作为一位极具色彩与个性的音乐人，自几首先行曲目的发布以来，Niia 及她的新专辑《V》便一直受到乐迷的期待——在这张新作品中她更深一步地探索了爵士音乐与她的自我的关系，并从自己的感受与生活之间留下了珍贵的思考和记录。赶在专辑发布前，UPEE 有幸与她进行了通话采访，分享关于《V》的创作以及对目前巡演的感受。
UPEE：你的前作《Bobby Deerfield》拥有不少 Folk Rock/Americana 的底色，而就今年几首单曲来看，似乎即将发布的新专辑《V》拥有更明显的“Jazz”的气质，可以分享你觉得在这两张专辑创作的过程里自己有什么变化吗？
Niia：当然。创作《Bobby Deerfield》时，我迷上了阿尔・帕西诺主演的同名电影。我当时完全被这部片子吸引了，它讲的是一位 70 年代赛车手的故事。那段时间我还搬到了洛杉矶的劳雷尔峡谷，Joni Mitchell 这类音乐人就曾住在那儿，很多民谣艺术家，甚至 The Beatles，都曾在不同时期住过劳雷尔峡谷。我觉得自己会迷上民谣，很大程度是受居住环境的影响。而且你知道，除了爵士乐，我从小也听创作歌手的音乐长大。当时我想尝试些新东西，《Bobby Deerfield》对我来说更像一张概念专辑，我能完全沉浸到那个角色里。但那之后我开始思考“现在的 Niia 是谁？”“在我想要的音乐旅程里，我该找到怎样的定位？” 其实我的心一直属于爵士乐。
随着年纪增长，说实话，我会想自己最终想成为什么样的音乐人 —— 比如到老去时，我还会唱什么样的歌。这张新专辑没有特定概念，我只是想探索 “当下的爵士歌手该是什么声音”，所以这更像一场 “使命”，但和《Bobby Deerfield》不一样——那张专辑更像扮演一个有趣的角色，而新专辑《V》是在说“这才是真正的我。” 不过我很开心自己既能驾驭前者，也能诠释后者。
Yeah, I mean, with Bobby Deerfield, I became obsessed with a movie. There was an Al Pacino movie called Bobby Deerfield, and I just got obsessed with this film - it’s all about a seventies race car driver that Al Pacino played. And in LA, I actually moved to Laurel Canyon. I don’t know if you know Laurel Canyon, but that’s where people like Joni Mitchell lived. A lot of folk artists, even The Beatles - everybody lived in Laurel Canyon at some point. I think I just got hit by the folk music bug, just based on where I was living. And you know, I grew up on singer-songwriter music too, in addition to jazz. I kind of wanted to try something new, and Bobby Deerfield felt like a concept album. I got to really dive into this character. Then after that, I thought, “Okay, who is Niia now?” and “Where do I fit in my sonic journey of how I want the music to sound?” My heart is in jazz. And as I’m getting older, I think about where I want to end up - like, what I’ll be singing when I die, to be honest. I didn’t have a concept for this new album; I just wanted to see what a modern-day jazz singer sounds like. So it was a mission, but it wasn’t like Bobby Deerfield - that was more of a fun character to play. This new album, V, is like, “This is actually who I really am.” And I like that I can do both.
UPEE：首支单曲《Angel Eyes》选择了 Matt Dennis 与 Earl K. Brent 1946 年的爵士乐标准曲进行重新演绎，可以分享为什么选择了这一首曲目吗？
Niia：《Angel Eyes》大概是我最爱的爵士乐标准曲之一，这么多年来有太多优秀音乐人翻唱过它。而且有件事让我特别着迷，Frank Sinatra 在舞台上唱的最后一首歌就是它。他唱的最后一句是 “Excuse me while I disappear”（容我悄然退场），之后就再也没登台演唱过。我当时就觉得 “太酷了”。但这首歌本身还有种萦绕心头、带着悲伤与讽刺的旋律，讲的大概是爵士歌手与观众之间的疏离感。这种感觉有时和我的心境特别契合，而且它本身就是首极美的歌。
You know, Angel Eyes is probably one of my favorite jazz standards. So many unbelievable artists have sung it over the years. And something I became obsessed with - Frank Sinatra, the last thing he ever sang on stage was Angel Eyes. The last line he sang was, “Excuse me while I disappear,” and then he never sang again. I was like, “That’s so cool.” But it also has this haunting, sad, sarcastic melody. It’s kind of all about the jazz singer being isolated from the audience. So it felt very true to how I feel sometimes. And it’s just a gorgeous song.
UPEE：第二支单曲《Throw My Head Out The Window》拥有更令人振奋的能量，可以分享这首歌创作过程吗？
Niia：当然。我从小就唱《Angel Eyes》这类标准曲，就像我之前对自己问的——现在的爵士乐该是什么样？我觉得它可以有很多种形态。现在有很多很棒的器乐爵士作品，也有不少不带人声的、实验的、先锋或者碎拍等等尝试的音乐。我想找到一个平衡点，既能唱歌，又能配合融合爵士与DnB。
我在洛杉矶经常开车，每次遇到红灯，差不多都能看到狗把脑袋伸出车窗。我当时就想它们为什么总这么做？后来别人开车时，我也试着把脑袋伸出去，然后就想写首歌捕捉这种感觉：当你把头伸出窗外，耳边只有风声，整个人会变得特别平静。我又想到那些把头伸出窗外的狗，自己也开始这么做，于是想写一首引人沉思又略带疯狂的歌，讲讲这个世界有多混乱。但只要你把头伸出窗外，就能拥有片刻安宁 —— 风在耳边吹过，其他声音都消失了，那是只属于你的时刻。我很喜欢这首歌，它带着点忧郁，但也在讲那种 “把头伸出窗外、在风里既孤独又自由” 的瞬间。我希望音乐听起来既有混乱感，又能让人感到平静 —— 就像忧郁与安宁交织在一起，这就是我想呈现的效果。
Of course. I grew up singing standards like Angel Eyes, and like I was saying earlier - what does jazz sound like now? I think it sounds like a lot of different things. There’s definitely some really cool instrumental jazz happening, and a lot of experimental avant-garde, cool breakbeat stuff without vocals. I wanted to find a space where I could combine singing with all fusions of jazz and Drum n’ Bass. And I drive so much in LA - every time I hit a red light, there’s a dog with its head out the window. I wonder why they do that. Then I started doing it when someone else was driving, and I wanted to make a song about that feeling: when you put your head out the window, all you can hear is the wind, and you just feel calm. back to the dogs with their heads out the window. I started doing it too, and I wanted to make this meditative, kind of crazy song about how messy the world is. But if you stick your head out the window, you get this moment of peace - wind in your ears, you can’t really hear anything else, just a moment for yourself. And yeah, I like it. It’s a melancholy song, but it’s also about that moment where you feel completely alone and free in the wind, with your head out the window. I wanted the music to feel chaotic but still peaceful in a way - like melancholy and calm mixed together. That’s what I was going for.
UPEE：如果用一个词汇来形容《V》这张专辑，你会怎么形容？
Niia：我觉得它既有混乱、平静，也有安宁和冲击，就像是光明与黑暗的交织。这两者本就相辅相成，缺一不可。
I think it’s both chaotic and calm, peaceful and destructive. I’d say it’s a bit of both light and dark. Because you can’t really have one without the other.
UPEE：已经发布的三首曲目里都可以感受到你探索自我、描述自我的过程，似乎《V》是一张关于体现、诠释你自己的作品，你期待听众在这张作品里感受到一个怎样的 Niia？
Niia：这个问题问得很好。我很开心自己的真实一面能通过音乐展现出来，但说实话，这也挺让人害怕的。我是个很内向的人，特别害羞。但在音乐里，我没法撒谎，必须坦诚。所以我希望听众能知道，这就是最真实的我 —— 我的感受、我的经历都在里面。我也希望它能帮到一些人：如果有人正感到愤怒，专辑里会有一首歌能让他们尽情释放这种情绪；同时我也想让他们知道，我和所有人一样，只是个普通人。
That’s a great question. I’m happy my true self is coming out, but it can be really scary, you know? I’m such an introvert - I’m very shy. But with my music, I can’t lie. I have to be honest. So I hope listeners know this is genuinely who I am, how I feel, and what I’m going through. I hope it helps someone feel better - if they’re angry, I have a song for them to lean into that anger. And I also want them to know I’m just human.
UPEE：这张专辑你与制作人 Spencer Zahn 和 Lawrence Rothman 进行合作，可以分享与他们合作是什么感受吗？
Niia：我特别相信合作的力量，我也认可“身边人的水平，决定了自己的高度”。这次合作最棒的是，Lawrence 一直鼓励我说，“Niia，去做你的爵士专辑吧，现在正是时候。” 他是个超棒的艺术家、制作人和词曲作者，而且有着和我不同的背景，所以和他合作很有意思 —— 我们在词曲创作和编曲上特别有共鸣。
Spencer是后来加入的，他是位出色的贝斯手，我们的音乐品味和选择特别像。他帮我塑造了整张专辑的声音，营造出那种阴郁又优雅的氛围，总能精准地知道我需要什么。
这次合作真的很愉快，和不同的人合作很有乐趣。有些制作人会比较强势，但这两位完全不会。最棒的是，他们只想帮我找到属于自己的声音，不用我过多解释，他们就能理解 “Niia式” 的表达。录音室里有这样一群好合作、又能激励我做到最好的人，真的很舒服。而且他们还帮我挑选了所有乐手 —— 这张专辑里的乐手都太厉害了，我真的很幸运。
I’m such a believer in collaboration. I think you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. What was great is that Lawrence was the one who really encouraged me: “Niia, make your jazz album. It’s time.” He’s an incredible artist, producer, and songwriter, and he comes from a different background, so working with him was cool - we really connected on songwriting and arranging. Then Spencer came in a little later - he’s an amazing bass player, and we have very similar taste and choices. He really helped shape the whole album’s sound to get this moody, elegant vibe. He just knew what I needed. Yeah, it was great. It’s fun to work with different people. Some producers can be controlling, but not these two. What’s really great is they just wanted to help me find my sound. They understood “Niia language” without me having to explain it. It was nice to have people in the room who were easy to work with, but also challenged me to be my best self. They helped pick all the musicians too - such incredible players on this record. I’m very lucky.
UPEE：《V》的专辑封面上有一个非常显眼的项圈，能分享这个设计的含义吗？你想通过这个形象传递什么信息？
Niia：其实有两层意思。首先，我从小就接触爵士乐，在我心里，那些爵士音乐人都是很 “硬核” 的人 —— 有些人是瘾君子，有些人过着充满坎坷、跌宕起伏的生活。说实话，单看他们的生活方式，就像朋克摇滚歌手一样。但这些年，爵士乐被包装得越来越“刻板拘谨”，有点太“成人化”了。但爵士本该是朋克般的存在 —— 它曾经很硬核，现在却被当成“老年人的音乐类型”，我完全不认同这种说法。所以我想做一个有冲击力的设计，证明爵士乐依然可以前卫、性感又暗黑。
至于那个项圈，在过去，它是专门用来束缚那些“直言不讳的女性”或被视为“女巫”的人的。我当时就想：“我有话要说，不管别人喜不喜欢。如果在过去，我可能会被当成女巫定罪吧。” 所以我想用这个有冲击力的形象传递一个信息——“别害怕说出真相，别害怕唱你想唱的歌。” 你说得对，这个形象确实很有张力。
Well, it’s two things, really. First, I grew up learning about jazz, and to me, all the musicians and singers were these hardcore people - some were drug addicts, some had interesting, difficult lives with lots of adversity. To be honest, they felt like punk rockers, just based on how they lived. But over the years, jazz has been marketed as “buttoned up” - a little too adult. Like, jazz is punk. It used to be hardcore, but now we think of it as an old people’s genre, which I totally disagree with. So I wanted to make something provocative - show that jazz can still be edgy, sexy, and dark. The collar? Back in the old days, that was specifically used for women who were outspoken or considered witches. So I thought, “Okay, I have stuff to say - maybe people like it, maybe they don’t. In the old days, I probably would’ve been charged as a witch.” I wanted something provocative that also says, “Don’t be afraid to speak your truth and sing about what you want.” It’s an intense image, though - you’re right.
UPEE：它不只是个项圈 —— 还有个像金属叉子的东西从下巴延伸到胸口。能聊聊拍摄这张封面的幕后故事吗？
Niia：拍摄过程挺难的。那个项圈不是真的 —— 真正的这种项圈，只要你低下头，就会刺穿口腔，过去人们就是用它来处决人的。所以我们用的是假的，它叫 “异端项圈”。我当时得长时间保持不动，不过这也是个不错的挑战 —— 为了拍出好照片，这点苦不算什么。为了艺术，对吧？
Oh, it was difficult. It wasn’t a real collar - real ones, when you put your chin down, pierce through your mouth. That’s how they used to kill people. So this was a fake one - it’s called a heretic collar. I had to stay still for way too long. But it was a good challenge - you gotta get the shot. Anything for the art, right?
UPEE：似乎许多爵士乐创作者在当下都会因为在爵士乐中进行“流行化”的融合尝试而受到部分评论与乐迷的非议，你如何看待这样的观点？“爵士乐”作为一个流派或标签会限制你的创作吗？
Niia：我完全不觉得这是问题。我们生活在一个注重合作、跨流派融合的时代，想不混合不同风格都难。爵士乐的核心本就是冒险、自由和勇敢。如果我们还在做 30 年代那种爵士乐，那就太不合时宜了 —— 现在都 2025 年了，一切肯定会不一样。这正是爵士乐吸引我的地方。虽然我从小唱传统爵士乐，但因为是 “我” 在唱，所以它本身就带有一点不同。现在很多人对爵士乐的创新也让我着迷 —— 有融入氛围音乐的，有先锋风格的，甚至有结合流行的，这些作品都太棒了。有意思的是，很多爵士乐迷是 “纯粹主义者”，他们觉得 “必须守护爵士乐的本色”，但爵士乐本就是个流动性的流派，它可以是任何样子。
I have no problem with it. We live in such a collaborative, cross-genre world - it’s hard not to blend genres. Jazz is all about risk, freedom, and being brave. If we were all still making jazz like it was the thirties, that wouldn’t make sense. We’re in 2025 now - things are gonna be different. That’s what’s exciting about jazz to me. Even though I grew up singing traditional jazz, it was always a little different because I was singing it. That’s where I’ve fallen in love with what people are doing with jazz these days - so much incredible music with ambient influences, avant-garde, even pop. I think it’s great. What’s funny about jazz is that a lot of people are purists - they think you have to “preserve” jazz. But jazz is a fluid genre. It can be anything, really.
UPEE：你和爵士乐的渊源很深，你觉得从一开始接触它到现在，在你身上有发生哪些变化吗？
Niia：小时候我以为所有人都听爵士乐，后来才发现我的朋友们都不听。所以刚开始创作时，我想写些朋友们会喜欢的歌 —— 也就是同龄人感兴趣、当时热门的风格。那时候 R&B 特别火，我从小也听 Sade 和 R&B，所以想试试这个方向。我需要先搞清楚，作为唱作人的我到底是谁。
另外，从做现场音乐到录制录音室专辑，再到和制作人合作，这个过程需要时间去适应 —— 我得弄明白自己适合什么乐器，喜欢哪些电子制作元素。这些年我收集了很多自己喜欢的音乐元素，现在想为它们找一个 “归属”。爵士乐是我的根基，但我从其他风格里也学到了很多，这些都能融入我的创作里。
When I was young, I thought everybody listened to jazz. Then I realized my friends weren’t. So when I started making my own music, I wanted to write stuff my friends would like - what my peers were into, and what was trending. R&B was really big back then, and I grew up listening to Sade and R&B, so I wanted to try that. I needed to figure out who I was as a songwriter. Also, coming from live music to recorded music, working with producers - it takes time to understand that process, and to figure out what instruments I sound good with, what electronic production elements I like. Over the years, I’ve collected all these things I love, and now I want to find a “home” for them. Jazz is the foundation, but there’s so much other stuff I’ve learned from different styles that I can bring to the table.
UPEE：你之前做过 R&B、Neo-soul 这类风格的作品，这些流派有没有在创作或制作上限制过你？
Niia：完全没有。我很喜欢 R&B 和灵魂乐，这些影响总会以某种方式出现在我的音乐里。爵士乐源自蓝调，而蓝调和 R&B 本就很契合；灵魂乐也源于蓝调，爵士乐则是最早从蓝调演变而来的风格之一。爵士乐的历史很深厚 —— 它源自黑奴歌曲，有着古老而优美的根源。R&B 和新灵魂乐都是从这里衍生出来的，但正是 R&B 和灵魂乐帮我找到了自己的歌词创作方向和旋律选择 —— 它们的旋律性很强，尤其是歌手的演绎。所以这些影响是很棒的，它们让我有别于一些传统爵士歌手，这是件好事。
No, I don’t think so. I love R&B and soul - those influences will always be in my music somehow. Jazz comes from blues, and blues and R&B go really well together. Soul music also came from blues, and jazz was one of the first styles to evolve from that. Jazz has so much history - it comes from slave songs, these old, beautiful roots. R&B and neo-soul stemmed from that, but R&B and soul really helped me discover my lyricism and melody choices - they’re so melodic, especially the singers. So those influences are great. They separate me from some of the more traditional jazz vocalists, which is a good thing.
UPEE：之前我们提到《Bobby Deerfield》的灵感来自一部电影，你当时还搬了家。平时你通常从哪里获取创作灵感？
Niia：这要看情况。那次从电影里找灵感很偶然 —— 我看到那部片子，就迷上了。但灵感来源其实很多，比如很多电影，或者我每天的心情。有时候看到别人的创作，我会想“天呐，这也太酷了，我喜欢大家正在做的东西”，这会激励我创作出自己引以为傲的作品，也会推动我挑战自己。不过确实，视觉类的东西帮了我很多，尤其是电影。还有就是生活本身 ——《Throw My Head Out The Window》的灵感就来自一只把头伸出窗外的狗。所以灵感其实无处不在，方方面面都有可能。
It really depends. That film inspiration was random - I saw it, got obsessed. But inspiration comes from a lot of films, from how I’m feeling day-to-day. Sometimes I’ll see what other people are creating and think, “Damn, that’s cool. I like what everyone’s making.” That inspires me to make something I’m proud of and challenge myself. But yeah, a lot of visual stuff helps - movies, mostly. And then just life - Throw My Head Out the Window came from a dog with its head out the window. So it’s a little bit of everything.
UPEE：具体到《V》这张专辑，不管是歌词还是音乐，最大的灵感来源是什么？
Niia：我听了很多 Bill Evans 的作品，他是我很喜欢的爵士钢琴家；Chet Baker 的音乐，我也听了很多，特别喜欢他。另外我还看了很多老恐怖电影，以及《最后一个男人》这种强烈又带点讽刺的黑色幽默的影视。现在的生活总让人觉得沉重又压抑，但我想在这种氛围里找到一点幽默感 —— 不能把所有事都看得太严肃，不然会让人特别难过。
我还从 Sarah Vaughan、Ella Fitzgerald 这些老牌音乐人身上汲取了灵感。但我也会听当代音乐人的作品，比如 BADBADNOTGOOD、Kamasi Washington、Flying Lotus…… 这些当代音乐人在创造特别棒的作品，所以我想从他们身上获取一些营养。总之就是新旧结合 —— 既有很多氛围音乐，也有不少老式爵士乐。
I listen to a lot of Bill Evans - he’s a jazz pianist I love. I listen to a lot of Chet Baker too - I really love Chet Baker. I also watched a lot of old films, like old horror movies or something like The Last Man on Earth which is intense, sarcastic and with dark humor. These days, everything feels heavy and dark, but I wanted to find a bit of humor in that. You can’t take everything so seriously - otherwise, it’ll make you so sad. I also drew from old, beautiful singers like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. But I wanted to listen to newer stuff too - artists like BadBadNotGood, Kamasi Washington, Flying Lotus. These newer artists are creating something really special, so I wanted to pull influence from them. So it’s a mix of old and new - lots of ambient music and lots of old jazz.
UPEE：今年早些时候，你参与了 Brandee Younger 新专辑中《Unswept Corners》这首歌的合作，能说说这次合作是怎么来的吗？
Niia：Brandee 和我认识很多年了 —— 天呐，得有 15 年以上了吧。我们差不多是在纽约起步的，算是同路人。当时一见如故，很快就成了好朋友。我们都是巨蟹座，所以都特别重感情。我们一直是好朋友，她会帮我，我也会帮她。能有这样的友谊，我真的很幸运。看到她的事业蒸蒸日上，我特别开心，也为她感到骄傲。
Brandee and I have been friends for - wow, too many years, maybe over 15. We kind of started out together in New York, in some capacity. We met and became fast friends. We’re both Cancer signs, so we’re both very emotional. Yeah, we’ve been friends forever. She’ll do things for me, I’ll do things for her. I’m just really lucky to have this friendship. I’m so excited for her - her career is really blossoming. I’m proud of her.
UPEE：关于新专辑《V》，还有其他特邀音乐人参与吗？
Niia：除了 Spencer，没有其他客座了 —— 他在一首歌里担任客座贝斯手。我当时就想让这张专辑更 “聚焦于我”。也许之后会找其他人做一些混音版，但就专辑本身而言，我想突出乐手们的表现。这张专辑里的乐手都太出色了 —— 从这个角度来说，已经相当于有很多 “客座” 了。Dennis Hamm (Thundercat) 负责键盘，还有 Benny Bocks，Anna Butterss 等等。有这么多优秀的乐手作为合作伙伴，再加入其他人就显得多余了。不过之后如果有机会和其他音乐人合作做其他版本，我肯定很乐意 —— 那会很有意思。
There aren’t any features besides Spencer - he’s on one of the songs as a featured bass player. I really wanted to make this album about me, a little bit. Maybe there’ll be some remixes with other people later, but for the album itself, I wanted to showcase the musicians. There are so many great players on this record - it felt like I already had a bunch of “features” in that regard. Dennis Ham plays the keys, Benny Bocks on it, Anna Butterss... So I already felt like I had all these amazing collaborators in the band - adding more people would’ve felt crazy. But yeah, I’d love to do features with other artists for other versions later - that could be cool.
UPEE：你现在正在欧洲巡演，在现场演出中，你是如何演绎《V》里的曲目呢？
Niia：对，我们已经开始演了，感觉特别棒。目前乐队有键盘手、鼓手和贝斯手，这三个人就能覆盖大部分曲目。接下来我们会加入和声歌手 —— 专辑里有很多和声部分。之后可能还会邀请当地的管乐手加入演出。如果我们能去中国，见到中国优秀的乐手或者很多年轻的音乐人。邀请他们来我的演出中合作会很有趣，不一定非要按专辑里的编排来，让他们自由发挥就好。这才是最棒的，不是吗？既能建立一点音乐社群的联结，也能和其他乐手即兴合奏。
Yeah, we’ve been doing it - and it’s crazy. I have a keyboard player, a drummer, and a bass player, and that covers a lot. The next level will be adding background singers - there are so many harmonies on the record. Then potentially having local horn players sit in with our set. If we come to China, there are so many amazing players - young kids, too. It would be fun to invite them to play on my set, not even necessarily playing what’s on the record - just doing their own thing. That’s the gold, right? Building a bit of community and having players jam with us.
UPEE：你与来自台湾的中文 R&B 音乐人 9m88 合作了《Oh Girl》，关于那次合作还有什么感受吗？
Niia：她真的是位很棒的艺术家。合作起来特别愉快，而且她非常专业。那首歌对我来说，有点像写给一位女孩的情歌。我当时都有点偷偷喜欢她了 —— 她又可爱又有才华。我们从没见过面，那次合作是在疫情期间远程完成的。但我们很快就成了好朋友，能和她合作，我真的很幸运。听她唱歌，还有她对嗓音的转折处理，我学到了很多。能遇到一位好合作的优秀女歌手，总是很开心的事。
You know, she’s such a great artist. She was so nice to work with - such a professional. That song was like my love song to a girl, in a way. I kind of secretly fell in love with her because she’s so cute and talented. We never met in person - we did the collaboration during COVID. We became fast friends, and I was so lucky to work with her. Just hearing how she sings and her vocal inflections - I learned a lot from her. It’s always fun to meet a nice female singer who’s easy to work with.
UPEE：另外在之前你与中国媒体的采访里我们对你喜欢王若琳、王菲、邓丽君感到很惊喜，可以分享你是如何发现这些音乐人的吗？
Niia：我其实也记不太清具体是怎么发现她们的了，但我记得当时就想 “全世界有这么多优秀的音乐人”。我妈妈是意大利人，所以我从小就接触到不同国家的音乐。我意识到优秀的音乐人无处不在，不只是在美国。王菲的风格有点先锋，她的嗓音很独特，敢于突破界限。我一直很喜欢发掘那些开创先河、为音乐带来创新的女音乐人。邓丽君的歌我也很喜欢，她唱的那些抒情民谣太动人了，能从她身上汲取很多灵感。我觉得听世界各地不同类型的音乐人很重要。我学到的最重要的一点是，世界上有太多很棒的音乐了。有时候会有人告诉你该听什么，但其实得自己去发掘这些音乐人。我记不清是别人推荐了王菲，还是我自己搜到时发现的 —— 但这种 “发掘” 的过程本身就很有趣。她们都太优秀了，所以我很喜欢她们。
I was thinking about that - I don’t remember exactly how I discovered her. But I remember thinking, “There are so many cool artists around the world.” My mom is from Italy, so I was exposed to different music when I was young. I realized there are amazing artists everywhere, not just in the US. Faye Wong - she can be a little avant-garde, and she has these distinctive vocals that push boundaries. I always love finding female artists who are pioneers and did something unique for music. And Teresa Teng - I really loved her too, because she sings these romantic ballads. You can pull so much inspiration from her. I think it’s really important to listen to all types of artists from all over the world. The real lesson I’ve learned is there’s so much incredible music out there. Sometimes people tell you what to listen to these days, but you have to go out and find these artists yourself. I don’t remember if someone told me about Faye Wong, or if I found her by searching - but that’s the fun of discovery. They’re incredible, so I love them.
UPEE：之前提到专辑封面带有女性主义隐含意味，《Oh Girl》又是一首写给女孩的情歌。你觉得你的身份，例如作为一位女性主义者或性少数社群，有没有为你的创作带来不同或独特的视角？
Niia：我觉得有的。以前我从没想过自己是“真正的女性主义者”，但这些年，我能感受到这个身份在慢慢形成。像 Nina Simone 这样的偶像，她们把“为女性发声、传递力量”当成自己的责任。我觉得我是在无意间做这件事 —— 我没有刻意为之，但“说出自己的真相、表达自己的感受”本身就是一种勇敢。我想鼓励更多女性做自己，不用害怕“不完美、狼狈一点”—— 我们本就不是完美的。现在做女性其实很难，所以如果能激励女性更自在地做自己，我会很开心。很感激有人把我当成榜样，只要能为我的创作服务，我会一直挑战界限、尝试新事物。如果这些创作能传递出女性主义的理念，我完全支持。
You know, I think it does. I never really thought of myself as a “real feminist,” but over the years, I’ve seen how that identity has developed. Artists like Nina Simone - these icons - saw it as their responsibility to show up for women and say powerful things. I think I’m doing it by accident. It’s not my intention, but speaking my truth and saying how I feel is brave. I want to encourage more women to be themselves - not be afraid to be a mess. We’re not perfect. Yeah, I hope to inspire women to be more comfortable with themselves. It’s very hard to be a woman these days. I feel grateful people see me as a role model. I hope to keep pushing boundaries and trying new things, as long as it serves me creatively. If that ends up having a feminist message, I’m all for it.
UPEE：你对来中国巡演有什么期待吗？
Niia：有！我几年前去过中国，当时就爱上了那里。我们正在计划再去中国巡演，因为我真的太喜欢那里了。那里的粉丝特别棒，演出场地也很美。我肯定会再去的，绝对会！
Yeah, I was there a couple of years ago, but I fell in love with China. We’re trying to plan a tour there again because I really loved it. The fans were incredible, and the venues were so beautiful. I will be back - 100 percent.