The Class of 2019 Show is on the 16th and 17th of May
Welcome NAE, thank you so much for talking to me today. We have got the Class of 2019 end of year show coming up next week. What are you going to be performing?
I’m going to be performing an original called Hey Queen.
And what’s it about?
It’s a very feminist empowered song, just about being comfortable in your own skin, not really caring about what societies views are on black women, you know just, embracing who you are.
Would you class yourself more as a songwriter or a performer or both?
I would say both because I love songwriting, I love, just you know, getting my thoughts out but I also love being on the stage. I feel like I become a different person on stage, I just love the feeling of performing and communicating to the audience.
What would your dream performance look like? No budget restrictions or location restrictions...
I don’t even know! I think my dream performance would either be to sell out Wembley or performing at the Grammys, just performing to all the legends and all other musicians, a really iconic performance, I’d love to be a part of that.
I wanted to ask you about dancing because dancing seems to be very much a part of your identity - you can generally be found dancing both on and off stage! Was that something you were into before ELAM?
When I was younger I was very proactive as a child - I loved singing, acting and dancing and I used to be part of a drama club so it was quite theatrical and we got to do a performance at the palladium so there was a lot of dancing there and I feel that’s where I properly got into dancing and even though I haven’t had special classes I just love moving around you know feeling the rhythm whether there’s music or no music!
What would be your go to karaoke song?
This is a bit ambitious but I’d have to say emotions by Mariah Carey. I love that song!
So ELAM sadly finishes for you in a few weeks. In terms of your music, where would you like to see your career go?
I hope to do more performances, more live shows and hopefully by the end of this year I’ve released my own EP with some visuals too.
What has been your ELAM highlight over the two years in terms of a performance or an event?
I think my ELAM highlight was probably the MJ show. Just the whole energy, the whole vibe. Even though it was probably stressful, I think I loved every moment of it from the fact that everyone was working so hard together, there were the videos behind the performances, everyone had to play on the click track, the whole vibe with it was amazing, and the dancing!
And what do you think you are going to miss the most about ELAM?
I’m probably going to miss the people the most. Just the fact that we have a culture, it’s just so family based, we’re close knit and even though sometimes we might have different views and sometimes things go down you can sense that there’s a sense of family around. So yeah, definitely I’m going to miss the people.
So my last question for everyone is always if you could collaborate with anyone in ELAM who would it be?
There’s just so many! Hopefully all of the producers, they are all so sick, especially in our year so maybe some of them, or all of them! But it’s not just the producers, I’d love to work with some of the singers and songwriters too. I want to collaborate with Chris-el obviously as she’s my best friend.
And out of ELAM?
It’s a no brainer - Beyonce! That would be a dream to collaborate with her or even just dance on stage with her. The energy and just how she presents herself on stage, definitely a big inspiration.
Catch Nae performing at Class of 2019 this Thursday 16th May