Taylor OhrynDecember 10, 2025Niia, New Album V, Blue Note NYC New York NY, Blue Note LA Los Angeles CA, jazz live sets, intimate jazz performances, sultry jazz album, experimental pop jazz blend, Dennis Hamm collaboration, Spencer Zahn co-production, Lawrence Rothman co-production, jazz-rooted musicianship, Italian cinema influenceComment

Niia announces special Blue Note NYC & LA shows for 2 nights only

NIIA
LA-BASED GOTH JAZZ PRINCESS
ANNOUNCES SPECIAL LIVE SETS
AT BLUE NOTE FOR 2 NIGHTS ONLY

BLUE NOTE NYC ON FEBRUARY 23
+ BLUE NOTE LA ON MARCH 1
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12
GET TICKETS HERE

NIIA AND MUSIC DIRECTOR DENNIS HAMM
ARE CURATING TWO INTIMATE SETS PER NIGHT FEATURING SURPRISE MEDLEYS AND MUSIC FROM SULTRY NEW JAZZ ALBUM V

ICYMI: FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM V - LISTEN HERE
A SHARP, SOULFUL EXPLORATION OF DESIRE, HEARTBREAK, AND FREEDOM, V BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN TRADITION AND REINVENTION
CO-PRODUCED BY SPENCER ZAHN AND LAWRENCE ROTHMAN

Wednesday, December 10 – Today, Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer Niia announced a special slate of live shows for two nights only: February 23rd at Blue Note NYC and March 1st at Blue Note LA. Niia and music director Dennis Hamm (Thundercat) are curating two intimate sets per night, featuring surprise medleys and music from her recently released fifth studio album, V (listen here). Tickets go on sale this Friday, December 12. For tickets and more information, visit: https://niiamusic.lnk.to/bluenoteshowsPR

A sharp, soulful exploration of desire, heartbreak, and freedom, V is Niia’s most personal album yet. It’s a culmination of years spent experimenting at the intersection of tradition and reinvention, co-produced by Spencer Zahn (Dawn Richard, Empress Of) and Lawrence Rothman (Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon, Kali Uchis). Living in the tension between control and collapse, the pivotal record seamlessly blends the electronic textures of experimental pop with the thrilling interplay that only live, jazz-rooted musicianship can bring. The arrangements stretch–sometimes restrained, sometimes theatrical–but always with intention.
As a classically trained musician who grew up watching Italian cinema, “I pulled from the harmonic language of jazz pianists like Bill Evans and from the psychological atmosphere of film scores,” explains Niia. That combined inspiration and influence is most evident in the songs “Angel Eyes,” a reimagined version of the 1946 jazz standard by Matt Dennis & Earl B. Brent, and “Ronny Cammareri,” a slow-burning instrumental titled after Nicolas Cage’s character in Moonstruck. Meanwhile, the music video for club-jazz anthem “Pianos and Great Danes” is a masterpiece of haunting cinematography featuring flashing, grainy edits mirroring uninhibited desires.

V explores the full spectrum of self: self-harm, self-delusion, self-awareness, and in rare moments, self-love. “Not in a moralizing way, but in a very human one,” she clarifies. “The good and bad live side by side, often in the same verse. One minute I’m performing heartbreak like it’s a role I’ve rehearsed, the next I’m quietly admitting I caused the whole thing. That contradiction is the truth.”
Balancing those heavy themes with Niia’s unapologetic sad girl humor, there are tracks like the provocative album opener “fucking happy,” accented by sarcasm layered over melancholy, that radiate relatability. A sly nod to Fiona Apple’s iconic “Criminal” video, watch the Lili Peper-directed video here.
Also featuring emotional depth with a rebellious sonic palette is “Throw My Head Out The Window,” featuring new wave jazz boundary pushers bassist Anna Butterss and Nicole McCabe on saxophone. It is intentionally over-orchestrated with strings, dissonant piano, and a vocal teetering between aria and tantrum. Watch the minimalist video for the jazz-noir fever dream track here.
With a vision and mission to bridge the gap between control and collapse, the provocateur successfully brings that tension to life not only in her music, but in the album’s cover art as well, featuring Niia affixed with a heretic fork– an instrument of medieval torture reserved for those who spoke out against dogma and orthodoxy. Niia emphasizes, “If I’m going to make my statement in this genre, I need to be a disruptor.”

ABOUT NIIA
Niia Bertino is a classically trained pianist and vocalist rooted in jazz who blends elegance with edge and a timeless voice, with razor-sharp songwriting. Her past work has received praise from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Interview Mag, and Harper’s Bazaar.

ABOUT CANDID RECORDS
From 1960-1963, founder, A&R, and producer Nat Hentoff recorded over 30 extraordinary albums for the Candid Records label. One cannot underestimate the breadth of these recordings - from bebop to the avant-garde, to blues. Candid sat dormant for years until Black Lion Records founder and producer, Alan Bates, bought the label in 1989. The next phase of Candid Records is happening now. Since its relaunch in 2021 the label has reissued over 30 titles to high critical acclaim. Thanks to brilliant new releases, Candid has received four GRAMMY® awards – 2024 winners the Count Basie Orchestra, 2023 winners Terri Lyne Carrington and Wayne Shorter, and 2022 winner Eliane Elias. Today’s Candid is not only committed to its legacy but looks forward to defining its future with the quality music that is synonymous with its elite heritage. Learn more at www.candidrecords.com