Nina Nesbitt has had an extraordinary year, marked by her dream tour as a special guest to Stevie Nicks and the release of some of her most personal music to date.
As she prepares for the launch of her forthcoming album, Mountain Music, and an intimate in-store acoustic and signing tour, Nina is ready to reveal more of her artistry than ever before.
In this interview, she delves into the inspiration behind her new single Anger, the creative process behind its powerful music video, and how her experiences touring with Stevie Nicks have shaped her perspective as an artist.
Nina also reflects on her Scottish roots, her unique blend of musical influences, and what fans can look forward to on her upcoming UK headline tour. With the launch of her own record label, Apple Tree Records, Nina is taking full control of her music, bringing a new level of authenticity to her work.
Your new single Anger is one of your most personal tracks yet. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song and what it means for you to express such raw emotions through your music?
As someone who is quite introverted and quiet I’ve always struggled to know how to articulate and express my emotions, especially anger! I’m a pretty chilled person most of the time but I found myself in a situation a few years ago that I didn’t know how to process. Writing this song for me was the moment I realised that my vessel for expression is writing. Whether it’s a song, an album, a poem or a book. I just love how cathartic and powerful it feels to take a negative situation, use it as fuel and turn it into something positive and liberating.
The music video for Anger is visually stunning and powerfully conveys the themes of the song. What was the creative process like working with director Wolf James, and how did you bring the vision for the video to life?
Thank you! Anger is such a huge subject so I actually felt a little bit lost on what to do visually. After speaking to my long time collaborator, Wolf James, we wanted to create a video that represented female rage. To be honest, I never intended this song to specifically be about female rage, as it’s clearly something everyone feels, but I did a lot of reading on how women express anger and thought it was an interesting topic. Wolf James and I talked a lot about how we felt like female rage was a force of nature. It silently simmers away until it erupts. We wanted to show this through the brutally cutting landscapes of Northern Ireland mixed with the beauty of it all.
You mentioned that songwriting is your therapy and a way to channel your emotions. How has creating this album, Mountain Music, helped you process your experiences, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Writing this album has been like a free form of therapy for me! It definitely felt emotionally challenging and healing at the same time. The thought of releasing it is very daunting as I feel quite exposed but I always love music that really says something and makes me feel understood. I hope that people can take the songs into their own lives however they want and that the album helps them in some way. I feel like once it’s released it’s not only mine anymore and I guess it’s not for me to decide how other people receive it.
Your recent tour with Stevie Nicks must have been a dream come true. How did that experience influence your music or your perspective as an artist, and what was the most memorable moment from the tour?
It still feels like a dream! I can’t believe it happened. It was all very last minute and magical. My friends and I had been manifesting it for a bit of a laugh on our group chat and when I finally got the offer we were all so excited! Watching her play every night and hearing her stories was so inspiring. I love that she’s been in the industry for so long and she’s maintained control over her career the whole time. I feel very inspired to write more music after being on that tour and It was so cool to meet her too!
Mountain Music is influenced by American folk and Americana, yet it also reflects your Scottish roots and experiences in London. How did you blend these influences to create a sound that feels authentic to you?
I was listening back to a lot of the songs that made me fall in love with music when I was a teenager and realised a lot of them were from the American folk scene. I also listened to a lot of new folk and country artists while on tour over there and was so inspired by how they told their story through their songs. A lot of the artists name check their hometowns and describe them so clearly that I feel like I’ve visited. I’d never heard songs about my own upbringing and where I’m from so I thought, if I can get into Oklahoma – as someone who’s never been – maybe people can get into the Scottish village that I’m from? Hearing their stories made me embrace my own. As much as I’m inspired by American music, I’m from a very different place and it would feel inauthentic to pretend any different.
Launching your own record label, Apple Tree Records, marks a significant milestone in your career. What inspired you to take this step, and how does it feel to have full creative control over your music?
I think so much of the work falls on the artist and manager these days so it felt like the right time to take the leap and set up Apple Tree Records. My manager (of over a decade) and I are running it together. We’ve been on a major, an indie and now it felt like a new challenge for us. I’ve learnt a lot from the different record labels I’ve been on over the years so I know how I’d like to run my career. I just want to release music I love and not have the pressure of writing with commercial goals in mind. That comes after now.
Your previous releases, like Pages and I’m Coming Home, have also explored deeply personal themes. How does Mountain Music differ from your past work, and what new aspects of yourself are you revealing in this album?
I think it’s an album of self-acceptance and almost a second ‘coming of age’. I do feel like your late 20s and into your 30s generate a lot of new feelings within you, especially as a woman. I spent a lot of my 20s trying to be someone else, trying to live up to expectations and this album is saying no to that. It’s about accepting your flaws, the things that are unique and making peace with the things you can’t change. You can hear it’s recorded in a completely different way to any of my previous albums. I gathered a bunch of musicians in a room and we recorded it mostly live to a 1970s tape machine. Peter Miles, the producer I worked with encouraged me to embrace the imperfections and honour the character. It’s the first time I’ve not had auto-tune on my voice. I’ve not strived to always get ‘the perfect take’. It’s just about capturing a moment or a feeling. I think that’s parallel to how I feel as a person now too.
Looking ahead to your upcoming UK headline tour, what can fans expect from your live performances, and how do you plan to bring the stories and emotions of Mountain Music to the stage?
I’ll be starting work on that very soon! Since the studio was such a ‘live’ experience in a way, I’d love to just recreate that on the stage and give fans an insight into how this album was brought to life. I think it’ll be relatively easy to make the songs sound like the record as they were literally recorded in the same way but I’d also love to keep it free in terms of how we perform each night. I’d love every gig to have a slightly different feel to it. Perhaps even a different setlist. I want it to feel like a true ‘live’ experience and less like a polished show.
