'W Hotel' - NANA Interview And Catch Up

What motivated you to write W Hotel?
Funnily enough, it was for a university project. I was working on my songwriting technique, and decided to write a song in the way that Greta Gerwig made the film Ladybird. Instead of the film being plot-driven, she said the narrative was told like it was a photo album, i.e. each scene is a photo from a memorable moment of your last year of high school that all adds up to a photo album. I picked a memory of mine that was rich with emotion and started to write about it like it was a scene, noting key things and feelings and it all came together to make W Hotel. I think this is why it’s very emotionally charged with that moment of realisation I had that I should value myself more and leave a toxic situation that made me feel small and powerless.

When writing this song, what were your desires for the people who listen? Empowerment, motivation, expression…etc?
My desire was to empower people to have their own moment of reflection about whether or not they were accepting a love that was as good as they deserved and be reminded that they should be loved kindly and fabulously. It’s also a song to just groove around to and let that message sink in and be light-hearted about it all- love should be fun!

How was the recording process of the song?
It was hard to get into the recording booth properly for the first time and have days where I just didn’t do as well as I knew I could and not lose my self-belief, but getting back in there and doing 8-9 hour days was humbling, exhausting, and made me fiercer about getting in there and doing my best. I also learned the word ‘no,’ which was not needed a lot, but was very hard to say for me, particularly as a woman in a room full of (very nice men but still) men. I really lucked out on my producer and session musicians, who created this wonderful bubble in the studio for expression, creativity and fun during the rehearsals and recording and they really understood the message and wanted to honestly get it across. I could not have had a better or sweeter team.

Graduating this year, are you scared of what the future brings for you and your career?
​Are you kidding?! Every time I think about it I need a lie-down and minimum twelve cookies. I can make all the lists, budget plans and audits I like and it still wouldn’t change the fact that being an artist is very difficult in our society. Either you make it big time and have an okay time financially (you’re still not guaranteed a good pay check because of the terrible pay for streaming and the divisions of moneys from shows) or you hobble along and have a day job and just keep going because you love your art. It’s both hard work and luck, and while I’m doing the former as best I can, you just don’t know if your musical fairy godmother is going to come along. At least we’re all in the same boat though- the S.S. Artistic Panic.

Do you think you are prepared mentally for a career in music?
Yes and no. My experiences thus far have given me ample opportunity for many a creative, financial and general mental fuddle. Tour honestly almost broke me despite all the planning and nice presences, I disliked coffee by the end of it because I’d drunk so much to keep me awake. That was a low point. Coffee is my best friend. It’s helped me acknowledge my boundaries for how much energy I really have - not how much I’d like to have- to give to other people, how to keep trucking on when I feel lacking in inspiration and how to properly take care of myself, but the one you can’t prepare yourself for is the public eye. Any comments, dislikes on social media and in real life can really take their toll on a person and I just don’t feel prepared for that. I think we’d all like to believe we don’t care what other people think, but especially given that being an artist necessitates being that bit more sensitive, we’re not built to have that thick a skin

 Do you think the education system prepares your mental wellbeing for a career in music?
In general, no. My university has done a fantastic job with this though, and I’m aware of how lucky I am on that front. We’ve always had the phrase ‘mental health’ used casually since first year to destigmatize it, and there’s always been someone to talk to. Even for the lectures on touring, they regularly brought up the importance of self-care because of how hard it can be for your mental health. But there’s only so far it can go before it’s up to you to manage your experience, and I don’t know how well-equipped any of us are for this. I’m aware this sounds pretty negative, and I think it should just drive us to ask our education systems for more help on this front, but also to take matters into our own hands by talking to other musicians and taking proper care of ourselves.