#Freshfind r Nia Archives continues to reframe the jungle narrative with the intoxicating Conveniency
Kicking off with her first release of the year today, London's new gen junglist and inimitable rising star Nia Archives continues to reframe the jungle narrative with the intoxicating “Conveniency." She also announces her EP Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall out 3/10via HIJINXX/Island Records including “So Tell Me…” and “Baianá”, this new mellow, indie infused single with Nia’s upfront and honest lyricism taking centre stage sees her stand up for herself, exploring feelings around not being prioritised in a friendship - option #3. Always asked to be there for someone but never on her terms. The accompanying video directed, shot, edited and graded by Nia and her regular collaborator Delphino Productions sees Nia pick up the VHS cam again and depicts a bright clear day full of skating and silliness, being young and free in London. In the video, she hones in on her community as she alongside skater Josh Smith casts some of their friends and local East London skaters including Elliott Brown, Bruce Pitt, Adam Delarue and Josh Nice who also took the official BTS.
Shedding light on the upcoming EP and the story it will tell, Nia shares:
Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall is that feeling when you’ve been at an afters and you’re in someone's kitchen… there’s all these thoughts running through your head, the sun comes up and it’s the most disgusting feeling ever with an element of bliss at the same time. All you wanna do is bang your head against the wall and teleport home. Across the EP I’m broadly talking about growing up as a person, reaching new levels of maturity, love and loss, rejection, estrangement, the come up and the come down. It’s the most exciting project I’ve made yet and it's a window into the future and the kind of artist I wanna become. It’s six tracks with six different moods soundtracking the recent chapter in my life.
Hot off the back of her record breaking debut Boiler Room and sold out 3-date UK “Up Ya Archives” tour last year in London and Manchester, and the news of her 2023 Coachella appearance, she also announces 9 new dates across the UK and EU hitting London, Manchester, Brighton, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Glasgow and Dublin - on sale from the 1st Feb.
Bradford born now London based, Nia Archives is one of the most exciting and compelling new artists in the UK making soft-hearted, cutting edge lo-fi jungle for introverted extroverts. Representing her Jamaican roots, nodding to and paying homage to the rich history of of the genre, in 2022 alone Nia Archives won the NME Bandlab Award for ‘Best Producer’; won the MOBO Award for Best Electronic/Dance Act, been named the BBC Introducing “Artist of the Year” as the first electronic artist to ever be awarded the prize, won the AIM Awards “One To Watch” prize and and finished #3 in BBC Sound Poll. Alongside further wins at the 2022 DJ Mag Awards for “Breakthrough Producer”, a Brits Rising Star nomination and tips from 1xtra as a Hot 4 2023 artist, BBC Radio 1 Dance as a ‘Future Star’, Spotify as their ‘Our Generation’ cover star, Nia has also graced the covers of Mixmag and NME.
Following an unforgettable and era defining “Summer of Jungle” in 2022 that saw Nia Archives sell out a Secret Summer Rave and play all over the world from All Points East to Glastonbury, Los Angeles to New York, Rio De Janeiro to Notting Hill, this rising star continued to command the unwavering attention of the UK scene with recent singles including her euphoric Brazilian choir, Barbatuques, sampling club banger “Baianá” that’s already clocked over 8m streams on Spotify alone and scored another BBC playlist hattrick with the BBC 6 Music (A List), BBC Radio 1 (B List) and BBC 1xtra (B list). Her recent timeless jungle roller “So Tell Me…” has recently made the A List at BBC Radio 1.
Her euphoria inducing, club ready productions peppered with cathartic and honest lyrics about her life and experiences on her 2021 debut EP Headz Gone West (including ‘Sober Feels’ on 7.5M+ global Spotify streams) and breakout EP Forbidden Feelingz (6.8M+ global Spotify streams) have taken the country by storm and have been given the seal of approval from tastemakers across the board from Rolling Stone UK, GQ, British Vogue, The Face, Pitchfork, The Fader, i-D, and CRACK. Her pre-summer single “Mash Up The Dance” with Watch The Ride has been streamed over 2 million times and playlisted across BBC Radio 1, 6Music, 1Xtra, Kiss FM and more with the more recent carnival cut “No Time” (1Xtra B List) with Clipz, Beenie Man, ShaSimone and Cristale further cementing the jungle prowess.
A proud young British black woman who grew up in a predominantly white area, it’s important to Nia to take up space in jungle as a young Black woman, representing her dual-heritage roots and carving out space for other Black women to see themselves in the genre. Heavily influenced by soundsystem culture and carnival - the good vibes, energy and uniting quality of which undeniably teems through her music, she’s also inspired by artists and icons like Grace Jones, Erykah Badu, Angela Davies, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Maya Angelou and more - all women who in their own way have represented and pushed forwards generations of black women.