Name: Niecy Blues
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, producer
Current Release: Niecy Blues's debut album Exit Simulation is out November 10th 2023 via kranky.
Recommendations: The Mysticism of Sound and Music by Inayat Khan and Suzanne, Suzanne (1982) Dir. Camille Billops and James Hatch

If you enjoyed this Niecy Blues interview and would like to stay up to date on their music, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

Dreams, interpersonal relationships and my experience moving through the world inspire me.

I’m a community organizer and it’s one of the most important parts of my life. A large part of that role is contingent on expressing empathy. So I’m always feeling and it can get difficult to turn it off and create some separation when I’m home. I need a release.

Dreams are also a place of refuge, information gathering and spiritual practice for me.  

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualization' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

There’s rarely a concrete idea for me when I am creating. The toughest thing for me to start is … starting. So I typically start with some aspect of production, typically a melody.

I wouldn’t call any of it “chance”. Something is inside of me (or has been poured into me) that wants or needs to come out. I allow that to happen.

I would like to develop a more rigid process though haha

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

My spiritual practice/ritual allows me to channel what I may not be able to otherwise. It keeps me present, yet outside of myself. It moves me out of the way.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

I open my DAW and just play around with sounds. Once I feel connected to something, I build upon that. Often adding in vocal melody and stream of conscious lyrics as the song is taking shape.

It only begins to feel difficult when I’m not trusting the process and begin to criticize myself before I even finish an idea.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Honesty? Cleverness? Flow? I really don’t know concretely. I feel like I know it when I see/hear them. If it moves me or sparks curiosity, I’m drawn in.

I’d like to work on my storytelling and form. I’ve been reading a lot of poetry and learning different devices. I’d love to feel more comfortable in my expression. I think I tend to hide a bit.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

To VERY LOOSELY quote the great Abdullah Ibrahim, I am simply following and opening the door. We all have access to this Source. I just open the door and let it in.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Yes – this certainly happens to me. Sometimes it really pisses me off. It’s always a lesson in control. I’m always seeking control. It can be so antithetical to the process.

Those ideas just kinda sit on my drive. I should revisit ideas a lot more frequently than I do.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Losing sense of time and connection to my body. It is deeply spiritual.

When I return, I’m pretty ravenous. I often forget to eat.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I let things sit for a very long time. This can be both helpful and detrimental. There’s that control again!

I often get hung up on that first draft magic. If it can’t be recreated in the way I fell in love with it, it’s hard for me to look past it to revise. So I’m not an artist that constantly revises things. Often what you hear is a first draft recording.

“Violently Rooted” is an example of this. The vocals are first draft. They could be much better. But I felt really connected when I sang it the first take and could not recreate a version that I felt as satisfied with.



After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

This is the first time I’ve released an album. Emptiness ... is that what it is?

I’ve engaged with this feeling for such a long time as a theater artist. After the run is over, you get the blues. It just is. It’s oddly comforting. Just means it’s time to live and absorb. The well will replenish.

Music is a language, but like any language, it can lead to misunderstandings. In which way has your own work – or perhaps the work of artists you like or admire - been misunderstood? How do you deal with this?

I have actually just experienced this in such a potent way. Being Black and queer and agender …I think people make assumptions about the ways those identities show up in the work and try to fill in gaps where there may not be any.

I’ve always said, “once it’s out in the world it’s no longer mine.” I’m trying to lean into that truth. It helps to talk about it with friends and other artists.