Star Gyal El Nora shares her musical journey from childhood to the SWAG Entertainment brand and vibes in an interview with our correspondent Kehinde Ogundele.
A CONVERSATION WITH EL NORA
Poemify Publishers
Welcome to Poemify Publishers, where we explore the various forms of African Art, from traditional sculpting and paintings to contemporary digital art and installations, including Music. Kindly introduce yourself to us, El Nora.
El Nora
My name is Nuhu Miriam Nora, popularly known as El Nora or Star Gyal. I hail from Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State. I am a graduate of French Language from Kaduna State University (KASU). I am a Christian hip-hop and Afro recording and performing Artist; a mix and master engineer; a music producer; a digital and content creator; and a talent bandit (smiley emoticon). I run a brand known as SWAG Entertainment with a vision to use any medium or form of entertainment (media, music, arts, and poetry) to reach out and edify the souls of men through faith.
Poemify Publishers
There are so many talents and skills within your grasp; what made you pick music as your major, and how did you discover that music was the right choice?
El Nora
Music had always been a part of me and even my family. I was exposed to music at an early age. My Dad often listened to reggae songs, my mom listened to gospel songs, and my uncle did more R&B. My cousins enjoyed Rap music. Basically, I come from a family of musicians. Music and I found ourselves.
Poemify Publishers
Your family possesses a lot of musical styles, and that is quite interesting. However, how would you describe your own unique sound, your personal style of music?
El Nora
I don’t actually have a particular style. I like to try new and creative things. Although I am a rapper, I could rap on a hip-hop beat, an Afro beat, amapiano, RnB, reggae, or even Dancehall beats. We could say I am a versatile rap artist.
Poemify Publishers
Speaking of different genres of music, could you share with us some insight into the Nigerian music industry? What are your thoughts?
El Nora
Well, thank God for the internet now. It is easy for artists to reach a wider audience now with their social media accounts, unlike before, when they had to carry their CDs and flyers from house to house to market their projects. Truth be told, a lot of music can be made from music, and that’s part of the information that a lot of upcoming musicians are not aware of. Collaborations have helped a lot of artists, too. But then, the Nigerian music industry is an island on its own, and if I begin talking about it, we may run out of time.
Poemify Publishers
It is a good thing you mentioned collaborations. Are all your songs singles, or are they collaborations? If they are, tell us how you choose who to collaborate with, how you approach them, and how you work with them after the production.
El Nora
I have a couple of singles and a few songs on which I have collaborated with other artists. I have listened to a lot of artists inside and outside Kaduna, and I know what their genres and strengths are. When I am working on a song and I feel I can’t do it alone, I just pick from the artists that I have listened to and believe we will have synergy. Basically, when I want to collaborate with or feature another artist, I reach out to them via text, letting them know my intentions. If they agree, I send the beat to them, and we pick a date to record. Their feeding and logistics for that day are on me. A few of my best collaborations include a song I did with B’Queen Voca titled “Girl You Are Light” and another with Tenacious, a Zambian artist, with the song “Zoe for Now,” which was a hit too, just like the first and others. I am currently working on a collaboration, but I want to keep the artist’s name a secret. However, this person is one of those who inspired me to start playing music.
Poemify Publishers
What is your most recent project, El Nora?
El Nora
My latest project right now is VIBES. My very first Amapiano song came out very well. It’s still a surprise to me because the song is on another level. For those who haven’t listened to it, it’s on all streaming platforms (both the original and speeded-up versions).
Poemify Publishers
How did you come up with this masterpiece?
El Nora
I created the beat, recorded it myself, mixed it, and mastered it myself. The beat of the song is an amapiano beat I made sometime last year when I was planning on opening my music studio. I already had a title in mind at the time of creation, and I got some part of the verse earlier this year, but I was stuck. Surprisingly, in May, I was in the studio, and I had the inspiration to write the complete lyrics. So I wrote the song, worked on it for a few weeks, and it became a masterpiece.
Poemify Publishers
Are there any specific messages you try to convey through your music?
El Nora
Christ! My message is Christ. I make sure I portray and talk about God’s love in all my songs. The best way I can share my faith with others is to give them hope so they can also enjoy God’s love.
Poemify Publishers
We would love for you to share with us some of your favourite moments in your music career, especially on stage and at events
El Nora
Wawu! I’ve had a lot of favourite moments, and some of them happened because of growth, and I’m still growing. I have people that I’ve looked up to from afar supporting me now. I won’t really say I have any favourite moments on stage because there are times when I don’t even do what I rehearsed before going to events. However, my favourite moment on stage was performing my songs with live instruments for the first time, and it was an amazing experience. Then I began to love live performances.
download free ebooks
Check out our brand new
collection of ebooks and find the right gift for anyone.
Poemify Publishers
Live performance is quite hectic and stressful; how do you make the magic happen?
El Nora
I’m a rapper, and it’s quite easy for professional instrumentalists to arrange something for me to rap on in a few minutes.
Poemify Publishers
What should you fans expect next from the El Nora sound library, and what would you like to tell other performers like yourself?
El Nora
Let me talk to performers: consistency in doing the right things will take you places you can’t even imagine. Practise more and rehearse whatever you practise. Try new things! Do unimaginable and extraordinary things, and people will be attracted to you. And above all, be prayerful, because it is God who honours and lifts men. To my fans, expect amazing vibes from my team and me. Don’t get tired of me, because we will rejoice and testify to the goodness of God.
Poemify publishers
Well, you all have gear from El Nora herself. Practice. Thank you very much, El Nora; we hope to hear your more beautiful sound. Please share your social media account and link to Vibes.
El Nora
Song link: http://songwhip.com/el-nora/
Facebook: El Nora II
Instagram: @Elnora_stargyal
