Independent Artist Of The Week: Nardean

June 18th 2018
Photo by Ryan Henwood White

Hailing from Western Sydney, Egyptian-Australian MC Nardean is a dark horse in the hip hop scene, blending rap, poetry and song.

Having never sung or written music, Nardine Gharsa’s musical journey began with a love for hip hop and R&B. At 21 she started writing poems and kickstarted her career as a rapper and spoken word artist. She’s a force to be reckoned with, earning the title of NSW finalist in the Australian National Poetry Slam and a spoken word residency in Banff, Canada.

Nardean began experimenting with her vocal ability and singing more, and has since combined all three elements into the songs we hear today, proving her place as a biting wordsmith who’s both soulful and unapologetically feminine. It’s no surprise her influences range from current cult artists like Anderson .Paak, Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar to hard and dirty rap dirty pleasures. She’s also inspired by the music her friends make – it’s one thing to know and hear their songs, but another to know the stories behind them.

The St Clair artist’s shine is brighter than ever on her new single, ‘Pyramids’, which she wrote after hearing it in a dream. “My friend Alice sung the chorus to me in a dream and I wrote the first verse as a poem in a strip club, while I was waiting for my shift to start.”

Off her debut EP, Creatress, ‘Pyramids’ makes a strong statement lyrically and visually. The music video sees her painted in gold to represent the commodification of the female form. A symbolic comment on the warped impact of the media on body image, trapping women “in gold bodies that we thought we wanted, but actually don’t.”

Listen to Nardean’s word slam here:

WHO: Nardean – The Creatress Tour
WHERE: Leadbelly, Newtown
WHEN: 3rd August
HOW MUCH: $17.85 – Tickets available here.
Listen to Up For It every Monday morning to meet your new Independent Artist of the Week!

Contributor

Read more from Maia Bilyk