After overcoming her emotional struggles, alt-pop artist Nastiya Kai is ready to embark on a more vibrant and "Never Better" creative chapter this year with her latest EP, ‘newnew.wav.’
Listen: ‘newnew.wav’ – Nastiya Kai
Given that she released an album called Demon Era just last year, one might assume that Nastiya Kai has undergone a positive shift in her mood, especially with her new single, which is rather ironically named “Never Better.” However, the Los Angeles-based artist originally from Moscow asserts that not all listeners will perceive this track as cheerful or lighthearted. “I’m really over the fact that I don’t want people to love it,” she states regarding the song. “I simply hope it makes someone feel better—or just feel something at all. Bottom line, I want to evoke emotions in people, whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger, because I feel we tend to lose sight of that in this fast-paced world.”
During her upbringing, Nastiya Kai was influenced by a variety of musical sources. Her father's piano playing and singing inspired her early on, prompting her to self-teach piano and guitar. As she matured, she began exploring instruments unique to her homeland, such as the Balalaika and the distinctive bronze bells found in Russian Orthodox churches. Ultimately, her curiosity expanded beyond her country’s borders, leading her to discover the musical landscapes in the various places she traveled. She describes this journey as “traveling, meeting people, forming connections, engaging in conversations, broadening your perspective, and then integrating that into your music.”
This artistic pursuit led to her first original compositions being shared online, but she eventually removed them, not out of dissatisfaction, but because she felt they didn’t accurately capture her artistic identity. Continuing to experiment with her sound, she eventually partnered with her old friend and fellow Russian producer Ivan Petrov, which proved to be the key to realizing her vision. “Essentially, I had my songs, lyrics, chords, and bass,” she recalls. “I presented them to him and said, ‘This is it, can you help me bring this to life?’ We spent six months in his basement exchanging ideas and trying to realize them, and that culminated in the album.”
The album Demon Era is crafted to sonically represent the various challenges Kai has faced throughout her life, particularly her long-standing struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). “To me, Demon Era is a compilation of everything negative I’ve experienced,” she shares. “My life has been quite turbulent due to my mental health and other circumstances. That darkness was something I couldn't shake for a long time… I wanted to express all that darkness, and that’s what this record signifies for me. It was like my diary.”
Indeed, the music on Demon Era encapsulates the different chapters of Kai's tumultuous life, showcasing both the highs (“Party at My House”) and the lows (“Death Wish”). “Each song is a genuine story from my life, and I wanted to share that,” she explains. “I need a mirror to reflect my life.”
Fortunately, over the past year since the release of Demon Era, Kai has found herself feeling “healthier and happier.” Additional therapy sessions and her decision to leave Los Angeles for Moscow last summer contributed to this change. “I couldn’t manage it; my mental health wasn’t where it needed to be,” she describes her state at the start of summer ’24. “I felt lonely and sad.” However, her return to Moscow allowed her to reconnect with her roots and with Ivan Petrov. During a casual reunion in Ivan’s backyard, the two pulled out their laptops and recording gear, experimenting with sounds inspired by the joyful summer atmosphere they were experiencing in early July.
“The energy of that first draft was so uplifting,” Kai recalls. “When I got home, the first two words that came to mind were ‘Never Better.’ I kept repeating it, so I recorded it on my phone and saved it.”
Kai preserved the recording on her phone while enjoying another three months in Moscow. Upon her return to Los Angeles, she revisited that loop and structured the song. “That song embodies what this summer meant to me,” she asserts. “It was the best summer of my life, filled with amazing experiences and so much fun. I spent a lot of time in nature, went on road trips, enjoyed days by the lakes, fell in love, and cherished moments with friends in my grandma’s village—it was all so comforting for my soul. That song encapsulates it all.”
Much of the rest of the EP, newnew.wav, which was released on April 25th, shares the same positive spirit as “Never Better.” Like Demon Era, the songs on this record aim to convey different life stories that Nastiya Kai has to tell. Following such an enjoyable summer, one would expect many of those stories to be more uplifting than those she shared
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After declaring her emotional struggles overcome, alt-pop artist Nastiya Kai is ready to embrace a brighter and "Never Better" creative phase this year with her newest EP, 'newnew.wav.'