“I didn’t do what everyone expected me to”: Nia Archives on lessons in love and the jungle projects you should be listening to
British record producer and artist Nia Archives returns with her sophomore album Emotional Junglist. Featuring Jorja Smith and Sampha, the 15-track project offers a head-banging crash-course in love.
Nia Archives has never been afraid to take a risk. Archives – full name Dehaney Nia Lishahn Hunt – made the bold move to self-fund her early musical output with her student loan. That gamble paid off after her bedroom-made COVID-era EPs gained global attention.
The 26-year-old’s debut album Silence Is Loud was the epitome of her deep enthusiasm for heady jungle music with a modern twist. Debuting on the UK Album Charts at number 16 and landing a 2024 Mercury Prize nomination, the album consolidated her as a figurehead for the genre’s revival – one that hadn’t experienced widespread popularity since the 90s. The DJ, producer and artist’s frantic, thudding beats and high-octane tunes make for a dizzying, all-consuming listen, and she now has over two million monthly listeners.
In Nia’s newly released sophomore album Emotional Junglist, the artist explores uncharted waters once again. While she’s hesitant to label herself as a vocalist, Nia’s crisp voice is front and centre on tracks such as Vertical and Feelingz Go Numb, proving her authentic versatility as an artist. Her lyricism is more vulnerable than ever before, and after a period of intense love and heartbreak, the album follows Nia’s whirlwind journey with no topic off limits. She recruited music’s most prolific yearners, Sampha and Jorja Smith, to ensure her sonic offerings were as gut-wrenching and impossibly sweet as the album’s theme.
Touring the album is Archives’ next port of call. From London’s All Points East festival, headlined by Smith, to shows in the US, Japan and Australia, fans will be able to catch Nia on stage for the remainder of the year. When she’s not performing, expect her to be in the studio, nurturing a new wave of artists under her jungle label Up Ya Archives.
Following her album’s release, the producer and DJ sat down with EE72 to chat about the ways she’s pushing herself out of her comfort zone and the Up Ya Archives artists you should have on your playlist.
What’s your earliest memory of music?
Going to church. My grandma used to take me to a Pentecostal church, so I grew up with gospel music.
Would you sing at church?
I sang a few times, but I’d experienced the music during the service.
Would you say that type of music has influenced the music you make?
I think subconsciously because of all of the harmonies in my work, but I’m not really religious.
Looking back on your career, is there a highlight you reflect on often?
It’s always changing. I feel like I don’t really look back. I’m always looking forward, but the moments I’ve been really proud of are finishing and releasing the records. There’s just so much work that goes into them. I’ve been really proud of both of my projects.
What was the starting point of your new album, Emotional Junglist?
I started working on the project in December 2024. I knew that I wanted to make another project, and that’s when we started it. We spent a year on it. I worked with James Ford which was really cool.
This is your sophomore album. Is there anything that sets this apart from the first album, and have you learnt any lessons from the first that you’ve used to inform this album?
I think this one’s different because there’s a lot more singing. I’ve always been a bit wary of singing because I don’t really think I’m a singer. But on this one I pushed myself and tried not to hide behind the production so much. At the same time, I feel like the production is different and varied on this project. I would say I learnt to be more open and collaborate with people. I learnt not to be such a control freak about the process.
After listening, I’d definitely say you’re a singer. Were there any singers that influenced you during the making of the album?
I was listening to a lot of Björk, Madonna, Saint Etienne, and some alternative stuff. I’m not really a powerhouse vocalist, but I really appreciate them. I’m into weird voices, and I feel like Björk has a very unique voice, so that was a big influence for me.
I’m not really a powerhouse vocalist, but I really appreciate them. I’m into weird voices, and I feel like Björk has a very unique voice, so that was a big influence for me.
NIA ARCHIVES
The album’s been out for a while. How have the reactions been so far?
It’s been really relieving to put the project out. I was really nervous because it was a bit more alternative and different. I’ve gotten really positive feedback and really great reviews, so I’m feeling really good. Each day it’s been out, I feel better and better about it.
Do you think that feeling will continue as you start to tour the album?
I hope so. I did a show at the weekend, and it was really good because the music was out. People actually knew the songs.
I read that this album is about finding and losing love. Was that pulling from personal experience? And if so, was the creative process behind this album cathartic? Did it teach you anything about love?
Yeah, it’s a very personal project, but I feel like all the music I make is about my life. It was a bit of a journey to be so open and expose myself in that way. It was quite therapeutic to go through it and write about my experiences. It’s nice to see other people relating to the songs now that it’s out as well.
“It’s a very personal project, but I feel like all the music I make is about my life. It was a bit of a journey to be so open and expose myself in that way. It was quite therapeutic to go through it and write about my experiences.”
NIA ARCHIVES
What song do you think someone should listen to when they’re feeling super in love, and which song is for those who are heartbroken?
Vertical is a lover’s song. It’s a really happy song about a crush. For the not-so-great part, I think I’d say The Darkest Hour. I don’t really think it gets worse than that.
Jorja Smith and Sampha feature on the album. Can you talk me through what that collaborative process looked like?
It was really great to work with both of them, and I’m a huge fan of their work. I’d gotten to know both of them over the years, and it was really great to work with people that I really love. Writing with Jorja was really fun. We wrote in the countryside. It was a really nice day. It was me, Jorja, Ethan [P. Flynn] and Ed Thomas, who I’d written quite a lot of stuff with in the past. Then, with Sampha, I actually got in the studio with him as a producer, not as an artist. Then, he ended up singing.
You’re not afraid to take risks. You used your student loan to fund your early career, which is so impressive. What’s the biggest risk you took with this album?
Honestly, sonically, the title Emotional Junglist was the biggest risk I took. If you don’t know what an emotional junglist is, you’d think this was a jungle album. I think I pushed myself and didn’t do what everyone expected me to do. I made more alternative sounds, and I tried something new. I think the phrase ‘emotional junglist’ really describes my sounds within jungle. It made sense to name the second album after it.
On the album’s cover, you’re curled up on the sofa. When you’re on the sofa, what are you usually doing?
I hate to say it, but probably scrolling. Doomscrolling and brain rotting.
What’s your brain rot channel of choice?
I do love Twitter.
I want to touch on your label, Up Ya Archives. Who should our readers be listening to from the label and why?
There are so many incredible people on the label, and I really love all the recent projects that we’ve been releasing. I really love the Worsleyy EP. I am really enjoying what Nectax has just done as well. He’s just released a project, and he’s a Geordie junglist. Janaway did this Brazilian jungle project. I think all the projects that have come out on the label have been really cool and I’m really proud of all of them. I think it’d be cool for people to tap into all the EPs.
You’ve also got All Points East coming up.
I’m super excited to go again for Jorja’s day. I think it will be really fun. Hopefully, Jorja and I will do something together.
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