FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Nia Smith

FEATURE:

Spotlight: Revisited

PHOTO CREDIUT: Hannah Cosgrove for NOTION

Nia Smith

__________

THIS feature…

finds me revisiting the absolutely wonderful and unique Nia Smith. I spotlighted her in 2024, but she has released a brilliant sophomore E.P., Payback Is a Dog. Prior to getting to some interviews, last month, news of her incredible E.P. was shared. This uDiscover Music article provides more details:

“High” centers on leaving behind people, relationships, jobs, and interests that once felt defining. Smith said the song is “about outgrowing things that once made you feel on top of the world,” adding that it is “emotional and soft while also being dreamy and reflective.” The track includes the lyric “like jeans that are fading, lost and frayed, it’s nothing worth saving.”

Payback Is A Dog follows Smith’s debut EP, Give Up The Fear, which arrived last year. The new project is described as a narrative time capsule, with each song marking a make-or-break point in a relationship, whether romantic, familial, or rooted in friendship. Smith also said she recently took time away in Jamaica after releasing her first collection. “I’ve just been living life,” she said. “I think the whole break was just me living life and just gaining life experience to talk about.”

The announcement follows a run of live dates and media attention for the Brixton artist, who signed to Polydor in 2023 and later to Def Jam 0207. Smith attended the Brit School and ELAM, wrote songs as a teenager, and found an early audience on TikTok with cover songs. Smith has performed on Later… With Jools Holland and appeared at All Points East, City Splash, and Glastonbury through BBC Introducing. She was nominated for Rising Star at the Ivor Novello Awards this year and previously received coverage from Billboard, NME, and more. Smith has also performed at Mahalia Presents at the Jazz Cafe, supported Pip Millett at Somerset House, and joined Jordan Rakei and Elmiene on US, UK, and EU tour dates”.

I want to bring in some fairly recent chats with this London-based artist. Before getting to some 2026 interviews, I want to head back to last year. NOTION spent some time with Nia Smith. This “Popcaan cosign and a brief hiatus in the Caribbean, Nia Smith is back and wants to be at the front of everybody's mind. Here, she talks with effortless cool about 'Personal', being a proud Londoner, and most importantly, what's next”:

“Her musical journey began, slightly unexpectantly, with a stint playing the trombone, “I learnt it in primary school. It was definitely bigger than me when I was playing it!” From there, she began to explore piano and guitar, both of which she taught herself and still occasionally “dabbles with” to aid her songwriting. Nia, like many other notable figures in London’s music scene, such as Little Simz and Raye, attended the eponymous BRIT school. She studied on their musical theatre pathway, “it isn’t something I want to pursue now,” Nia says, but it remains a formative experience for the young star. “It was amazing to be around like-minded people from such an early age. It really built that hunger within me.”

What is distinct about Nia’s music is its pronounced London-ness. “Born and bred” in Brixton, she’s a proud resident of the capital. “The area has changed over the years, but I’ve still got my hair shop and my Caribbean food. When we get a Gail’s, it’s over.” Both her style and lyricism ooze the complex nature of the metropolis and reflect a fine mix between coldness and vibrance

Nia’s rise to stardom originated from the TikTok videos she posted during the pandemic, singing covers of ‘Ex-Factor’ by Lauryn Hill, ‘Supermodel’ by SZA and ‘Wait a Minute!’ by Willow Smith. Like others who built and then grew beyond the realms of social media (PinkPantheress being a prime example), Nia has handled her newfound popularity with grace and ease. For the previous pop generation, who were notably non-technological habituals, the backlash of heightened exposure was something many grappled with and consequently found various vices to handle. But for Gen Z, fame does not seem to be such an alien or scary concept. They seem to handle it responsibly and with intention, most likely due to growing up experiencing a degree of exposure to the wider world through social media.

Though Nia feels unburdened by celebrity, she says it can be difficult to find time for herself, “I find it hard to take breaks. You can burn out really quickly in London and in this industry. You do a show, you do a shoot, then you go to your friends, then you do the same thing, and you are just never inside. You are always giving up part of yourself.”

So, as the British summer cooled and festival season concluded, the chaos of the past year caught up with Nia. She finally found a moment to take some rest from her busy schedule and, sometimes draining, London lifestyle. “I took some time to centre myself. I flew solo to Jamaica and went to Antigua with some family.” And if Nia was only able to listen to one album whilst on the island, she’s picking CHRONIXX’s 2017 reggae album, Chronology.

During her month-long break in Jamaica, Nia withdrew from work completely. “I told people not to shout me. I went totally MIA. It was honestly so nice to just hold a bit of me, for me.”

This period away, reconnecting with her family and exploring Jamaica, clarified her vision for the next steps of her music career, “To begin with, I was just making music that sounded good and felt like a vibe at the time.” Thinking about her next project, Nia wants to portray more of the person she is in real life. “Before, I wasn’t intentional about what I wanted.”

Now, with two feet grounded back in London, Nia is determined: “I know what I want to say and how I want to say it,” and she’s realised who she wants to collaborate with to take her sound to the next level, “I’m really big on having women around. I feel my most authentic self when I am working with women.”

“I am really interested in creativity outside of music,” reveals Nia. In her spare time, the singer-songwriter has been playing with other mediums. “I started painting for a time, but I found it to be too much like music in the fact that a painting, like a song, is never finished. You can just keep adding and adding.” Her search for an outlet that is separate from her musical artistry has landed on pottery in recent times, where she regularly attends a studio in south London.

So, after a stellar debut EP and great acclaim from the music industry, what is next for Nia Smith? “I haven’t dropped any music in a year. It’s boring, boring, boring.” And although her lips are pursed on any of the major details of a new body of work, she hints that listeners can expect a “lyrically stronger” and more vulnerable portfolio that travels through genres she has not previously incorporated in her music to such a degree, “They are genres in this body that I haven’t properly explored in my work before, not to say I have shied away from them per se. This next release has still got that reggae bassline and drums, but there’s more R&B, soul, and all that good stuff meshed together”.

In March, DIY chatted with one of south London’s most essential and notable voices. This incredible talent who deserves to be wider known, you really do need to go and follow Nia Smith. Someone who is guaranteed to be making music for many years to come. A debut album surely on her mind:

“What was the first gig you ever went to?
Dave at Brixton Academy with my friend - but also I bumped into my brother there! It was in 2019 - ‘Psychodrama’ era - and it was one of J Hus’ first gigs back, not gonna lie it was a legendary gig. ‘No Words’ and ‘Samantha’ were heaters, god, what a time!

What’s the story behind your first instrument?
My first instrument was a trombone - I wanted to play the violin but everyone else did too, so I got the trombone. This was in primary school; I was a tiny tiny girl and it was bigger than me, I played it for about a year and I wasn’t bad to be honest.

The title of your new EP, ‘Payback is a dog’, is hugely evocative - not to mention a bit of a mantra! Do you believe in karma? Going into 2026, do you have any resolutions or boundaries you’re hoping to uphold?
I don’t believe in karma… am I a walking contradiction? I don’t know. I believe God will do what he will do and that’s none of my business.

And that’s a good question… my 2026 mantra is ‘put yourself first and keep your nervous system calm and in check’.

What’s your ultimate road trip soundtrack?
‘adore you’ by Fred Again.. and Obongjayar - it’s a song that means a lot to me, it’s good vibrations.

Finally, DIY is coming round for dinner - what are you making?
Ooooh, I’ll make rasta pasta – yummmmy”.

I do want to move to DORK and their interview with Nia Smith from last month. There was a lot of interest around Payback Is a Dog. One of the finest E.P.s of this year, I do wonder where Smith goes next. There will be some live dates soon, but I am curious what her next musical step will be. If you have not listened to Payback Is a Dog, then go and listen to it now, as it will make a big impression. I guarantee:

“'Payback Is A Dog' is the sound of an artist blossoming into exactly who they want to be. The songs here are confident and emotionally direct, the product of Nia becoming more perceptive as a writer and capable of harnessing her words to capture emotions from both her own experiences and those she observes in others. "I had a lot of friends around me who were going through situations, whether it was relationship issues or just life. People who were changing cities and outgrowing things," she says of some of the stories that are told on the EP. "I wanted a project that could speak to people in that way. All of those feelings are very universal and real. I wanted a project where people could hear themselves and relate."

That relatability comes from Nia's beautifully realised observations on love, relationships and the turmoil that we can go through. "Vibey songs are always fun to make, but I think it's so much nicer with emotional songs to really dig in deep and think about how you want to paint the picture," she says. 'High' is a song where the little details and clever observations in Nia's lyricism elevate it to a new level. Her voice is immaculate and strong as it soars and swoops, but the real heart-stopping power lies in the words as she delivers a hugely evocative metaphor: a stormy relationship compared to frayed jeans that are only just hanging on. "For me, as a short person, my jeans always scrape along the floor and get frayed quite quickly," she laughs. "Sometimes it's taste, though, and you want those frayed jeans. It's evoking a picture that can be taken many ways. You can work on it and stay with the frayed jeans, or you can leave and get a new pair of jeans. Both are fine and totally OK. I wanted to give both sides of the coin with that song."

There's an emotional distinctness and depth of feeling to this EP that highlights the freedom and room to grow and develop that Nia has enjoyed as the music industry has begun to move beyond looking for instant wins and to recognise the benefits of letting immensely talented artists develop their voices and how to express their art. "I feel like I've been waiting for this time," says Nia excitedly. "It's a great time for British voices. When I first started, there was a lot of teen success like Billie Eilish, and I thought oh if I don't get that, it's not working but now I see people like Raye and Olivia Dean, and that gives me so much comfort that it's OK if it doesn't happen straight away, as your time will always come."

With over a year between her previous EP and this release, Nia has taken her time to make 'Payback Is A Dog' her most fully realised and impressive work, but is already moving on to what's next. "I'm definitely not in the same place I was when I made this project," she says intriguingly. "I'm in a totally different headspace. I'm even working on my next era now."

"I'm not afraid of using my voice," says Nia as she hints towards what comes next. "Sometimes I've shied away from using that big vocal moment. I didn't use it that much on 'Payback Is A Dog', but I am definitely doing it on the next." The belting and the vocal dynamics might be coming next, but for now, 'Payback Is A Dog' has all the emotional power and resonance needed to make it a striking step forward for one of the UK's supreme new talents”.

On an E.P. that “alchemises life’s lessons with confidence and poise”, this is a big moment for Nia Smith. NME interviewed one of our greatest young artists. I have not seen Nia Smith live, though this is something that I need to do. I have been a fan of her music for a while, so I would love to see her on the stage:

“Authenticity – in relationships, songwriting, life – is a priority for Smith. However, as a highly private person, the intimacy of the songwriting process can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable. “I don’t really like to air my life, [or] everyone’s business,” she shares. “It’s why I pivoted with ‘Tough’. I wanted to write about men opening up [because] I’m not going to write about me, I’m not going to write about my friend – I’m going to write about a more universal situation that I can also relate to and that I visually see in my life.”

“I don’t really like to air my life, [or] everyone’s business […] I’m going to write about a more universal situation that I can also relate to”

Even though Smith tries her best to err towards a somewhat mysterious ambiguity with her lyrics, as a collection, ‘Payback Is A Dog’ feels far more reflective than ‘Give Up The Fear’, and marks a new era where cycles close, and new possibilities unfurl in the space left in their wake. In the EP, she recounts impactful changes in her life, but emphasises that while the songs do speak of a friendship break-up, a relationship breakdown, and changing cities, they call more to “tying up the knots of the seven stages of grief” and “all the feelings” that come “before, after, [and] in-between”.

A sample of the Stylistics’ ‘Payback Is A Dog’ introduces the EP with rage, but, by the project’s end, Smith wants listeners to be “feeling a little bit more hopeful”. ‘Limit’, incorporating a sample of James Blake’s cover of Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love’, captures the arc of rediscovering your individual power with a pep in your step after a time of second-guessing your emotions.

Smith is also stretching herself sonically while trying to put positive twists to challenging times. ‘Stuntin’ and ‘Hope In Us’ are bouncy and carefree, despite the palpable irritation (“Lately I’ve been feeling every kind of way since you’ve been moving mad”, she quips in the latter); meanwhile, ‘Get My Get Back’ switches the code to slow jam R&B packed with ’90s tropes and accusations of cheating.

Despite the tone, resentment is absent. “I don’t want to be in a place where I’m making really angry, negative music,” Smith says, and she’s taking measures to make sure she’s processing her emotions through other means to avoid reimmersing herself in bad feelings every time she performs. “I want to make sure that I’m pouring it out in many ways, whether it’s through therapy or through friends, so as not to make that song like ‘I hate this person’.”

Does Smith believe in what goes around comes around? She ponders the question: “I don’t know if I believe in karma. I don’t necessarily believe in, no pun intended, get my get back. I believe God will reveal all, so I don’t really need to fight the battle when he’ll do it for me.”

In the past year, among the whirlwind of activity around her, she’s grown both as an artist and as a person, and now finds herself “not in the same place I was when I made this music”. Now, more than ever, she is finding security and a sense of home inside herself first and foremost, before the wheel starts turning again. And turn it will: “I’m going to LA after [the release of the EP] for three weeks,” she shares. “No rest for the wicked!”.

I am going to wrap things up. Make sure you follow Nia Smith and check out Payback Is a Dog. This is a truly phenomenal artist who so many more people should hear. Smith has a large fanbase, though her music is worthy or universal acclaim. She is getting there at the moment and there is this growing fanbase in the U.S. I hope that world domination is very close for Nia Smith. She well and truly is…