Just a few weeks ago in December, an American R&B singer under the name Nakima, released her new single, This Isn’t Real.
Since Nakima was a very young girl, she wanted to pursue music. Going through various talent shows and school performances, she grabbed any opportunity she could to find her place in the world of music. Today, Nakima is forging her own path in R&B production under the mentorship of a fellow singer and songwriter, Haley Smalls and the Grammy-nominated producer, Megaman.
Since her debut drop in 2022 with the title Ken & Barbie, Nakima’s sultry trap and R&B sound has been growing and refining with every new release. Haley Smalls’ Disconnected in collaboration with Nakima is a very atmospheric and lush single. Her personal single On My Way offers a varied instrumental architecture from Nakima, leaning more towards indie inspired soundscapes with equally lush vocals.
Since then, she has also released Beautiful Distraction that, too, follows a lo-fi and indie reminiscent sound. Nakima embodies a sunset and emits wonderful ambiance with emotive lyrics and voice.
Her latest December drop, This Isn’t Real takes a moody, “dark, trap-soul R&B record that dives into the shock of seeing a future you imagined fall apart in real time. Driven by moody synths and a hypnotic hook, the song captures that late-night moment when heartbreak feels surreal, almost dreamlike.”
If Nakima’s Beautiful Distraction emits the sunset in a song, This Isn’t Real emits the sleepless nighttime following heartbreak and solitude. Lyrically, she captures intangible sentiments and shapes them into soul-stirring compositions. The blend of various genres across her discography exemplifies a great deal of variation that Nakima has up her sleeve, masterly creating work for every mood and feeling.
Her vocals are always incredibly beautiful, calming but emotional. Her production style would resonate amongst fans of PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake and Brent Faiyaz. On the other side, her vocals would resonate with fans of Jhené Aiko, Teyana Taylor and Kehlani. Although representative of her R&B predecessors, Nakima has her own distinct sound that the R&B, trap and hip-hop fans should be paying attention to.
Her Caribbean roots are said to have kept her grounded, shaping her as a person and musical artist, however, in the future, I’d love to see her employ that heritage to the most through her production. In combination with R&B, it could produce an even more unique sound for Nakima, standing out across the background of current styles.
Either way, Nakima’s music and journey as an artist is definitely worth paying attention to. She is an incredibly talented up-and-coming artist, deserving of every bit of attention from fans of the aforementioned established artists, but also those looking to expand their music taste.
You can find Nakima’s new single, This Isn’t Real, using the links below. Definitely props to Nakima and her team for making this song and her discography widely available across so many platforms, too!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/33JllmOmnoB1dcedYU3ol2
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/this-isnt-real-single/1858556620
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKReYxRLdrk&list=RDUKReYxRLdrk&start_radio=1
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0G52XZFLM
Tidal: https://tidal.com/album/478864050/track/478864051
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/track/3695968122
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/nakima/this-isnt-real/ALKKvf25jlwJvVK
YouTube Music https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=UKReYxRLdrk
You can also follow Nakima’s social pages using these links, to keep up to date with upcoming singles productions, and hopefully we can look forward to an album soon, because there’s nothing more that I’d love than to have her analogue work on my shelf.
Instagram: @officialnakima
TikTok: @officialnakima
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nakima
Article by Rozalia Lewandowska
