahamian artists that you might consider your “peers”?
Yes, I have connected with Bahamian DJ’s, Gospel and secular artists on my island, New Providence. As it relates to my own peers, not so much. There aren’t too many musical artists my age that take it as seriously or the message they put out is not aligned with my Christian beliefs, hence my hesitation to collaborate with such individuals. There are far more content creators, rather than artists within my age group, that I am inspired by and collab with.
You have a really wide variety of content on your YouTube channel, everything from devotional topics (“Make Jesus Smile” series) to personal fitness. If you could, would you ever consider going more “full time” with this kind of media ministry?
This is a question I’ve considered over the last 4 years of being on YouTube, and the answer is no, I wouldn’t take on YouTube full time. As I said earlier, my calling is in music and character building, rather than strictly media. I thoroughly enjoy creating visual content, but only as a hobby. I truly believe that my YouTube channel will serve as a business marketing tool for my future Life Coaching career, where people will be able to taste what it would be like to sit in an actual therapy session with me. I also plan to continue to build my artist platform for as long as I live. I’m confident that it will be the perfect “side hustle'' in the future.
What one thing would you like to say to whoever is reading this right now?
To the readers, most specifically, Creatives of all kinds, always create for yourself rather than for an audience. Allow me to explain. Creating for myself ensures that I am 100% confident in my message and actually believe in what I’m saying. The moment I create content based on the “hype” or what I think will gain the most traction, the less authentic my craft becomes, and the less motivated I am to create. When you wholeheartedly believe in your craft, naturally, the appropriate audience will follow, and for the Christian Creatives, having an audience who believes in your character, and hence, your craft, will ultimately result in more souls won for Christ.
More about Evin Nazya
Location: The Bahamas
Genre: Alternative / Indie Pop / R&B
Artist Links
• YouTube • Spotify • Apple Music • Instagram • Twitter •
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