From BBC Introducing to Ibiza Nights: An Interview with Nappsta

Nappsta, a London-based artist, musician, songwriter, producer, and DJ, is making waves in the dance music scene. With a rich background in piano and drums, his music is a unique blend of house, trance, synth-pop, techno, reggae, and garage. His original compositions, featuring self-penned lyrics and a modern mix of digital and analogue instruments, have garnered significant attention.

His debut track, "Firefly," quickly gained traction with airplay on BBC Music Introducing and Centreforce Radio. Following up with "Coming Home," Nappsta continued to draw international support and airplay from UK radio stations like Sweet Frequencies Radio. His summer hit, "Lose My Soul," showcased his ability to blend hard-hitting synths with euphoric vocals.

Now, with his latest release "She's A Dreamer," Nappsta is set to take his music to Ibiza, where he'll be performing DJ sets at Space Bar and Plastik. Join us as we delve into Nappsta's journey and explore the inspirations behind his music.

1. Growing up playing piano and drums, how have these instruments influenced your approach to producing dance music, and do they still play a role in your current work?

Every single piece of music I write starts at the piano. I write the chords, bassline and melody at the piano, then use synths to bring the track to life and provide the energy required in dance music.  I have an electronic drum kit and play live drum fills over the top of my digital drums, to create a more organic feel. My music is also heavily influenced by 90s dance music, so expect lots of piano house and plucky synth stab sounds along with melodies that stick in your head (hopefully!).

 2. Your music draws from a wide range of genres including house, trance, synth-pop, techno, reggae, and garage. How do you manage to seamlessly blend these influences to create your unique sound?

I grew up in Germany, where techno and trance were big, then moved to the UK, where I fell in love with house music and UK Garage. My influences are vast and varied and bringing say a trance synth arpeggio over a house beat and then blending with an 80s synth pop bassline is, I believe, something that is unique to my background and style and provides a different sound to what we tend to hear every day.

 3. Your debut track 'Firefly' received immediate attention with plays on BBC Music Introducing and Centreforce Radio. What was the inspiration behind 'Firefly,' and how did its success shape your career moving forward?

With Firefly, I wanted to introduce myself with an upbeat piano house track, but with a love element to the lyrics, about one person being lifted up by another, hence "you light me up like a Firefly dancing in the dark"! Currently I write and record all my own vocals, but would be open to using other vocalists on my tracks for the right sound. Firefly was picked up by BBC Music Introducing and Centreforce Radio, one of the largest independent dance radio stations around. This built some great exposure for me and was instrumental in helping my follow up track Coming Home to become my most popular track so far.

4. With 'Lose My Soul,' you created an instant summer hit by mixing hard-hitting synth plucks with euphoric vocals. Can you share more about your creative process for this track and what message or feeling you wanted to convey?

With 'Lose My Soul' I wanted to create a mix of intriguing lyrics that kept the listener guessing ("We're Lost in the Silence, I Need You To Make Me Whole") and contrast those with a big synth stab based drop where we are all "Ready To Lose My Soul", letting go and giving yourself entirely to someone or something. I have lyric-based music videos for each track, to complement the music, which is worth checking out on my Nappsta YouTube Channel. I think you will especially enjoy the video for 'Lose My Soul'!

 5. You're set to play DJ sets in Ibiza this August at Space Bar and Plastik. What can fans expect from your live performances, and how do you prepare for these high-energy shows?

My first DJ set in Ibiza this August is at Space Eat and Dance Restaurant. This is a sunset restaurant/bar just around the corner from Cafe Mambo and hence the set will have a melodic vibe, but with a variety of music including disco, Latin and tropical house, along with some old favourites. My DJ set at Plastik will be much more upbeat, blending old skool Ibiza classics with 80s synthpop, 90s piano house and loads of other high energy tracks, including my own remix of Your Woman by White Town, which will be a debut performance for this track! Do come along and say hello and enjoy the sets if you're in Ibiza the last weekend of August this Summer. More to follow on my socials.