Stockholm’s own NAVII has recently released his latest single ‘EASY ON ME’. This captivating track is a collaboration with renowned songwriter Etta Zelmani, featuring her sensational vocals. With a unique blend of R&B melodies and punchy pop drums, ‘EASY ON ME’ is an exciting glimpse into NAVII’s upcoming EP ‘majorminor’, set to be released this Winter. We catch up with NAVII about the incredible single release…
Your single ‘EASY ON ME’ opens with a really intriguing old-school speech sample. What was the significance of this sample, and how did you decide to incorporate it into the track?
It was one of those funny accidents that tend to happen when you play around with sounds. The song was pretty much done and I was preparing the song for mixing when I heard that in my sample library. I really felt that the meaning of what he said was beautiful and truly belonged in the song.
The single explores themes of fear and falling in love in such an engaging way. Can you delve deeper into what these themes mean to you personally and how they are reflected in the song?
When you come out of a relationship, I think there’s a collective longing to be free and as far away from heartache as possible. Once you meet an interesting person who makes you want to let your guard down again, there can still be caution as you enter the new relationship. I was somewhere in between those stages when I wrote this song, on the borderline between being so curious and wanting to dive in – and at the same time, being protective of my heart.
This single is from your upcoming EP “majorminor” is set to be released this Winter, right? What can fans expect from this EP, and how does ‘EASY ON ME’ fit into the overall theme and sound of the project?
For the first time in a long while, I’ve created a genuine project out of pure joy. I would describe the soundscapes as a whole lot of contrasts. Soft, floating choirs over hard drums. Beautiful harmonies over heavy basslines. Floating atmospheres accompanied by gritty guitars. RNB meets pop, pop meets hip hop, hip hop meets soul.
The name ‘majorminor’ is something I felt like while creating these songs. During the process, a lot of things in my life had a minor feeling to it. Melancholic and dark. The major kinda came as I accepted my surroundings – it’s okay to not be okay kinda thing.
The creation of ‘EASY ON ME’ seems to have been a spontaneous process in the studio! Can you describe that day and how the song came together with Etta Zelmani and your instrumental collaborators, Per Berglin and David Lecander?
I kind of had made up my mind on what songs were gonna be a part of the EP already, but I and Etta were in the studio to write songs for other projects. I showed her an idea that I had, typically it’s a beat with some chords and a small idea for the hook. She got excited and started to develop the project and soon enough we had the framework of the song.
Per and David are my guys. They are with me on basically every song I make, and you can be sure that you’ll see them on stage with me as well. They are my day ones and will be alongside me forever if I have my way.
As an artist who writes and produces all parts of your solo work, how do you balance the creative and technical aspects of making music? What challenges do you face in this process?
It’s a blessing and a curse really. I guess the biggest challenge is to not let the technical side stand in the way of the magic, so to speak. So I try my best to make room for all the ideas that are flowing, and when the time is right – change my suit to a more technical suit when it’s needed.
It’s not always easy to separate them, not gonna lie.
How did discovering Bulgarian folk music when you were on a trip to write their Eurovision entry influence your sound? And how is this reflected in your new work, including the “majorminor” EP?
They are the reason this project exists, hands down. As soon as I heard of them, I started to elaborate with them as samples of my music. As time went on, I realized that Bulgaria is a pretty small country. So I know someone who knows someone and so on – and soon enough I started to work with parts of the choir. Such a luxury to be able to recreate those choirs with the ladies I got in touch with. So throughout the whole EP, I have sprinkled them out as a part of the production. It’s giving some sort of Kanye meets Balkan.
What’s the music scene in Stockholm like?
It is truly alive. It’s no secret that we Swedes are great at writing music, both for local acts and internationally. However, as the case may be in all smaller countries, the most popular music is somewhat limited genre-wise. But it is a good country to be working with music, without a doubt.
Anything you’d like to tease about the upcoming EP? What can your fans expect with this highly anticipated release?
The next single is gonna be the last one before the EP drops, and it’s one of those where the Bulgarian choirs really gets their shine. So I’m really excited to share a piece of what motivated me to start this journey! I’ve also started to work on the next EP already, so I’m honestly just trying to get my head right and stay focused on this release as good as I can. More music is on its way, believe that.
We do, and we can’t wait! Thanks so much for talking with us NAVII!
Listen to ‘EASY ON ME’ on SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
