Toronto-based musician Nyssa has been writing and performing songs since she was 12 years old, with her musical influences covering a wide range of generations and a plethora of musical genres. These sources of inspiration are clear in her 2020 album Girls Like Me, an insightful exploration of gender-based expectations that dips between post-punk and glam rock, incorporating hints of folk in its more reflective moments. Girls Like Me was recently nominated for the 2021 Polaris Long List, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for Nyssa. We got the chance to catch up with Nyssa to chat about rock n’ roll storytelling, dream journaling and working with Meg Remy of U.S. Girls on her latest track.

Spencer Nafekh for Also Cool: Hi Nyssa! As an introductory question, I was curious if you could say a little bit more about your artist name? I looked a little more into the name “Nyssa,” and the first thing that came up was a Wikipedia page for a Doctor Who character. Is this where you’ve gotten the name from?

Nyssa: Actually, Nyssa is my birth name! I’m of Irish and Scottish descent, but my mom read the name in a book and really appreciated it. Apparently it’s ancient Greek for “a new beginning,” and there’s also the bonus of the Doctor Who character, an ewok in the Star Wars universe, and a tree found in North America. I figured that because I have a first name that sounds like a “one name” thing, I would use it as a stage-name. This puts a healthy pressure on me not to let myself down, because at the end of the day, I don’t want to change my name: I’ve got something to live up to.

Also Cool: Personally, I find that Girls Like Me is an album with a uniquely cool post-punk sound to it - I hear hints of bands like The Cure and Bauhaus. I’d like to take this opportunity to pop in a “generic music question”: What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What inspires you now, and are there any artists or albums that you’ve heard as of lately and just absolutely need to put people onto?

N: Growing up, my mom and dad both separately listened to a lot of rock n’ roll. My mom was a big Rolling Stones fan, so that was a big presence in the house; same with Neil Young, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Liz Phair, Lucinda Williams, and Sinéad O'Connor. I’ve been thinking about this recently, and it’s funny how all my favourite artists from childhood that my mom introduced me to are still essentially my favourite artists: Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville are still two of my favourite albums of all time.

With Girls Like Me, I was basically trying to make my own version of storytelling rock n’ roll without using traditional rock n’ roll instrumentation; relying more heavily on Ableton and sample work, and not so much on guitar. I wanted to incorporate influences like Bruce Springsteen, and fuse rock n’ roll with soul and country music. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ve always been attracted to squishy, fuzzy, and crunchy sounds. My background in garage rock informs that, but I didn’t want Girls Like Me to sound like garage rock at all. Having access to samples and the ability to manipulate them was what really allowed me to get the unique sound that I was looking for.

AC: Would you say that your latest track “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” is a direct response to the pandemic lifestyle? It seems different from your previous works, in terms of its slow buildup and its spooky synth-pop vibe… Do you see this track as an experimental anomaly or does it mark a transition in the vibe of the music you want to make?

N: My song is actually a loose cover of this 60’s Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret song; a real crazy garage rock anthem that I was first drawn to in high school and “squirreled away” for later use. My friend Lex—who is one of the owners of Fuzzed and Buzzed— initially approached me about doing a single for a compilation that they were planning. His neighbor is Meg Remy of U.S. Girls, so that got the ball rolling on the production of the track. Next thing you know, I was in the studio with Meg and a bunch of other musicians, and although Meg oversaw most of the session, “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” was the song that she really stepped on board to produce. The whole process was very freeform: it was mainly me and drummer, Jay Anderson, jamming it out.

I wouldn’t say that “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” is totally an anomaly, though. I see myself walking down a number of musical paths in the future, and one of them is darker, and more surreal. It was recorded pre-pandemic, but it feels very… “pandemic friendly.” (laughs)

AC: I’ve noticed the “dreamscapes” series that you post on your socials from time to time. Whether it’s work from Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, photographs from the children’s picture book iSpy, or shots from that crazy fantasy movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, it appears as though you like sharing grandiose landscapes and pleasantly ethereal scenes. I was curious whether this aesthetic was something you try to mimic in your music, or is it something that you admire from a visual standpoint?

N: Because I’ve been so confined to my apartment these days, I find myself thinking about these dreamscapes and scenes from childhood… Worlds that I inhabited as a weird only child. To be honest, Girls Like Me is an album that I wrote over the course of a couple of years when I was waiting tables and living my life. Things obviously just feel very different these days, and I think that sharing these “dreamscapes” encapsulates everything that I’ve been doing over the past year, and the stuff I’m writing now.

On the topic of my more recent habits, I’ve also started doing this thing called “active imagination,” a Jungian technique which works like guided meditation. You’re supposed to enter your own dream world and just see what happens, or what your mind is trying to communicate to you. I find this has been helping me open my unconscious mind, and the dreamscapes that I have shared recently have been really informing that whole practice, which feeds into my writing as well!

AC: Sounds interesting! It seems like you have been keeping yourself busy in these strange times, exercising retrospectivity and imagination. Would you say that the pandemic has had a positive impact on your creative process, or a negative one?

N: Definitely positive. I’m part of this songwriting group with some friends in New York, and so I’ve had the pressure of writing a new song every week. This has been hugely important to me, and it wouldn’t have happened if we weren't thrown into this whole ordeal.

I’m really thankful for these exercises in creativity, which have resulted in my thoughts being much more magical. There’s going to be a very witchy album coming out post-COVID, that’s for sure.

Since we’re on the topic of creative practices, I should mention that another thing I’ve been doing is logging entries into a dream journal… It’s been beyond satisfying. It is so fulfilling to be able to look back over your dreams over a given period of time, and to notice patterns or recurring themes. I would recommend this practice to anyone and everyone.

AC: I think it would take a certain level of dedication to maintain a dream journal. Personally, I’ve tried a few times but can never fully commit to it. Have you ever had any lucid dreams? Also, I don’t want you to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with… But. is there any chance you would be willing to share an entry from the journal?

N: Trust me, I’ve tried this dream journal idea on multiple occasions but this is the first time that I’ve stuck with it. It takes patience, for sure, but don’t give up! Also, you don’t need to have a full dream in order to log it. Even if you remember a small tidbit of information, it is still worth logging. I’ve honestly never been too interested in lucid dreaming, because I think there’s a special quality about something totally untainted coming from your subconscious. Because the Otherworld is attempting to speak to you, I think it makes sense to not hold onto your ego, let things happen and go with the flow.

And you know what? Sure, why not… I’ll share an entry.

—Nyssa goes off-camera for a moment and returns with her dream journal—

Hmm… I eat seafood… Lots of beaches… Okay, here’s a weird one that sounds like a real fairytale archetype:

“An old wizard at sea, travelling the land and performing illusions as a bat in exchange for sanctuary. Islanders with red caps accept the deal, watching as he performs the final illusion. Noah’s Ark arising from the sea, at first afar and then up close. The ark opens like a sea monster with many teeth. The wizard emerges in-mouth and proclaims, ‘and now you shall offer me shelter whenever I ask.’”

- - -

Our conversation quickly transitions into movie territory, and I soon learn that Nyssa is a big horror movie buff. “I like violent movies,” Nyssa says, “but not when it’s too realistic or unnecessary.” Among her favourite movies, the 1985 horror-comedy Return of the Living Dead has a special place in her heart. “It really just ticks every box,” she tells me. “I love the practical effects, the gore, the punks in the cemetery… it has everything.” Thinking of what she’s watched recently, Nyssa talks about her new fascination with the surreal films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, as well as The Secret of Roan Inish.

What stood out to me more than anything, though, were the ways in which Nyssa has harnessed creativity during this strange time; the mystical planes and otherworldly dreamscapes where she has situated herself as of late. By the end of our chat, we digress into a conversation about the intersection between religion and spirituality. When I explain to her my belief that dreams and music are the closest that humans can come to magical experiences, she passionately agrees. “Absolutely,” Nyssa says, “and I think that the oldest human beings would agree with you on that. At the end of the day, it all comes down to mindfulness and magic.”

I’m really looking forward to seeing what Nyssa puts out next, which may or may not be a darker and witchier album that releases post-COVID. In the meantime, Girls Like Me has been released on a limited edition vinyl and is readily available for order online.

Nyssa

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Spencer Nafekh is a tireless reader, writer, editor, and advocate for the written word. With an undergraduate degree in Concordia's English and Creative Writing program imminent, he plans to pursue a Master's specialization in journalism so that he can fully realize his career path. When Spencer is not working away, he is probably listening to experimental music while lost in the world of a science fiction novel.

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