By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer
Youth seems to keep slipping through my fingers the older I get, which is how I assume it works. Becoming a person of your own is no easy feat, and artist NIA NADURATA is no stranger to the matter. Based in Toronto, Nadurata’s first EP, Still Living With My Parents, was released on January 3. As expected from its title, the album depicts the many “highs and lows of emerging adulthood,” paying homage to the most vulnerable years of life. With six songs, smooth vocals, upbeat drums, dynamic guitar, and extremely relatable lyrics, Nadurata speaks to the soul during its most turbulent times.
Nadurata often works alongside artists like Russ, Nonso Amadi, Amaal, Boslen, and Isaiah Peck as a vocalist and songwriter. She released a couple singles of her own in 2023, like “drive faster,” “i think i like your girlfriend,” and “carSick,” but this EP has been brewing for quite some time now. As her bio says, “her music captures a time when the world and our thoughts tortured us or soothed us,” and I couldn’t agree more. Though she often sings about love, relationships, and the complicated nature of navigating bonds, whether you relate to the hard-hitting lyrics or not, the musical aspects are just as admirable.
Her songs have a similar sound to that of modern alt/indie artists beabadoobee and The Marías, with the gentle strums of a guitar present in every song. Even so, I did sense some influence from prolific RnB artists such as Aaliyah and Amy Winehouse. Nadurata’s smooth voice and the bossa nova-esque instrumentals on low-key songs like “boo hoo” make you want to belt the song’s lyrics in the car. “Souvenirs” is full of strident vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and up-beat drums that contrast the melancholy nature of lyrics — it practically begs to be shouted at full volume. Songs like “Trauma Bond” are particularly special, though. Unlike her other songs on the album, this one truly slows down, perfectly showing a more angsty side to growing up filled with wavy guitar reverbs and soft, angelic vocals.
“Nadurata puts a modern spin on it with more of an alt pop sound that makes you want to dance in your bedroom, or belt the song’s lyrics in the car.”
While I commonly hate listening to songs about past relationships and exes, I liked listening to “Practice” and then “i think i like your girlfriend;” it just makes sense and it’s a bit funny considering the context of both songs. Though your exes tend to steal their favourite aspects of your personality to use as their own, they still fail to do it like the OG (you, of course). They ultimately become watered-down versions of a person they no longer know, leaving you wondering why you divulged your soul to them only for it to become a poorly plagiarized adaptation. The song after, though, is essentially saying “move over, mini me, your new girlfriend is in love with the real thing and not the knock off,” which I can wholeheartedly stand behind.
NIA NADURATA’s sounds are, simply put, catchy as ever. Though they all follow a similar theme, there’s bound to be something that sticks out to you. They are the perfect songs for earworms, because no matter how many times you hear her, you’ll likely never get tired of her smooth yet compelling vocals.
