Nala Sinephro

Last updated

Nala Sinephro
Born1996 (age 28–29)
Brussels, Belgium
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
Years active2020–present
Labels Warp
Website nalasinephro.com

Nala Sinephro (born 1996) is a Belgian experimental jazz musician based in London. She is best known for her ambient jazz compositions, where she predominantly plays the pedal harp, modular synthesiser, keyboards and piano. [1]

Contents

In 2021, she released her debut studio album, Space 1.8 , on Warp Records to widespread critical acclaim. The album placed highly on several music publications' end-of-year lists. [2] [3] Her second studio album, Endlessness, was released in September 2024 to further acclaim, likewise ending up on certain year-end lists of the best albums of 2024. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Early life

Nala Sinephro spent her childhood in Belgium, growing up on the outskirts of Brussels, near a forest. Her Belgian mother was a classical piano teacher and her Martiniquan/Guadeloupean father was a jazz saxophonist. [9] [10]

During her teenage years, Sinephro developed a tumor in her jaw. The tumor's successful removal influenced a period of hedonistic living, with Sinephro frequenting Brussels-based clubs to seek out hardcore dance music. [9]

Initially interested in becoming a biochemist, Sinephro eventually transferred to an arts-based high school which featured a jazz department. There, she discovered the harp, which she quickly connected with. [9] Sinephro attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for one year, dropping out after finding her job as a sound engineer provided a more practical education. [9] She moved to London and enrolled in a second jazz college, though she quickly dropped out.

Career

Early career

In London, Sinephro became a contemporary of saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia, and the jazz improvisation collective Steam Down, where she developed a sense of individuality in her style. [9] Sinephro began performing with Steam Down regularly, working alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra's artistic director Robert Ames. [11]

Beginning in June 2020, Sinephro hosted her own NTS Radio show. [12]

2018–2021: Space 1.8

Sinephro began writing the songs that would appear on Space 1.8 in 2018 and 2019. [11] Writing on piano, she would record her pedal harp and modular synthesiser parts at her home before entering Pink Bird recording studio to record with the album's collaborators, with included saxophonists Nubya Garcia and James Mollison, drummer Jake Long, and bassists Twm Dylan and Wonky Logic. [9] [13] Sinephro emphasized minimalism and intentionality when composing the album. [9]

2024–present: Endlessness and The Smashing Machine

Sinephro's second studio album, Endlessness, was released on 6 September 2024. The album featured contributions from saxophonists Nubya Garcia and James Mollison; synth player Lyle Barton; drummers Natcyet Wakili and Morgan Simpson (of Black Midi); flugelhornist Sheila Maurice-Grey; and multi-instrumentalist Wonky Logic.

Actor Dwayne Johnson shared, in an online post, that Sinephro was composing music for Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine, in which he is starring. [14]

Personal life

As of January 2022, Sinephro had lived in Tottenham, North London since 2018. [9] She has family based in the Caribbean island Martinique. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinephro spent several months living on Martinique, where she developed an interest in field recordings. [9]

Discography

Studio albums

Guest appearances

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References

  1. ↑ Kalia, Ammar (17 November 2021). "'I reach a trance state. I'm almost sleepwalking': the mystical jazz of Nala Sinephro". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Empire, Kitty (25 December 2021). "Kitty Empire's best pop and rock of 2021". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork . 7 December 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Bleep. "Top 10 Albums of the Year 2024". Bleep. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Pearis, Bill (8 November 2024). "List Season comes early with Uncut's Top 80 Albums of 2024". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. ↑ Exclaim! Staff (27 November 2024). "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024". Exclaim!. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Albums of the Year 2024". roughtrade.com. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. ↑ BBC Radio 6 Music. "Albums of the Year 2024". BBC.com. Retrieved 27 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Monroe, Jazz (24 January 2022). "Nala Sinephro Is Subverting Jazz Tradition One Immaculate Note at a Time". Pitchfork . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Space 1.8 Caribbean-Belgian musician fuses meditative sounds, jazz sensibilities, folk and field recordings Space 1.8 - Nala Sinephro". Music Mania. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 Simpson, Paul. "Nala Sinephro - Artist Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Nala Sinephro - NTS Radio". NTS Radio . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Nala Sinephro". AllAboutJazz. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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