Rising talent Nora Lilith shares her sleek and sophisticated “Now Or Never,” a single that delves deep into the complexities of shame and self-doubt, showcasing Nora’s brilliant ability to mould beautifully thought-out introspective songwriting and production to make a perfectly contextualised track that you hear today. File besides the likes of early BANKS releases for the magic.

In her own words, Nora explains, “This song delves into the emotions of shame and self-doubt. The repetitive nature of the song mirrors the psychological experience of a shame spiral. The lyrics continually circle back to the question ‘Am I good?’ — a question that feels less like an inquiry and more like a desperate plea for reassurance.” “This repetition reflects the obsessive nature of doubt, where the fear of having a fundamental flaw resurfaces compulsively, never fully resolved. The question is both haunting and intimate.”

“Now Or Never” follows the success of Nora’s comeback release “Flesh”, which saw the Berlin-resident return to music-making after almost a three year hiatus.  The gap in releases has brought about a profound change in the way she makes music; namely that each of her songs are now completely self-writted and self-produced.  What you hear now is very much a window into her own exchanges with the world and more inwardly the conversations with herself.

Raised with one foot in Berlin, Germany and the other in Austin, Texas, Nora reflects the movement and disparity of her own life in her music.  While she’s been singing her whole life, she taught herself how to use Ableton and began producing on her own. With her unconventional production and writing process, often using field recordings and her own voice to create instruments and textured soundscapes, she seeks to instrumentalize her naivety in this area and create a unique sound.

Nora Lilith sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1.⁠ ⁠So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

As far as I can remember, my love for music started with my voice and a curiosity towards composition- the joy of singing and songwriting. I would write songs as early as 6 years old, and would sing for my parents (and any other willing audience members) all the time. There was something in the experience of using my voice that helped me connect to my own joy, and pain, and helped me make sense of the world around me.
 
2.⁠ ⁠Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

James Blake is a big muse for me. I feel influenced by a range of artists- Thom Yorke, Portishead, Leon Vynehall, Andy Stott, to name a few. If I had the opportunity to work with James Blake, let’s just say I’d die happy. :-)
 
3.⁠ ⁠What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?

I just released two singles these past two months, and will be releasing another single early February, which all leads up to my EP that comes out early March. The general themes of these tracks revolve around somatics, memory, and trauma / old wounds. They’re all a continued exploration of texture, found sounds, and experimental productions. I hope to create an immersive and almost tactile like soundscape with these.

I’m also launching a newsletter/Substack soon, where I’ll be sharing more creations across various mediums, like analog photography, writing, and poetry. This will also be a space where I’ll share unreleased demo tracks and any other musical works that I feel like sharing more spontaneously for a more intimate audience.

4.⁠ ⁠How would you describe your sound?

Intimate, experimental, dark, playful, introspective. A lo-fi/DIY mixture of alt-rnb, soul, jazz, trip-hop, bedroom pop, and house.

5.⁠ ⁠What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

Honestly, I’m proud of myself any and every moment I’m able to move from a state of fear into curiosity and play. Alchemizing blocks or negative belief systems or perfectionism especially as it pertains to creative work can be so hard, but just a slight shift into a more spacious, accepting, self-compassionate and curious place is such a gift to myself that I don’t take lightly. This is where true flow and creativity flourishes, and as an artist that is the most important work I do to date.

6.⁠ ⁠Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

Playing off my last response, I’d say self-forgiveness plays such a big role in starting or practicing any craft. It’s not about being perfect, or being the best, or necessarily even about being good. The result of what you make is the smallest portion of the work, the main work is being curious and having fun and finding an authentic expression. The rest will fall into place, but if you build off of that foundation, creativity can become a refuge and a medium to transform our inner (and in turn outer) worlds. In order to do that we have to accept and forgive ourselves for the fact that building the skill takes time, and it may never 100% be what you imagine it to be in your head. We learn to honor and work with what is, and continue to flow with what wants to come next.

7.⁠ ⁠Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

Two up and coming artists I’ve recently come across are Heka and Sarah Meth, beautiful intimate vocals and great for the feels.

8.⁠ ⁠What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

I’ve been listening to a lot of ambient and bass music recently. I would say both ‘Drawing the Target Around the Arrow’ by CEP (Caroline Polacheks side project) and Leon Vynehalls “Nothing Is Still”.

9.⁠ ⁠What do you like to do when you're not making music?

Various somatic practices, meditation, analog photos, writing, psychedelics, sauna, connecting with friends and nature, learning about alchemy and other random things!