INTERVIEW: Nxlly breaks down her EP and talks healing people with her music

We spoke with Nxlly about her song writing process and her experience with the Australian music industry so far. She breaks down each track from her debut EP ‘FaKe LuV’ and she expresses her desire for her music to heal people who are struggling.

Perth singer and songwriter Nxlly creates soul-touching R&B music tinged with the desire to heal the emotional wounds of her listeners. “I love music for music, it’s my escape from everything, so I want to be able to help someone else escape, by singing songs I wish I heard when I needed it.”

Nxlly has been writing song lyrics since she was a child, and that early passion has transformed her into the artist she is today. “Every time I was sad, I didn’t really know how to let my emotions go. My best friend has this little pink booklet and when I was little, every time I was sad or someone would make me upset, I would write lyrics in this little booklet. It was so cringe, the words I wrote, because I had never been hurt before, but I acted like I was so hurt. She found the booklet when she was going through her things and she was like, “Oh my god, do you remember when you used to write music about your family when you were younger? I found it”. I used to always write whenever I couldn’t speak my mind and then when I got older, and I actually started to understand what was happening in my life, I was like, you know what, let me just make an actual song this time. I think this was meant for me because I’ve been doing it since I was a kid without even realising it.”

Nxlly says her friends and listeners inspire her to continue pursuing music but, in her eyes, the music scene in Perth isn’t as supportive. “My friends who are making music influence me, they motivate me to keep going because they go through the same stuff. My real fans are so supportive so that pushes me to keep going too, but I know that the industry itself in Perth is a bit weird. I feel like it’s only the ones that are intimidated that act weird. There’s no friends in the industry, for real.”

Despite being an R&B artist, Nxlly says she’s interested in branching out of her comfort zone and experimenting with different sounds in the future. “I want to make music to heal people, so I’d describe my music as soft and calm, but at the same time I can do a lot of things. I don’t like putting myself in a box because I could switch and decide to do something completely different, but I’m mainly R&B. I’m always going to be R&B but maybe the beat will be a different genre and then I’ll kind of mix it together.”

Nxlly says she uses her music as an outlet for all the things she feels like she can’t say out loud in daily life. “I stay quiet and hold things in and that’s why I’m so bad at communicating because I hold everything inside and then I let it out in the music. When people want to get to know me, they’ve got to listen to my music.”

Nxlly dropped her debut EP ‘FaKe LuV’ on May 27 and in the four weeks following its release, she has received endless positive feedback and love for her five new songs. “My EP is about fake love that’s why it’s called ‘FaKe LuV’. I’ve gone through a lot and like when I was younger, with how I used to write everything, it just continued like that. I write a bunch of stuff in my notes then combine & let it all out in the studio.”

Nxlly says her goal was to create something that would resonate with people whilst telling her own stories. “This EP is very personal to me, but I feel like it will also relate to everybody. I made it so it would relate to everybody. It’s about people switching up on you, your loved ones hurting you, you really wanting not to be selfish, but you can’t be selfish because you give too much and care too much to be selfish. This EP is basically me questioning everything.” We went through each track in the EP with Nxlly and she broke down the meaning behind each song and the stories within.

TELL ME

“The first track on the EP is ‘TELL ME’. Basically, people who care most, love the hardest and they always end up hurting the most. ‘TELL ME’ was basically me questioning why I’m letting myself care so much for people that say they love me so much but don’t care if they hurt me. It was kind of me writing a letter to God. ‘TELL ME’ was very personal. I feel like you just have to listen to the song to feel that one.”

I KNOW

“There’s ‘I KNOW’ which was to empower myself and every girl out there, I mean, even boys too if they feel like they relate to it. I know some boys swiped up and messaged me saying, “What about me?” and it’s for you too, bro! If you’re going through something toxic, just know that it wouldn’t even happen if they wanted you. know your worth.”

I GOTCHU ft. Brazen Barbie

‘I GOTCHU’ entails a back-and-forth conversation between Nxlly and Brazen Barbie roleplaying the female and the male characters of a relationship. This ‘conversation’ tells the story. “‘I GOTCHU’ has two points of view. There’s me being soft and saying the vulnerable side of the girl’s point of view in relationship and then Brazen Barbie hops in, and she comes in with dominant energy, saying, “I would do all of that stuff but…” and then starts explaining why she wouldn’t do that stuff. It’s like a phone call. We blend it together by a phone call.”

PULL UP ON ME ft. Vmarie

“‘PULL UP ON ME’ features Vmarie. That one was about me doing anything and everything for the ones that I love, but something happened to me and when I needed someone and needed help, no one was there. So, I got myself out of that situation all on my own. There’s a quote in the song that says, “I got myself, I don’t need no help”. That line kind of hit me the most. Even in the music industry, I got myself and I don’t need help. The ones that say they want to help me, they just say it, it’s just all talk. If there’s no action then what are they actually doing?”

YOU DON’T KNOW ft. LXDY Z

“The last track is called ‘YOU DON’T KNOW’ with LXDY Z and that one was just something for fun. It was basically to confront anyone who acts like they know what they’re talking about, but they don’t. It’s like, you don’t know so why are you saying that you know? I’m very big on respect and truth so if you lose one of those things, you lose me. I just made that song out of anger.”

Nxlly says her ultimate goal as an artist is to connect with her listeners on a personal level and show them they aren’t alone in their issues and emotions. “I want people to be able to put their headphones on and listen to me when they’re sad and alone and feel like “I’m not alone, because she’s literally feeling everything that I'm feeling right now, everything I’m going through right now. If she’s okay now, then I know I’m going to be okay”. I want to have that type of influence on someone.”

@tnxlly

Photo 1 & 3 by @femme_fatale_images

Photo 2 & 6 by @thabrazen

Photo 5 by @iamlxdy_z

FaKe LuV cover art by @tnxlly

Words by @livdaangel