Stereo Embers The Podcast 0200: Nainnoh

“From Georgia To New York”

Nainnoh has been a model of adapting ever since she left her home in Georgia and moved to New York. Not the Georgia where its unlawful to have a glass of water when you’re standing in line to vote—the other Georgia. The one located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia and bounded to the west by the Black Sea. Nainnoh will explain the rigors of such a move at a young age—so I’ll leave that to her. But what I will tell you is that she started music lessons at 7, getting her start on the piano, and by 11 she was crafting her own compositions. Influenced as much by the folk music of her homeland as she was by Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell, Nainnoh’s work captures a cosmological intellectualism wherein she contemplates the mysteries of the universe through the complex lenses of physics and astrology. Yeah, her work is pretty deep—both in lyrical scope and instrumentation. Her self-titled debut album is a riveting and mesmeric blend of undulating rhythms, lush pop textures, dreamy psychedelia and heartfelt poetry, The songs are both nostalgic and forward thinking and it’s some of the most unforgettable music you’ll ever hear. In this conversation we talk about the disorienting reality of coming to a new country at a young age, perfectionism, having parents who supported her creative freedom and a childhood of playing chess…