Nyota Parker is working on a new project that she can’t wait to release next year. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town singer Nyota Parker is heading to New York next year, having received a full scholarship to study at US rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
The Cape Town artist will be relocating to Brooklyn, New York, to study at the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment, under Long Island University. Roc Nation is an entertainment agency that Jay-Z founded in 2008.
“I was shocked because they contacted me on a random weekend in the middle of this year,” she said.
“This is the kind of thing I have always wanted to do if I had the opportunity. I will study applied music and music performance that caters to who I am as an artist.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The opportunity came about when she visited New York in August 2019 but was stuck there for two years due to the pandemic.
“New York became my home by default, and everything started to fall in place while I was there,” she said.
Parker said music was a happy accident she discovered when she was 16.
“I remember the first time I heard a beat, and it has never really stopped since then,” she said.
“When I made the first track, I wanted to see where it goes, but a year in, I realised that things were going to unfold for me, and I had faith that it would.”
The hip-hop and rap artist of Irish and Congolese descent was raised in Cape Town. She is a singer, songwriter and poet and is obsessed with skating.
So when international sneaker brand Converse reached out to her to form part of their Converse All Stars programme, it was a no-brainer, the star said.
Converse All Stars is a global network that connects creatives and provides them with digital and physical experiences, commissioned work and mentorship opportunities.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity and the community I have been exposed to through it all,” she said.
“The brand has gone above and beyond to amplify my career. One of the highlights from this was getting to work with Tyler the Creator,” she added.
“I started in 2019, but over the last two years, I could see they believe in my talent and brand, and who I am as an artist, so I felt encouraged.”
Parker released her debut album in 2021 and released the deluxe version of Spectrum in August this year. The artist said the album was based on an artist’s journey and dealing with the ups and downs of the creative industry.
“We face a lot, especially people wanting to shape you into something you do not want to be,” she said.
She added: “With my EP, Energy, I was more experimental because it was my first body of work, and I wanted to release a project.”
Since 2016, Parker has realised there is no other option for her.
“Music is a way of life for me. I wouldn’t be able to keep going without music,” she said.
“It’s a form of expression that keeps me happy and my mind going. So my mind isn’t stagnant when I create music.”
Parker said inspiration always comes to her when creating new music, and she doesn’t have to plan for it.
“I don’t create for the sake of creating a project. I love creating music and the more I get to do that, the better,” she said.
Parker planned to release a project mid-next year and said her fans should stay tuned for what’s to come.
Producer and sound engineer Jay Loopz, who has worked closely with Parker since day one, wished her well on her new journey.
“We have a lot of fun in the studio, there is a synergy that exists between us musically, and she has always been able to navigate what she needs to within any project," he said.
Marketing manager for Converse, Tebogo Motlhamme said Parker is one of the artists who have been with the brand the longest.
"Looking at where she started and how she's continued to build her brand, Converse is very proud because it shows what happens when someone is creating their 'next'.
'She's the epitome of using the tools given to her and she continues to grow. We are not prescriptive in what people do and are happy to be part of her journey," she added.
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