To listen to Nina de Vitry is to take a deep breath at the end of a hard day. Weaving together the strands of her stories with a dynamic alto voice and inventive yet memorable melodies, she manages to create a sound that is both soulful and refreshingly unique.
Her songs lounge on the fence between genres, transcending their bounds and honoring the sheer variety and depth of her musical training and inspirations. Dreamy piano fills shimmer between phrases as staccato drum snaps and bass lay a solid yet lively foundation, punctuated with bright emphatic horns. Each song paints with a full palette, providing glowing red warmth and buttery yellow comfort while refusing to shy away from the darkest shades of indigo and violet that give life its definition. Paired with the earthen smokiness of her voice, Nina de Vitry presents a microcosm of the universe in each song—and you won’t want to look away. “Your voice as a songwriter just is,” says de Vitry. “Once you start writing or making art, that voice shines through everything you create.”
With her debut full-length album, What You Feel is Real (due out August 25th), her voice rings clear and true. It is her calm self-assurance, combined with a warm heart and empathy towards the pain of living, that gives her music its most magnetic qualities. Now—with a 6 song EP under her belt, international songwriting acclaim as a two-time finalist in the John Lennon International Songwriting contest, and her debut full length album on the way—it is safe to say that this is only the dawn of Nina de Vitry’s rising star.
Today Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout track “History” (PRE-ORDER). The song is a swooning work of soulful folk that is spellbinding in the way it pulls you inside through Nina de Vitry’s saccharine vocals. Indeed, this talented vocalist lays down some serious vibes as she offers a poignant lyrical comment on our times. Nina de Vitry manages to command the room with this song while still giving us a song that feels warm and approachable, which may come from the gorgeous background harmonies and the brief flourish of horns.
Listen to the track and read our interview with Nina de Vitry below…
What is the story behind this song? How did you come to write it? What is it about?
Writing “History” was one of those creative moments where an idea flows completely freely; where you feel as if you’re simply a witness to your art rather than the creator itself. I wrote it the day after the 2016 general election, fueled by the divided political moment and my own feelings of fear and hopelessness. I was living in Montreal and working at a hostel at the time, and I felt ashamed to be from a country where hate seemed to be winning. The song is about the devastated state I found myself in after witnessing so much fear and bigotry come to the surface in the U.S., and about the burning desire within to do something about it. Though I felt so small and insignificant at the time, I also felt more fired up than ever in terms of wanting to fight for the good in this world.
Are you typically a lyrics-first or a music-first writer? How did this song come together?
Generally, my songs emerge from playing around with chords and melodies until I find something that makes me really feel something. From there, I like to sing syllables and phrases, and if I’m particularly tuned in that day, this can uncover what the song is meant to be about. After that, I like to sit with a pen and paper to work on editing and getting the story into focus. For this song, I actually wrote the chord progression a few days before the meaning itself became clear. Once I sat down to add lyrics, they came very quickly and I didn’t do much editing. I wanted to capture the rawness of what I was feeling at the time without getting too analytical about the poetry.
Are there any lyric lines that you are particularly proud of or that really speak to you? What do you feel makes them resonate?
My favorite line in the song is the opening line of the chorus, “History: It’s ours to write now.” I enjoy that, to the ear, the homophone “write now” can also come across as “right now.” I also played around with using the colors red, white, and blue in the verses, which was my subtle way of alluding to what it felt like to be an American citizen at such a time of division.
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this song, what do you hope that is?
I hope this song can motivate listeners to become more involved in the movements they believe in. Though we are each just a drop in the ocean, I believe every individual plays a part in shaping history.
How does this song fit in among the others on the album? How is it similar or different?
Musically, I consider there to be two different general sounds on this album. “History” fits into the group of songs that features more jazz aesthetics, leaning on things like the groove, horn arrangement, and rhodes to uplift the melody and message. Thematically, I play with ideas of optimism and hope in many of the songs, so I think this track fits well in this regard as well. As the first track on the album, it sets the tone for the rest of the album nicely.
If you could use only three words to describe your music, what would they be?
Wow, this is a hard question for me! I think one of my favorite things about my music is that it draws from many different inspirations and sounds. To sum it up in three words, I would say “uplifting, dynamic, and heartfelt.”
