Nápoles on latest track ‘4 in the morning’

Growing up surrounded by a mix of Cuban and Russian culture, flourishing artist Nápoles has had her fair share of creative influence. From travelling between both countries and living in Stockholm, her artistic palette was never empty, and has continued to influence the way she creates music today. After jumping into the music scene back in 2020, Nápoles has taken the industry by storm. We got the chance to catch up with the young creative to discuss her inspiration and latest track ‘4 In The Morning’.

Starting the interview, we knew a lot about Nápoles background and where she grew up. But we wanted to know where her musical journey began. We asked the singer-songwriter to deep dive into her earliest memories of music and tell us not only how that shaped her, but also the progression that early music took her on to arrive where she is now.

‘I haven’t thought about this in a long time but when I do think back on it I see a small TV-screen playing music videos in front of me, like MTV. I’m sure this memory is from the late 90’s and I was a toddler. I’m definitely going to dig deeper on this question. It’s interesting when you think about it really.

I have always been drawn to music and it has always been like a best friend to me without me even thinking of it like that while growing up. Once I started DJing at the age of 19 I used to get questions about what I wanted to achieve musically and I would always say that my dream is to be a recording artist but nothing was ever done directly by me to pursue this. I just continued to surround myself with likeminded people whether it was in the nightlife or with the people from the gospel choir I’m a part of. After starting the creative collective Ladieslovehiphop together with my childhood friends/DJs Namarijana and Miss CC it all clicked. They played a huge role in me reaching that pinnacle moment when I realised that this is what I’m going to do.’

Genre as a concept is outdated. Artists such as Nápoles combines such a unique blend of sounds that it would seem incoherent to pin them to just one label. So we asked the artist to sum up her music outside the constraints of ‘genre’.

‘I would say that my music is a reflection of how I feel inside and what I want to share with the world. A reassuring feeling of independence and identity.’

Infusing a unique blend of jazz, hip-hop, R&B and soul, Nápoles music takes listeners on a journey through the inner workings of her mind. Her songs encompass ethereal sounds and hypnotising lyrics to create the music that has engaged with such a wide range of people. We asked her where exactly her inspiration comes from.

‘Courage and a will of feeling completely free. Music is so spiritual to me and it’s really what gives me a piece of mind. Relationships, other artists and honest moments with people in my everyday life are also things that inspire me. Whenever I’m reminded of the simple things in life like joy, connection and other experiences I get the most ideas and that can be when I listen to music on a longer train ride for example.’

‘4 In The Morning‘ is Nápoles latest track. It truly embraces all of the eclectic musical knowledge she has acquired since entering the scene. Describing it as a ‘juicy, cozy classic’, Nápoles went on to explain more on how the song came to be.

‘So, for ‘4 In The Morning‘ I really wanted to bring back the warmth of the 90’/00s and do my own take on it. With it I wanted to share a warm feeling, like a good hug. I was listening to the beat one night and came up with the ending part where I go ‘Spirit right, in this moment…’ That part made me think of artists like Musiq (Musiq Soulchild) and other neo soul artists from the era.’

Finally we asked Nápoles what we can look forward to seeing from her in the future. She explained that there is much more to come, including a second EP and a lot of performing.

‘With me it’s all about the journey. As a listener you will grow with me and follow me on this musical journey. In November I’m releasing my second EP Cloud 9 which is an elevation of early Nápoles. I’m looking forward to performing around Europe and to grow my audience.’

Head over to Nápoles Spotify page to hear more of her latest tracks including ‘4 In The Morning‘.