Nia J

Nia J, one of the rising voices of the Charlotte music scene, embodies a classic sensibility in her take on modern pop. Her vocal performances cut the deadpan witticisms of contemporary pop coquettes with the grandeur of the 70s and 80s divas. The result is a mix that feels simultaneously old and new, as ready for TikTok as for the theater. Her first release, Rabbit Hole (2021), introduced audiences to her signature songwriting style that is at once deeply personal and universally relatable. Called “enchanting and challenging” by the Queen City Nerve, the EP explored nauseating emotional twists of growing up through the metaphor of Lewis Carrol’s Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. This project also marks Nia J’s first collaboration with Ike Byers, whose work as a producer, studio musician, and headliner himself (as BEKI) is prolific in the Charlotte pop punk scene. Together they crafted a sound that according to CLTure magazine, “leav[es] you wanting more when the fairy tale ends.” Now Byers and Nia J have teamed up again for the singer songwriter’s debut album Melomania (2024). The ten-song sojourn takes listeners through Nia’s comforts and frustrations with personal growth, ranging from doleful reflections like the album’s title track to radio-ready whimsical tunes like “Birth of a Phoenix” and “GWHF.” The Queen City Nerve called the album “the burgeoning pop artist’s definitive statement” with “a masterful use of cliches that imbue a folk sensibility.” With careful engineering from Te’Jani Inuwa and features from BEKI and Tré Ahmad, the album serves not just as her own definitive statement but as a weathervane of the Charlotte pop scene. With the release of this most recent album, Nia J has begun to experiment with the performance of her music, both incorporating more online content through music videos and teasers as well as choreography in her live shows. And after a sold-out album release party at the NoDa Art House for Melomania, it’s clear audiences are hungry for more.