Nabes
Puts Us In A “Goodmood”:
Our Q&A With The Artist
By Kenneth Tse
Stephen Barnes puts listeners in a “Goodmood” – The singer/songwriter best known as Nabes has reached new heights following a year and a half’s worth of stellar pop releases. Making his mark as a multifaced talent, Stephen writes, records, and produces all of his songs – An impressive feat for an artist who exudes stellar musical versatility. This is best seen in tracks like “Lazy Bones” and “After Hours,” both of which have earned the artist a collective 325k streams and counting. The London-based is now more popular than ever with over 132k monthly listeners on Spotify and a quickly growing fanbase. His latest song, “Rolling,” is out now! We spoke to Nabes about his songwriting process, favorite pastimes, and more!
Hey Nabes! Thanks so much for speaking to us today. Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Ayyeo! Thank you for having me! My name is Stephen and this is my project of musical mood swings. I’ve been calling myself Nabes for ages and it was born out of me always seeing myself as the neighborhood kid that instead of going outside to play, just stayed inside and obsessed over music trying to learn as much as I possibly could about it. Therefore, Nabes became short for neighbor. I grew up in the states, but have been based in London for a bit now and loving every aspect of it. In the daytime, you’ll find me working at the studio writing and producing for other artists, but once the sessions are over for the day I write for Nabes. I’ve become the master of sleeping very little which is probably not the best thing haha.
How did you get started making music?
The full origin story was I found an old Casio keyboard in my sister’s closet when I was like 6. I remember sitting in my bed playing with all the sounds being absolutely obsessed with it. Hours later I went down to my parents and handed it to them saying “I want to learn how to play this.” Started taking piano lessons and picking up different instruments which eventually lead to recording and producing and then the rest was just a natural progression. I’ve been in loads of bands and different projects throughout the years from metal, reggae, hip-hop, electronic, and folk. Just always had that obsessive passion for music.
Congrats on the success of “Goodmood” – it’s fantastic. Can you walk us through the inspiration for the song?
Thank you so much! I had no idea this song was going to do what it has done, but feeling very blessed for it! So actually the song parallels exactly what was going on in my life at that moment. I had gotten broken up with and went homeless and was living in the studio that I work out of in London. But after the breakup, I kept seeing her and even though she had broken up with me and I was a sad dude, she kept leaving me in a good mood. So I wrote this tune to poke fun at the fact that my ex was leaving me in a good mood, which is just a funny situation. So “I got 20 bucks left in my bank account, went homeless on a Friday now I’m sleeping on a friend's couch” was exactly what happened though it was my boss's couch in the studio – But I thought that was too sad, so I changed it haha. This is also why I have the talking in the middle saying “You should probably tell her she's the best part of your week” and responding with “Well it's kinda sad, but she’ll figure it out...” which is me just talking to myself and again poking fun at the situation.
Any particular reason for the dialogue bit in the beginning?
So I always write, produce, and record my music by myself. But I talk to myself like the whole time, it’s just kinda the way my brain works when creating alone. I had stepped up to the microphone to record the first verse and had gum in my mouth. So quite literally just went “Wait I gotta spit my gum out!” Thought that was kinda goofy so decided to throw it at the beginning of the tune just as some funny ear candy thing.
And was there anything different about your songwriting process this time around?
Not really, this song came together quite naturally. Took me around two days to write, produce, and mix which is usually how quickly I try to get my songs done. Songs for Nabes have a lifespan for me, if they aren’t done relatively fast I always find myself onto another new and exciting idea. I love when they just fall out seamlessly and naturally without any effort. So when those times come I just buckle down and go full force to finish them.
How does the typical Nabes song come together?
It all depends on what I’m writing style-wise or what kind of mood I am in. Sometimes I’ll have a phrase and I just ponder what that could turn into and pick up a guitar or sit at the piano and start to write letting the lyrics kinda dictate my moves. But other times I’ll start producing a loop and catch a vibe and start to freestyle over it until something starts to fall together song-wise and I have that “ahh” moment where I realize what I’m actually writing about then flesh it out from there.
You have impressive versatility as an artist. From the indie-folk elements of “After Hours” to the jazzy notes of “Lazy Bones,” which genre would you say you most enjoy writing in the most?
Thank you so much! I really do enjoy writing in all of them! It all depends on my mood and current emotions. If I’m feeling goofy or some type of way, I’ll lean towards the funky R&B hip-hop stuff. If there’s something a little deeper I’m trying to convey emotion-wise, I’ll lean towards the more folk singer-songwriter side of things. But neither one gets more love.
Has there been a moment over the past year that still feels surreal to you?
That’s a tricky one! I’ve been lucky enough to have a couple this year. But honestly, the reaction to ‘Goodmood’ has been awesome! I’ve always loved the Fresh Finds playlist and to get on there and also be the face of Fresh Finds UK and Fresh Finds Pop was amazing!
If you were to run a musical festival, who are three artists that you’re choosing to headline the event?
Ooo! That’s a tough one! I’d love to have Bon Iver, The Gorillaz, and Stevie Wonder, which would be such an absurd lineup but would make me happy.
“Rollin’” Music Video / Click to Watch
Which Nabes lyric would you say best describes your life right now?
Probably “Can we be lazy bones” cause I have so much work to do and I just wanna be lazy but I ain’t going to let myself do that haha.
What are some things you enjoy doing outside of the studio?
Outside of the studio, I love to still create things whether it's a film or some type of art. I’m always itching to do something creative. If I’m not doing that, I love to just be around friends and family having a good time.
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
There are definitely a handful of people that I owe thanks to that have helped me in ways along my journey. But definitely, my parents cause they were always so lovely in supporting me wanting to pursue music and nurturing that. My manager who believed in me early on as a songwriter//producer and has given me so many opportunities to work with other artists. My mentor Sacha has also been the loveliest of humans and taught me so much. I give all the thanks to them.
Lastly, what can we expect from you for the rest of 2021?
For the rest of 2021, I have some tunes to put out. I also have a little EP project that comes paired with a 22-minute indie film that my dear friend Ryan and I wrote, filmed, edited, scored, etc. I’m pretty excited about that one, though I don’t have a release date for it just yet... or do I?
When Nabes makes it to LA, ______________.
I’m going to hit up all the homies to make some music and have some good times.