Drawing us in with an intricate guitar soundscape and emotional ad-libs with astral vocalizations, Nia Marie opens Selfish with cinematic allure as she sings, “This wine hit differently, when I woke up from you, lost in a different room, you weren’t everything, but you could’ve been the truth, the thing that set me loose…”
The rising star continues with a reflective nature, “Why did I, why did I fall, when you couldn’t give me your all, I loved on you harder than hard, just to hear I’m not the one…”. Needless to say, we are enthralled by the production, the cosmic percussion textures and Nia’s sublime vocals.
The build into the chorus is poetic and relatable at the same time. This is a tale as old as time, and something that many of us have experienced. We could imagine Selfish landing a number of sync placements – a TV show like Love Island or Love Is Blind, but also perhaps an episode of Euphoria on HBO or Beauty in Black on Netflix.
The dimensionality of Nia Marie‘s flow is exquisite. She really taps into her raw authenticity and lived experience to deliver the prose, and we connect with the passion that she shares. Fans of Lana Del Rey, H.E.R, and Jorja Smith would absolutely be able to connect with what Nia Marie is sharing.
We learn that Selfish was written by Nia Marie and produced, mixed, and mastered by her longtime friend and collaborator Juan Arango. The pair have been developing the track from a creative partnership they’ve shared since Nia moved to New York seven years ago.
Naturally, the song was born from the aftermath of a breakup. Nia turned a “crying on your friend’s couch” moment into these honest lyrics. Nia and Juan recently teased the track live for the first time at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn (above), ahead of her upcoming full set at Brooklyn Music Kitchen.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Selfish to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Nia Marie, including Save Me, Street Lights, and Not Sorry.