Alternative artist North Naim reintroduces himself with the hypnotic debut single ‘River’ via Majestic Casual's Friends of the New®
North Naim is the latest project from Swiss-Angolan genre-skewering singer, rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist, North Naim (formerly known as Zola). He reintroduces himself with debut single ‘River’.
Naim quickly discovered from young that
“music was definitely the medium where I felt most comfortable and like I could express my feelings in the best way.”
Growing up in Basel he found himself drifting towards the city’s counter-cultural population, joining a group of friends and collaborators who called themselves ‘La Main’. From this ultra-creative environment came Zola, a producer and rap persona that was Naim’s breakthrough project at 19, with his songs heard worldwide and winning Switzerland’s coveted M4Music Demotape Clinic competition. However, after moving to Berlin for a brief period,
“I decided that I wanted to fully do my own thing, just focus on making music that I appreciate and respect.”
From this grew North Naim, a genreless sound with touchpoints of Yves Tumor, Blood Orange and Kid Cudi, channelling his African heritage through multiple modern lenses, transforming it into something post-modern and uniquely exciting. Debut release ‘River’ is an effervescent cut informed by the sounds of trip-hop. A cinematic track, North Naim explains how the lyrical content also remains boundless:
“’River’ is ever-evolving: one moment it's a placid hymn to nature, the next it’s a war cry of self-love, and finally it’s a paean to the value of finding a reflection of yourself in others.”
With an EP to follow in early 2022, ‘River’ is the exciting first glance into a sparkling new sonic landscape unique to North Naim, out 26th November via Majestic Casual’s Friends of the New®