Khabazzi

September 06, 2021 in Interviews

Hey Khabbazi, welcome to Nefarious Supply! How are you feeling?

Thank you for having me. I feel light today.

Well first things first, please introduce yourself!

I’m Khabbazi, I'm an artist. Born and raised in Vancouver currently in Toronto.

Would you mind telling us how and when you decided to advance in a music career?

I never really knew how to start this whole music process but I knew I was meant to do/pursue it. I started writing poetry at a young age, made my first cover when I was 11/12, wrote my first real song in high school. I went to The Weeknd concert in 2015 downtown Vancouver and I didn’t know anyone was opening for him. His opening act was the artist Banks… when she came on her presence was so strong and her music was different from anything else I had heard. It was her that made me realize that I had to figure my shit out. A couple of weeks later I asked my dad if we had a microphone and he brought me a broken rock band microphone - I plugged it into garage band and produced my first song which was Favourite Colour. The way I felt after making that song was what I want to feel for the rest of my life - which lead me to where I am now.

When it comes to your music style, vocals, and aesthetics, who and what inspires you?

I love 90’s and early 2000 music. My inspiration comes from Mya, Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Ying Yang Twins, Brandy, and Mariah Carey. My aesthetics, that’s something I don’t know how to explain, it's just who I am reflected into life.

Has the music scene in Vancouver inspired you to collaborate with those in your area or do you feel better independent? Is there anyone you specifically want to collaborate with?

I’m so proud of Vancouver. I know I left but I've been watching the music scene grow there and it’s really cool to see people in Vancouver stepping out of their comfort zone and pursuing their passion especially now that there’s more support. I’m sure in my path there will be a time that I will collaborate with people from Vancouver, however right now I'm just focused on working with my team and finding myself as an artist. If it happens naturally I'm all for it.

Khabbazi · Trust Me

It’s been a while since the release of your first EP, ‘Trust Me’! What have you been doing since then? Has the COVID-19 pandemic slowed you down in any way?

I’m always making music. Sometimes I drop a song and delete it or i’ll just hide them in files. I felt a little lost and alone in the process. I’ve been blessed honestly with the team I'm working with. It’s so important to work with other people, especially people you trust and respect. The pandemic didn’t slow me down, no.

We see your new single ‘Honeydew’ is coming out very soon, what can your fans expect from this song? What’s the song about?

They can expect fire production from OkTaylor. The song is about - to make it simple. People who act confident and when it comes down to it… they waste my time. Listen to the lyrics.

You and oktaylor worked on this lead single together, how did you two meet? Should we expect a partnership in the future from you two?

We met through a mutual friend, Tsungai. We’re going to be working together for a long time, know that for sure.

Is there going to be an EP or an album to follow ‘Honeydew’ and if so, what should we expect from you? Would it be any different from ‘Trust Me’?

We have more singles we’re going to put out first before we do a project. If I were to make an EP/Album, yes completely different than Trust Me.

With all the music in the past and those forthcoming, is there anything specific you want your listeners to take from your music?

What you feel from my voice is everything I've gone through.

Alright, is there anyone you think we should also feature here at Nefarious Supply?

Anyone who is making noise in Vancouver ( that has a unique sound )

Any last words?

Trust me

Big thank you to Khabbazi for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with her be sure to follow her on Instagram and look out for her new single “Honeydew” which is coming soon. If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with the content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below. Be sure to also check out our new collection SZN 3 which dropped and use discount code SZN3 to get 10% off your first order!

Fidelis

May 15, 2021 in Interviews

Fidelis thank you for coming on to interview with Nefarious Supply, to get this interview started tell us about yourself, where you're from, and how long you've been a musician?

Hi, pleasure’s mine. So I’m a singer songwriter, was born in Nigeria but did most of my growing up in London, and music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember but it was only till recently I got comfortable with the idea of sharing my art with anyone that wasn’t my family.

How has your experience been so far and what are some things you enjoy about being a new artist in the industry?

Honestly it’s such an interesting space, as an artist I have a lot of discovering and growing to do, so the fun thing about being a new artist for me has really been the adventure I get to go on and all the surprises that come along with it. Everything from coming across new sounds and seeing how imma freak them to 4 am strategy meetings cause of the different time zones. It’s been a loop.

How has your location influenced your sound, and how is this area for underground and emerging artists?

Well I can say for sure that my sound has definitely grown, might even say matured. I mean just the exposure to other creatives that I’ve worked/working with helped me understand my creative process better. The area is really brimming with potential though, especially for emerging artists, I mean as well as myself there are some crazy artists coming to knock the door down

In addition to your location, what artists would you say have had the biggest influence on you and your sound, and which artists and songs do you currently have on rotation?

I’m influenced by damn near everyone I listen to these days, I hear a song and all I can think about is how I would do my own thing on it, I’m just in such a good place with music. If I had to pick a few artists though, who have had a huge influence on some part of my creative process it’d be h.e.r, Bruno Major, Pink Sweats. My rotation is a mess. It's some Dominic Fike to Malia, Frank Sinatra to Snoh Aalegra and everything in between. I’ve been heavily into Ben Platt’s “Sing to Me Instead” album lately, as well as Giveon, very different I know but crazy melodies!

2020 was a mess and it set a lot of people back but it seems as though you've powered through it, how did you keep yourself focused during the hard time last year, and what are some of your goals for 2021?

I don’t be saying this too loud cause of obvious reasons but 2020 was actually good to me, probably like everyone else it screwed up all the plans I had initially made but that ended up being a good thing, especially for my music, I was travelling between Europe and Nigeria and I ended up getting stuck in Nigeria during the lockdown for like 7 months but luckily I was quarantined with my producer, so we put together a makeshift studio for ourselves and got to work by the time we saw some sunlight, we had recorded something like 27 demos. So despite all the insanity that was going on it was the most focused and productive I had been in a minute so I really can’t complain. For 2021 the goal is just consistency, I plan to release new music more frequently, and just stay working. I can’t say for sure cause the worlds been pretty crazy lately but I’m tryna put out a song a month for the rest of the year.

You have two songs out right now “Want This” & “Sinner” tell us about both, what inspired them, who helped you put them together including production and mixing, and out of both which one is your favorite?

“Want This” is my baby being my debut release and all, so it’s always gonna have a special place, but it does also happen to be my favourite of the two. I wrote the first version of it just when covid had started picking up and no one knew how things were gonna turn out. Honestly, it was my way of processing all the emotions I had been going through, a way of voicing all the frustrations I had been feeling and mirroring the feelings of my friends and people who were definitely in similar circumstances. There was lots to write about when you think about how bad things got with covid and the BLM movement so it was a pretty easy one to write.

”Sinner”, from a music perspective, was much more experimental. It was my producer and I exploring sounds I hadn’t really worked with before and seeing where we ended up, turns out it was magic. The song itself is really about accepting the flaws we have as people, and getting comfortable with them. A big part of the message behind it was that, it’s okay if you learn what the right things are by doing too many of the wrong ones, shit gets janky so just do what you can and go from there. The production and mixing for both of them was done by my extraordinary producer and all around G @doronclinton and we have some more heat in the pipeline.

When can we expect a new project from you and what will that sound like?

It’s gonna sound like the best of me, I feel like I’m growing with every track, so every new track you hear will be an improved version of my last self. In terms of timeline, I’m just gonna say pretty soon but an exact date hasn’t been given to me just yet.

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply

You guys should definitely check out trs @trs.mp3. She's a crazy singer and one of those artists who inspires.

Any last words?

Wishing love and light to everyone in these strange times, stay safe and take care of yourselves.

Big shout out to Fidelis for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him and his music you can follow him on Instagram and check him out on Spotify. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below.

Jeymon

May 10, 2021 in Interviews

Jeymon I wanted to thank you for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, to get this interview started tell us about yourself, how you got started as a musician, and how is your experience so far?

My intro to creating music was in high school so I’ve really been making music for just over three years now. After basketball practice my boy Raf would host these things called Freestyle Fridays. I was a little shy back then, but my boys hyped me up to join in one time, and I never looked back.

My experience so far has been amazing, and I know it’s just gettin started. I’ve met so many great artists and I always try to learn from them to expand my range -regardless of what genre they’re in. Our brains are very powerful, I know I can learn anything. It’s just about getting those quality reps in, and having that mentality. I go into every challenge like it’s game 7.

Where are you based out of, how long have you been in this area, how has it influenced you, and what is the underground music scene like there?

I’m from Coquitlam. It’s a city on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada. I believe we’re all a product of our surroundings. With that being said, the people from this city have shaped me into who I am today. As for the music scene, it’s about to boom! It’s only a matter of time before someone breaks the ice so Vancouver’s talent is unleashed upon the world.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration and why, and what songs/projects have you had in rotation recently?

It’s weird. I can’t pinpoint any exact artists that inspire me without leaving any important ones out; there’s way too many to name. I listen to every kind of genre and style, new or old. Anything from AC/DC and Michael Jackson to Chief Keef and Young Thug. I have an influence playlist on Spotify that answers this question a lot better, you can check out all my other influences there. More recently I've been listening to this new Jessie Ware project; also a lot of NBA Youngboy for when I do my field workouts.

2020 was a crazy time for everyone last year between COVID and locking down. It feels like we lost a year of our lives and it was kinda demoralizing. So what did you do last year to keep your career growth, and what are some of your big goals for 2021?

I always look at the positive. Sure, COVID was tough for a lot of people but I looked at it as an opportunity to create more. I’ve been writing, recording and just trying to get my ideas out. I actually went through a whole genre change during the pandemic. I had an entire hip-hop project under the name JMON that was ready to go, but I chose to switch my style to something that just felt right to me. My goals in 2021 and beyond are for the whole team to eat, I want us all to succeed and be happy.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

So you're currently signed to start-up music label Chaos Club DIgital, how did you meet the label and what made you sign to them and how has your experience with them been so far?

I’ve actually been here since day one. I was working with Buk, the CEO, and Aidan, my creative & art director, before Chaos Club was established. Every person on the team came together from just knowing each other. That’s the best thing about us, we were all friends before any of this. It makes it so much easier to work together and mold our ideas into fruition.

You currently have four songs out right now including; Lucidity, Tmw, Hollow, & Tuesdays in July. Walk us through each song and tell us about the inspiration for each song, who you worked with to put them together, and your favorite song out of the four?

Tuesdays in July was my way of introducing this new sound. Hollow was about how I was feeling in the moment; we all get sad sometimes. TMW was me trying to figure out what was wrong with the situations and relationships around me. Lucidity is me taking a step back and learning from those past experiences.

I work with a lot of different people. It starts with me searching through my email for beats, generally from friends or producers on IG. Once I have the beat, I will engineer a rough demo version first by myself and then I get my boy AKgoincrazy to do a second run through the track and add some extra production. Lastly the track goes to Max Dishaw for the mix and master. I’m always there throughout this whole process, but it helps having all these talented people to add so much extra flavor to each song and max out its potential. For my favourite song, I will have to say the next one. It’s always the next one. It’s evolution: as you experience and learn more things, your art will grow.

So in terms of a full project when can we expect one from you and who are you currently working with to put it together?

It’s crazy because I've had so many tracks I want to put on this project but then I end up making another one that I like even better. It’s a problem but a definitely good problem to have. I’m putting it together with my guys AK, Dino, and Max. You can expect something this year.

If you had your pick of artists to work with right now who are your top 5? In no particular order:

Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply?

It would blow my mind if you could get in touch with Taio Cruz! I remember listening to his songs everyday in grade 7 but I haven’t seen or heard anything from this man in almost a decade. If you can’t track him down, one that’d be interesting is Maxz, a 16 year old producer from Vancouver. Just wait until you hear what he’s been cooking up, his work ethic is absolutely crazy, a production legend in the making.

Any last words?

Haha out of context it sounds like you about to shoot me. Like in those movies where they’re like “Any last words?” and you say something badass like “Yea, don’t miss!” then The Rock or Vin Diesel comes through and saves the boy. Then I escape and we all get into a shootout but I forget the villain has my girl. So we get to the roof where there’s a helicopter and he has my girl hostage with a gun to her head. My girls like “Ayo, Jeymon save me!” so then I shoot the bad guy in the leg. He drops his gun and my girl escapes to the side. I tried to shoot him again but I ran out of bullets. Me and the bad guy scrap for a bit, it’s a mad even fight. I hit em with that 1, 2 Jake Paul and knocked him down like he was Ben Askren. I think it’s over but he sneakily gets up and escapes on the helicopter. Then out of nowhere my boy The Rock, who was beating all the goons from downstairs, pulls up with the rocket launcher. He says something super fire and then shoots it at the helicopter.

BOOM!

(“Touch the Sky” by Kanye West starts playing)

End credits

Big shout out to Jeymon and Chaos Club for interviewing with Nefarious Supply if you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with him you can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud. If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, and for our newsletter you can sign up below.