Sudani artist Nadine
Q: What do you like most about collaborating with other people?
A: Other than having the privilege of learning from whoever I am collaborating with and experiencing the joy and excitement of bouncing ideas off each other. What I like most about collaborating is the process of having my ego checked. I enjoy the grounding & humbling experience of having to put my ideas and pride aside, to listen to the creativity of another person. It often requires compromise and a willingness to explore work methods outside of those I'm used to.
Q: What is the story on how you guys came together as a group?
A: The story of how The C!rcle came together is one of my favorites because it truly feels as though it was destined. The founder of The C!rcle, Proof, has an individual relationship and story with each C!rcle member. Eaz Da Bully is actually his nephew in a roundabout way -- he has known him since he was born and has been mentoring and supporting him through his music career since he first began making music at an early age. Proof soon met AKA Keyz outside a Dreamville concert and they kept in relative contact over the years. Soon Proof, AKA Keyz, G-Salih, and our homie Omar Majid came together to work on a song.
Proof was immediately impressed by G-Salih. He was impressed by a lot of the Sudani rappers on the scene and took the initiative of compiling some of the best Sudanese artists onto one tape, titled "A 249 Experience: Volume 1". While he was compiling a list of artists he wanted on the album, Keyz suggested me as an option. It was a blessing that Proof took to my music the way he did, and got me onto the project. To date, 'A 249 Experience' has a total of over 1 million streams across all streaming platforms. Through the making of that project, the five of us became a lot closer and Proof ended up forming "The C!rcle", and we have been growing closer and working harder ever since.
Q: What are some of your strengths in your career?
I feel ridiculously blessed and grateful to even be able to call what I do a career. The fact that I have had music videos, paid shows, interviews, and have released multiple songs makes me feel comfortable enough to finally call the journey I am on a career path. One of the biggest takeaways from my growing music career is how much it has contributed to my growth as a person. It has improved my strength of character, made me more self-reflective, grounded, and has opened my eyes to my own potential.
The biggest blessing to come out of all this, though, is the relationships I have been gifted with along the way. I have made so many friends through my music. From people who have given me opportunities and support along the way like Meg and Nour from Female First Sessions, and Big Hass from The Beat DxB, to artists I admire and respect like Hiba Elgizouli, Shébani, and michele. Not to mention the countless people I have connected with who show me more love and support than I thought was possible this early in my career. A lot of wonderful sisterhoods have grown out of this path I am on. It means everything to me.
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Q: What do you like most about doing solo work?
@nadineelroubiA: First I will be honest and say that I really enjoy working alone more than I enjoy working with other people. Ha! No disrespect to the incredible people I have worked with, but there’s an absolute freedom and lovely recklessness to working alone. I am not bound by anyone else's style or preferences, I can talk freely about what I want to talk about without worrying about sticking to a theme. I can also work according to my own schedule and timeline. It is a really lovely process, like becoming friends with yourself. Making music alone is learning how to enjoy your own company and mind. It can get pretty profound. I have learned self-love through my career as a solo artist.
Q: What made you want to expand your career on doing music yourself as well?
A: Well, funnily enough, I actually started as a solo artist! The C!rcle only came after. I suppose I could flip this question around and tell you instead what made me want to expand my career into working with a rap group. Firstly, these are the best artists to come out of Sudan. To work with them is to learn from them, and it's been a wild ride so far. Eaz Da Bully, AKA Keyz, Aidyproof, and G-SALIH all have incredibly different personalities and styles of writing and working. It's impossible not to be influenced by them, they are so present. I love hip-hop and wanted to rap with the best rap artists I know. And five minds can be better than one.
Q: What do you think is the best song that you guys have created?
A: The best song we have made that is out is Way Back, in my opinion. A stellar song with a guest appearance by Hoosh. I love that song. It is a vibe, it has a message, and it just represents us a group so well. As for the best song we have made, that is impossible to tell. We just wrapped up a rap-camp in the UK, back in August. G and Proof flew in from America, I flew in from Egypt. Eaz flew in from Sudan. Keyz was already there, having just graduated uni. We were cooped up in one house on Selly Hill in Birmingham for a good month. So we have a lot of dope music coming out very soon.
Q: When making a video to a song what are some of the most important things to incorporate?
A: A music video will change stylistically depending on the song. I think the most important thing to keep in mind when making a music video is really understanding what the feel of the song is. What mood does it evoke? I do not believe a music video has to illustrate what a song is. It can be a lot more abstract, sometimes even adding a previously unknown dynamic to the song. We're working on getting more visuals up on our YouTube.
Q: Do you only play the piano? What made you pick up this instrument (s)?
I, unfortunately, do only play the piano. I used to play the violin and I am not sure why I quit. I do not mind too much, I can not really see myself playing the violin again. I would love to learn the guitar. I have one at home and strum on it randomly sometimes but I truly would love to actually know what I am doing when I play it. One day. I started learning piano at the age of like six or seven though, back when I lived in America. My parents wanted me to learn an instrument. I turned out to be good at it. Years later I would learn how to play classical music pieces from composers like Bach by heart. Now I barely know how to sight-read sheet music, I am so out of practice. I will get it back, though. It is all about discipline and time management.
Q: Where do you get the ideas for your cover art, like for Egyptian Silver?
I am rarely lucky enough to get someone else's creative mind to make my cover art for me. I usually have to do it myself, which I enjoy, but I love getting other artistic minds onto my work somehow, especially when it comes to visuals. Egyptian Silver happened to be the first cover art someone else made for me. Yasmin (@kandakakhronicles) conceptualized and created the entire thing. She is an incredible collage artist. All I had to do was send her the song and she knew exactly what I wanted, more so than what I did. It is my favorite cover art to date.
Q: What do you like most about performing? Where do you want to perform next, especially when things eventually open up again?
I love love love connecting with the audience. I always open up my set by sharing that I love talking, so be prepared to hear a lot of it! Whatever time frame I'm given for a set, I always account for the time I will spend talking to the audience and sharing some anecdotes behind the songs I have written. No lie, talking to the audience is on the same level for me as actually performing the music. I really want my own headline show someday soon, like a really intimate venue with around 100 people where we can just chill and talk and laugh in between the songs. Manifesting this into existence! InshAllah. I see myself performing in Egypt soon. I don't know why or how but it'll happen, insha'Allah.