Photo by Matteo Strocchia and Marco Servina
Teheran-born and Milan-based alt-pop artist NAVA releases the [_Bloom_](https://found.ee/nava_bloom) short film today, premiered on _Flaunt_. The film, an amalgamation of videos for the 5-track EP by the same name, features the A/V compositions by NAVA and collaborations with stylists and designers to create five demons—one for each track. Through the film, the NAVA frees herself from those demons—parts of herself that no one has seen before—and reflects on the deep metamorphosis of the past year.
The artist’s sophomore EP is bound to entrance. Follow along one NAVA’s transformation and liberation and watch _Bloom_ below in its entirety. _Flaunt_ caught up with NAVA to discuss the project, collaborations, and more on her own transformation.
**Let’s start off with a little bit about yourself, who are you, where are you from, and how would you describe your sound?**
Wow ok, we're starting off with the hard questions! haha! So, I'm NAVA, I'm a Persian singer-songwriter. I moved to Milan when I was 17, and that's when I started experimenting with music. I love to intertwine my music with a strong visual aspect and pushing boundaries. I’d say my sound is quite a mix, I love experimenting, and that’s what keeps it interesting for me.
**Your latest EP, _Bloom_ is stunning, both in terms of the sonic landscape you have created and visually. What was your thought process going into the production of your EP?**
Thank you! I really feel that music and imagery create an experience and that was the starting point for me, creating an experience. When I was writing _Bloom_ I really needed to live something new.
The main challenge was clawing out the inspiration, after a whole year in a pandemic. I also had started a completely new work method which was collaborating with different producers long distance. I wanted to do something different that might have helped the creative juices flow. I had these four "Demons" to let go of and I wanted to show them as they were, without any “filters” and quite raw.
**What emotions were you feeling/striving to release with this EP?**
I must say writing songs is quite therapeutic for me. “Mah” is heartbroken, “Sebra” has had enough of being cooped up, “Blaze” is homesick and “Blank” is rebellious. “Sleepless” was actually done only two days before the due date. It wasn't even supposed to be on the EP but I had watched this tiny desk episode one day whilst doing hair and makeup getting ready for a shoot, and I thought an outro like that really closes the circle and gives a sense of start and a melancholic end to the whole EP.
I kind of feel invincible now that we wrapped up five tracks and five videos in two months whilst working a full-time job. I must say there were some moments for example whilst I was almost naked on a frozen lake at 5 in the morning that I was thinking, “WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO!” But right after a huge swan landed right next to me and it all just seemed so surreal and dream-like. so I guess a roller coaster of emotions is what was really going on.
Photo by Matteo Strocchia and Marco Servina
**Did you have any strong influences when it came to the visuals and audio components?**
Definitely! For the visual components, I remember sitting down with Matteo Strocchia and Marco Servina who curated the entire visual aspect of the EP to the most tiny details. We just had chats about what each track meant to me and how I visualized them. For example, I remember for the cover of “Blaze” we were talking about how homesick I was feeling and how I felt like I belonged to two worlds, the middle east and Europe but I feel like I don't belong to any of them at the same time. For “Sebra” we wanted to relive a night in Berghain, and that's where the whole imagery came from. For the audio influences, I just followed what intrigued me at that moment and went with the flow. That’s why they are quite different from one another.
**How did you select the designers featured within your film?**
I was really lucky because Matteo and Marco being photographers also in the fashion industry, had all these contacts with such creative, young and fresh designers who I loved collaborating with and will collaborate with also in the future! Especially for live shows!
**How did you name the tracks on your EP?**
Well, “Mah” means moon in Farsi, my mother tongue. I remember when I was writing that track I was going through a really tough time and there was this period during October that there was this huge super moon in the sky for a couple of nights in a row. I felt protected by it and I also felt that the big issues I was having at that moment might seem so small from the moon's perspective so that helped me cope a bit I guess. “Sebra” was different though I remember that was the demo’s name, and I really liked how it sounded. “Blank” and “Sleepless” were both the emotions I got from those tracks so I chose to name them after the main feeling they transmitted.
**Was there a memorable point in creating this EP that strongly transformed your views or feelings on a subject?**
When “Mah” came out, it was quite surreal to me. I had worked on that track so much to the point that I was tired of listening to it. Hence I felt it wasn’t good enough! There was also a huge amount of pressure because it was the first time I presented myself as a solo artist. I remember the next day I had the most massive response to that track that really left me surprised. Then I realized I shouldn’t have been so hard on myself and I should believe in myself much more! So every time I’m tired of listening to a track after the hundredth time looking for everything that’s wrong with it, I think back to “Mah” and try to be more gentle.
**How do you feel that you have transformed in this last year? For better or worse.**
I hope for the better because I have completely abandoned my comfort zone, and that was the hardest step for me.
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