Nectar Woode | On The Rise

Sweet like honey, warm as rays of sunshine, British-Ghanaian singer/songwriter Nectar Woode announces her second EP, ‘Head Above The Water,’ as she shares the title track. Released on November 8th, ‘Head Above The Water’ embraces life in the face of Woode’s recent challenges.

Following up her introductory EP ‘Nothing To Lose,’ ‘HeadAbove The Water’ will unravel life’s twists and turns and Woode’s sonic reply to her defense mechanisms. Moving forward with her signature uplifting songwriting, Nectar Woode seeks transparency and honesty.

Alongside the first single, ’30 Degrees,’ Nectar Woode’s repertoire continues to showcase her life-long influence by the one and only Lauryn Hill and the musical roots of her Ghanaian heritage. The translation of her experiences and response to her overcomings maintains soft, optimistic, with raw delivery and resonance.

For an exclusive interview with Noctis, Nectar Woode opens up about grounding herself and immersing herself in the familiar, how chasing a viral moment can be counterproductive to an artist’s development, and the importance of creative spaces as a safe haven for kids.

Nectar Woode is set to perform at London’s Moth Club for her headline show on November 27th; mark the date.

What did your BRAT Summer look like so far?

My BRAT summer was giving 30 DEGREES & climbing!! Chilling with my mates in the park, going to the seaside, getting fresh air whilst enjoying the sun! Also going to a lot of gigs and dancing woooo!

You recently announced your new EP ‘Head Above Water,’ what can you tell us about this project? What themes are you touching upon?

Head above water is a super personal project for me, life didn’t go as expected this year and this analogy of keeping your head above water really helped me get through some overwhelming times.

It’s all about making sure you experience life and embrace every experience no matter how challenging it may be.

How will it compare to your debut EP ‘Nothing To Lose’?

My debut EP was a great reflection on introducing myself as an artist. With Head Above Water it’s offering a more vulnerable side of my life and showing that life didn’t go to plan but this is how I got myself through.

What helps you keep your head above water?

Friends, family, immersing yourself in farmiliar senses like your favourite foods, favourite people, listening to your fav playlist to ground you during a tough time.

Could you share more about your upbringing in Milton Keynes and how creative spaces help kids stay occupied?

I grew up with creative parents that always allowed us to express ourselves in anyway. My whole house was a creative space because my mum would draw/make curtains that would fit the west African vibe of our house whilst my dad would blast reggae/high-life in his carnival speakers that he would keep inside haha!

Creative spaces creates a safe space for kids to explore and question the world in a creative way, I loved it!

What were the biggest pull factors behind your move to London?

Defo music! When I got to 18, I wanted to study music and learn more because prior to that I had just learnt how to play guitar by myself and didn’t have much training so wanted to learn more and meet people through jam sessions

How did your university experience help shape you into the artist you are today?

Meeting other creative people and being able to jam/work with different artists really helped shape my taste and pulled me into a direction of loving neo-soul artists like Haitus kayote etc.

What are your go-to spots in London if you want to get inspired?

Victoria Park! Defo calms me down, I could be there for hours walking around listening to demos/voice notes and writing on top of them whilst getting a tan wooooo

What is your standpoint on the current state of the music industry?

On one hand it’s great for people to find their fav niche artists and build relationship with them online as well as live but then on the other hand there is defo a culture of ‘going viral’ that could be counterproductive for an artists development.

As a rising artist yourself, what helps you not to think about the competition too much?

Everyone is on their own journey and making their own music that is individual to them. It’s hard to feel like there is competition when I don’t feel like I’m competing with anyone. There’s a room for everyone in this industry :))

What are your goals for you and your career? What do you do to keep achieving them?

Want to keep writing, creating, playing live! I love what I do! And just want to keep making music that can impact people and the goal is to do a crazy gig one day to 1000s of people wooooohooo.