Interview - Naiyah

Rising soul-jazz artist Naiyah reflects on her musical journey—from growing up in a home filled with gospel, R&B, and her father’s DJ mixtapes, to finding her voice performing across the Midlands and later within London’s vibrant jazz scene. Blending influences from soulful storytelling, jazz vocals, and the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, Naiyah creates music that captures moments of growth, healing, and transformation. She speaks candidly about her creative process, the songs that shaped her, and the vision she holds for the next chapter of her career, inviting listeners into a world where softness, strength, and self-discovery coexist.

Let’s dive in.

Welcome to MeloDrift. Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background?

I grew up surrounded by a mix of sounds from soulful classics, gospel, funky house and R&B. My Dad was also a DJ so music was always part of the atmosphere. He used to make me custom mixtapes that I’d take everywhere with me. I started singing young and joined the church choir when I was 12 and later found myself competing in local competitions and performing all over the midlands. At around 21 I moved to London to pursue music professionally. Being part of the London jazz scene has really shaped my confidence and sound; performing with incredible musicians and collectives showed me that my voice has a place in those spaces. Now I’m blending all of those influences into something that feels uniquely mine.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

Probably something that balances softness and strength like Solange’s “Rise” or Cleo Sol’s “Sunshine.” Songs that hold you while reminding you to move forward. That’s very much how my life feels at the moment.

Who or what have been the most impactful influences on your musical style and sound?

My influences come from a few different places: jazz vocals, soulful storytelling, and the rhythms of the Afro/Caribbean diaspora. Artists like Cleo Sol, Lianne La Havas, Raveena, and Aaliyah inspire the emotional clarity in my writing. Vocally I’m inspired by Rachell Ferrell, Anita Baker, Deniece Willams and Sade.

How do your life experiences shape your songwriting, and what emotions or ideas do you hope listeners connect with in your music?

My songwriting is deeply tied to moments of growth - big shifts, quiet realisations, healing, and rediscovering joy. I’m always trying to capture emotion in its rawest form, whether it’s softness, longing, courage, or clarity. I hope listeners find pieces of themselves in the songs, especially those navigating their own transitions. If the music makes someone feel held, understood, or inspired to step into a new chapter, that means everything to me.

Each phase of music-making—writing, recording, rehearsing, and performing—has its own unique rewards. Could you share a memorable moment from each stage?

I remember writing the hook for ‘Love Unknown’ in my bedroom, at the time it was just the melody and the lyrics, no music or beats, just my voice and this feeling that I needed to put to paper. It came together so effortlessly, and I knew that it would always be a special song for me. I think this song for me marks the moment where I realised I could actually write. I think prior to this I had always felt a little insecure about my writing and was much more comfortable with letting others lead on the writing.There’s been many beautiful recording moments, all of them that ended with me and my producer just looking at each other in awe thinking “what on earth just happened?”. Those moments are the best, when you almost black out and the music just takes over. This happens on stage a lot too and is definitely my favourite thing about performing. There’s a synergy that takes place that just can’t be explained but we all just feel it.

Is there a song of yours that holds particular personal significance?

“Blue Dream” will always be special to me because it marked the beginning of my journey as a recording artist. But also there’s an unreleased song called ‘Sunrise’ from my upcoming project, that carries a different weight. It talks about my journey of overcoming and building the life I have today by myself. The light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a celebration of how far I’ve come and how I could have never imagined how beautiful my life could be.

If you could swap lives with any musician for a day, who would it be and what would you do?

I’d swap with Beyonce. Honestly, who doesn’t want to live a day in Beyonce’s life? I’d love to experience her creative rituals and see how she creates such incredible performances from concept to execution and I’d spend the day just singing all the riffs and runs to all of my favourite songs. 

What’s a guilty pleasure song you secretly love but might surprise your fans?

I’m a hard core soca fan which is so so different to the music I make and the energy I carry on stage. I’m like a different person entirely if Soca is playing, it just ignites a different side of me that I’m just obsessed with. ‘Run Wid It’ lives rent free in my head. 

Looking ahead, what are some goals or dreams you have for your music and career?

I’m excited to release my new project and continue merging my design world with my music. I’d love to tour in Europe and North America, collaborate with artists I admire, and keep building a community around my sound. I’m also assembling a small team for the first time, which feels like a big step toward growing my career sustainably and intentionally.

Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers before we close?

Thank you so much for reading, listening and supporting the music! Connecting with you all is such a dream come true and I’m excited to share more music, more visuals, and more of my world with you soon.

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This artist was discovered via Decent Music PR