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Nia Archives
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Key Information
Dehaney Nia Lishahn Hunt (born September 1999), known professionally as Nia Archives, is an English record producer, DJ, singer and songwriter. Born in Bradford in West Yorkshire, she moved to Leeds aged seven, out of the family home aged sixteen, and then to Greater Manchester, during which time she was inspired by jungle documentaries and their women participants. After finding herself messed about by local producers, she began producing her own jungle and drum and bass works; after moving to Hackney Wick for university and finding that no record labels would release them, she released them herself, attracting attention for the EPs Headz Gone West and Forbidden Feelingz. After featuring on numerous 'best of' lists, she released a third EP, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against the Wall, in 2023, which topped the UK Dance Albums Chart, followed by an album, Silence Is Loud, which peaked at No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart. Hunt is generally regarded as being at the forefront of the post-2020 drum and bass revival, and has been cited as an inspiration by Piri.
Life and career
[edit]1999–2019: Early life
[edit]Dehaney Nia Lishahn Hunt[1] was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire in September 1999, and has two brothers. When she was seven,[2] they moved to Horsforth.[3] Hunt never met her father, and he is not listed on her birth certificate.[4] Her ex-stepfather, a former producer and rapper,[5] had a dancehall radio show on a Bradford radio station,[4] and set up a studio in her house, where local MCs such as Lunar C would visit to make music,[2] introducing her to Logic Pro when she was twelve.[6] Hunt is a third-generation Windrush immigrant;[7] her grandmother Liz had moved to Bradford from Jamaica at age fourteen,[8] and with one[9] of her four sisters[10] ran a pirate radio station.[9] Their large afros earned them the nickname "The Bradford 5" after The Jackson 5.[10] She also owned a sound system and used it to soundtrack family gatherings with tracks by Goldie, Roni Size, Shy FX, and assorted gospel, soul and R&B,[11] and introduced Dehaney to successful women of colour such as M.I.A., Jennifer Lara, and Ms. Dynamite.[5] She also ran a community school, where Dehaney first learned about Black history, which she was not taught at school; Dehaney subsequently moved her Year 3 teacher to tears by giving a presentation on Rosa Parks.[11]
As a child, Dehaney was a studious reader, and began taking photographs and making films[2] on a Handycam[3] gifted to her by her grandfather.[2] Her first introduction to music was the gospel music her Pentecostal church played, and the first CD she bought was Rihanna's Music of the Sun.[6] She realised she wanted to be a singer aged eight, though spent time also wanting to be an archaeologist.[2] Aged twelve, she became a fan of Emeli Sandé after listening to her drum and bass song "Heaven", although did not discover the name of its genre until later.[11] Family issues caused her to move out of her family home when she was sixteen, and she moved solo to another area of Leeds, before moving to Bury, Greater Manchester, and then to a hostel in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, where she had a social worker and spent time claiming unemployment benefits before taking up posts at KFC and as a cookery teacher.[2]
Around this time, she found her interest in photography revived after she went down digital rabbit holes, and watched documentaries like the LTJ Bukem film Modern Times (1996), the Talkin' Headz (1998) Metalheadz documentary, and Channel 4's film, All Junglists: A London Somet'ing Dis (1994), taking particular interest in the role of women in the scene such as Kemistry & Storm and DJ Flight. Mainstream clubs were not open to her as she did not have ID, so she made friends during this period by attending squat raves and underground house parties, using her Handycam to strike up conversations.[2] In 2017,[12] to accompany the videos she was creating,[3] and as an outlet for the emotions she was feeling, she downloaded a bootleg version of Logic Pro, having become fed up by the way local producers were treating her;[2] finding herself speeding her music up, she discovered she was making jungle after researching its roots.[2]
2019–2022: Early works, Headz Gone West, and Forbidden Feelingz
[edit]Her early works were uploaded to SoundCloud under the name Indigo D. After finding herself in a toxic relationship in Manchester, she worked sixty-hour weeks at KFC to save for a move to London,[11] and in 2019,[13] she enrolled on a course at CM, which had a music production and business course in partnership with the University of Westminster, and moved to a warehouse in Hackney Wick[14] next to a glass factory,[15] which she initially paid for using a part-time job in Wetherspoons.[14] One of her tutors on her course was Jason Alexander, a former acid house DJ under the name Warlock, who encouraged her to apply for DJ Flight's EQ50 Mentorship Scheme,[9] a twelve-month mentorship for five womxn,[16] at which she found herself working with V Recordings and mentored by DJ Flight herself.[9]
In 2020, she sent her track "Sober Feels" to all of the local jungle and drum and bass labels in the area. Finding that none of the local labels were interested, she released it herself,[2] using the name Nia Archives, and on her own label Hijinxx;[17] both were nods to her videography, and the latter was named after a move by her stepfather's favourite skater.[3] After she spent £500 of her student finance on digital advertising for it, the song became popular with Britons who were unable to go out,[18] and by May 2023, the song had been streamed over 7,000,000 times.[19] The success of the song enabled Hunt to drop out of her course.[20] In April 2021, she released the single "Headz Gone West", followed by an EP of the same name,[21] both of which took their title from her poor mental health during lockdown;[11] the former was written as the second track for the project, after "Sober Feels", and in an interview with Complex Networks, she noted that the EP comprised extrapolations of beats she had produced during nights.[21]
She then collaborated with Rebel MC on a remix of Lava La Rue's "Magpie", and in October 2021, she released "Forbidden Feelingz", which sampled Columbo, a murder detective series, in tribute to Liz, and which was accompanied by a music video directed by Delphino.[22] She then released "18 & Over", which sampled Cocoa Tea's "Young Lover", alongside a video that referenced Babylon and The Harder They Come and was directed by Taliable,[23] the production alias of Talia Beale;[24] in a March 2022 interview with Dazed, she noted that she picked the sample after hearing discovering her stepfather's SoundCloud account and finding it on there.[4] In February 2022, she released "Luv Like", a song about her own body dysmorphic disorder,[25] which was released alongside a music video,[26] and the following month she released the EP Forbidden Feelingz, which included "Forbidden Feelingz", "18 & Over", and "Luv Like".[27]
2022–2023: MOBO Award and Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall
[edit]In April 2022, she published a handwritten open letter to the MOBO Awards to introduce an Electronic/Dance category, on the grounds that the last such act to win an award was Goldie, who had won for Timeless in 1996; the Nova Twins had put in a similar request the year before for a Rock/Alternative category, but had been unsuccessful.[28] However, on this occasion, Hunt's request was entertained; working alongside the newly-formed Black Electronic Music Association, or Club BEMA, such a category was created for that year's ceremony, which was won by Hunt.[29] She then collaborated with Watch the Ride on "Mash Up the Dance", and Clipz, Beenie Man, Cristale and ShaSimone on "No Time".[19] In September 2022, she released "Baianá", which sampled the traditional Brazilian choir Barbatuques, alongside a video shot in Brazil.[30] In November 2022, she released "So Tell Me...",[31] a song about her decision to leave home,[11] which was released alongside a video produced by Dan Emmerson,[31] and the following month, she released "Conveniency", which alongside "Baianá" and "So Tell Me..." appeared on her EP Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall in March.[32] She released a remix EP, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall (Remixes), that May.[33]
In June, she supported Beyoncé on her Renaissance World Tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium;[34] she told The Face in February 2024 that she had only discovered she would be performing there on the day, and that she had received "a lot" of abuse for playing jungle.[35] Alexis Petridis noted in April 2024 that cameraphone footage for the gig indicated an audience looking like jungle was "the last thing they want to hear", but opined that her slot was indicative of her success.[36] A week after playing the gig, she released "Off Wiv Ya Headz", a remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2009 single "Heads Will Roll",[37] and a week after that she released a remix of Jorja Smith's "Little Things".[38] In August 2023, she released "Bad Gyalz", a song about the women who attended her raves, and which featured vocals from MC Moose and production from Clipz and was accompanied by a video directed by Beale;[39] she, Central Cee, and Kano then featured on a JD Sports Christmas advert, and she then released a remix of Fred Again's "Leavemealone".[40]
2024–present: Silence is Loud
[edit]In January 2024, she released "Crowded Roomz", a combination of jungle and indie rock[41] co-written and co-produced by Ethan P. Flynn[42] and about her experience of being surrounded by people while touring but still feeling unable to be herself; its music video featured Maverick Sabre,[40] who had previously featured on her Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall track "No Need 2 Be Sorry, Call Me?",[32] and Corbin Shaw.[40] The following month, she announced her debut album, Silence Is Loud, which was also co-written and co-produced by Flynn,[43] and released its title track, an ode to her love for her brother.[44] The album comprised her attempt at fusing jungle with Britpop, on the grounds that she had not heard the genre in dance music before.[20] She then collaborated with Shaw to release "Cheese Chips N Bloody Gravy", a piece of merchandise, and then in March 2024 she released "Unfinished Business", about a current partner's feelings for their past.[45] Silence is Loud was released in April 2024,[46] and featured "Silence is Loud", "Crowded Roomz", "Unfinished Business",[36] and "So Tell Me..." and "Forbidden Feelingz" from previous EPs;[47] the album charted at No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart[48] and was nominated for that year's Mercury Prize.[49]
Artistry
[edit]"I've been massively inspired by Burial when it comes to my own music – I'm literally obsessed with him, it's unhealthy! I follow the subreddit and I'm deep in the Burial world; I've got a massive poster of the Untrue artwork on my wall. But I would say he's been a massive inspiration just because, for me as a producer, I look at him as a great case study of somebody who chose to be anonymous and didn't reveal so much about himself publicly. But if you listen to his music, you can find out so much about his personality: what he likes and what he's into… video games, films and just his own personal music preferences. I really like that he details his personality within the production without actually saying things in words. You just need to listen to get an idea of who he is."
When producing, Hunt takes inspiration from the classic era of jungle, between 1992 and 1996.[9] She is massively inspired by Burial;[13] in an interview with Crack in November 2022, she stated that she first discovered his album Untrue (2007) when she was "17 or 18" and listened to the album on loop after moving to London, that she submitted an essay about him while at university, that she was specifically inspired by the personality he put into his work, and that she was inspired to sample Columbo and "Young Lover" on "Forbidden Feelingz" and "18 & Over" by him.[50] In an interview with the BBC in January 2023, she stated that she was inspired by Maya Angelou's conversion of pain into poetry; she first became interested in her via Liz's community school, would refer frequently to her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as a child,[11] and would sample her poem And Still I Rise on her Forbidden Feelingz album track "Ode 2 Maya Angelou".[27] In addition, the songwriting on Silence Is Loud took inspiration from The Beatles, Blur, and Oasis.[51]
Reviewing Forbidden Feelingz, Pitchfork described her voice as "indebted to the jazzy licks of Erykah Badu and Nina Simone", and with "a soulful lilt and lyrics from the sunnier sides of reggae music".[27] In June 2023, Gauchoworld described Hunt, Piri & Tommy, and PinkPantheress as "at the forefront of the "bedroom rave" movement",[52]: 64 and in September 2023, Clash described her as one of the leaders of the post-2020 drum and bass revival alongside Venbee, Charlotte Plank, and Piri,[9] the last of whom used a January 2024 The Guardian piece to state that the success of both Archives and Yunè Pinku was inspirational in her choosing to become a producer herself.[53] Additionally, Alexis Petridis used a Silence is Loud review to observe that Hunt occupied a "roughly equivalent" position to Goldie, a 1990s jungle musician, describing both as a "striking, charismatic figurehead for a genre traditionally lacking in striking, charismatic figures", and that on Silence is Loud, Hunt was "unafraid to tether her breakbeats to a pounding four-to-the-floor kick drum, a move that would have been absolutely verboten in 90s jungle"; he also noted that Forbidden Feelingz and Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall posited Hunt as a "weightier counterpoint" to the works of PinkPantheress.[36]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [54] | ||
| Silence Is Loud |
|
16 |
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK Dance [54] | ||
| Headz Gone West |
|
— |
| Forbidden Feelingz | — | |
| Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall |
|
1 |
| Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall (Remixes)[55] |
|
— |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Dance [54] |
UK Down. [54] |
NZ Hot [56] | ||||
| "Sober Feels"[57] | 2020 | — | — | — | Headz Gone West | |
| "Don't Kid Urself"[57] | — | — | — | |||
| "Headz Gone West"[57] | 2021 | — | — | — | ||
| "Forbidden Feelingz"[57] | — | — | — | Forbidden Feelingz | ||
| "18 & Over"[57] | — | — | — | |||
| "Luv Like"[57] | 2022 | — | — | — | ||
| "Mash Up the Dance" (with Watch the Ride) |
— | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "No Time" (with CLIPZ and Beenie Man featuring Cristale and ShaSimone) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Baianá"[57] | 40 | — | — |
|
Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall | |
| "So Tell Me..."[57] | — | 89 | — | |||
| "Conveniency"[57] | 2023 | — | — | 29 | ||
| "Off Wiv Ya Headz"[57] | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Bad Gyalz"[57] | — | — | 18 | |||
| "Crowded Roomz"[57] | 2024 | — | — | 25 | Silence Is Loud | |
| "Silence Is Loud"[57] | — | — | — | |||
| "Unfinished Business"[57] | — | — | — | |||
| "Cards On The Table"[57] | — | — | — | |||
| "Get Loose" (with Cheetah)[59] |
2025 | — | — | — | TBA | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Guest appearances
[edit]| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Move On" | 2021 | Zeitgeist | Future Symptoms, Vol. 1 |
| "The Now" | Chimpo, Abnormal Sleepz | Outside | |
| "Setting" | Reek0 | Good Dreams | |
| "Consume Me" | none | Beautiful Presents: Beautiful Vol. 1 | |
| "Patience" | 2022 | Mall Grab | What I Breathe |
Remixes
[edit]| Title | Year | Original artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Blue Denim Jeans" (Nia Archives Remix) | 2021 | p-rallel, Lauren Faith |
| "Magpie" (Nia Archives Remix) (featuring Phoebs and Congo Natty) |
Lava La Rue | |
| "Monarchy" (Nia Archives Remix) | Lucy Tun | |
| "Nineteen" (Nia Archives Remix) | 2022 | PinkPantheress |
| "Where Are You Now" (Nia Archives Remix) | Danny L Harle, DJ Danny | |
| "Burn Dem Bridges" (Nia Archives Edit) | Skin On Skin | |
| "Little Things" (Nia Archives Remix) | 2023 | Jorja Smith |
| "Leavemealone" (Nia Archives Remix) | Fred Again, Baby Keem | |
| "Waited All Night" (Nia Archives Remix) (featuring Romy and Oliver Sim) |
2024 | Jamie xx |
| "Illegal" (Nia Archives Remix) | 2025 | PinkPantheress |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Music Introducing | 2022 | Artist of the Year | Nia Archives | Won | [60] |
| BBC Sound of... | 2023 | BBC Sound of 2023 | Third | [61] | |
| Brit Awards | 2023 | Rising Star | Nominated | [62] | |
| DJ Mag | 2022 | Best Breakthrough DJ | Won | [63] | |
| Mercury Prize | 2024 | Best Album | Silence Is Loud | Nominated | [49] |
| MOBO Awards | 2022 | Best Newcomer | Nia Archives | Nominated | [64] |
| Best Dance/Electronic Act | Won | ||||
| 2023 | Nominated | [65] | |||
| NME Awards | 2022 | Best Producer | Won | [66] | |
| UK Music Video Awards | 2024 | Best Colour Grading in a Video – Newcomer | "Unfinished Business" | Nominated | [67] |
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- ^ "DJ Mag Best of British awards 2022: the winners". DJ Mag. 19 December 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Krol, Charlotte (1 December 2022). "MOBO Awards 2022: Little Simz, Knucks, Central Cee, PinkPantheress and Jamal Edwards among winners". NME. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Vinter, Robyn (7 February 2024). "Mobo awards 2024: Central Cee tops winners thanks to megahit Sprinter". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ Campbell, Erica (2 March 2022). "Nia Archives wins Best Producer Supported By BandLab at the BandLab NME Awards 2022". NME. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "UK Music Video Awards 2024: all the nominations for this year's UKMVAs". Promonews. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- Nia Archives discography at Discogs
- Nia Archives at IMDb
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Nia Archives
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
1999–2016: Childhood and family background
Dehaney Nia Lishahn Hunt was born in September 1999 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to a family of mixed Jamaican and English heritage; she is a third-generation descendant of Windrush immigrants, with her grandmother having arrived from Jamaica as a teenager.[7][1] Growing up in a working-class household, she grew up with her two brothers and was primarily raised by her grandmother, who had operated a pirate radio station and sound system in Bradford, fostering an environment steeped in music from an early age.[7][8] Her mother was not musically inclined, while her stepfather, a rapper and producer, later introduced her to digital production tools like Logic software.[8] At around age seven, Hunt moved with her family from Bradford to Leeds, specifically to the suburb of Horsforth, where she navigated a predominantly white, rural setting as one of the few Black children in her school.[9][1] This relocation exposed her to a community marked by subtle racism and isolation, leading to personal challenges including bullying over her appearance—such as her braided hair at age 14—and feelings of shame about her racial identity during adolescence.[8][1] Despite these difficulties, she found solace in non-musical pursuits, emerging as a shy bookworm who started a school book club and excelled in English and music history during her GCSE studies, while also attending church.[9][8] Beginning around age 12, she began self-teaching music production using her stepfather's Logic software, laying early foundations for her creative path.[8] Hunt's early exposure to music came primarily through her family's record collection, which included reggae, rap, rocksteady, disco, dub, soul, and 1990s jungle and drum and bass tracks played by her grandmother and stepfather.[8][1] From age four, she sang gospel hymns at church alongside her nana, honing her natural sense of harmony, and later taught herself to play the cornet and piano on a broken family organ.[8][1] These influences, combined with local community events hinting at the area's emerging rave culture, laid the groundwork for her cultural identity without formal involvement in music production at the time.[10] By age 16 in 2015, Hunt left the family home amid these formative experiences, relocating to Manchester as a stepping stone toward greater independence.[9]2016–2019: Move to Manchester and initial music exploration
At the age of 16, Nia Archives relocated from her hometown in the Leeds area to Manchester, seeking independence amid family challenges and drawn to the city's vibrant urban creative environment.[11] This move marked a pivotal shift, as she navigated young adulthood on her own, initially sofa-surfing and immersing herself in the local nightlife to build connections.[12] Her family's roots in Bradford, where her grandmother operated a pirate radio station playing dub and soul, provided a foundational cultural influence on her emerging sound.[1] In Manchester, Archives turned to music as a therapeutic outlet, teaching herself production techniques through online tutorials and experimenting with digital audio workstations.[13] Inspired by the pulsating energy of local club scenes and the underground electronic culture, she began crafting beats that drew from 1990s jungle and drum and bass archives, sampling and reinterpreting classic elements to form her initial artistic persona.[11] This period of self-directed learning allowed her to blend personal storytelling with rhythmic experimentation, often processing turbulent emotions from her recent upheaval.[1] Archives quickly engaged with Manchester's grassroots music community, performing early DJ sets at small venues, squat raves, and house parties where mainstream clubs were inaccessible due to age restrictions. These informal gigs helped her cultivate a local following within the underground electronic scene, as she shared her mixes and gained confidence through audience interaction.[11] To support herself, she balanced intense part-time work—such as long shifts at fast-food outlets—with her creative pursuits, occasionally crossing paths with emerging industry contacts at these events.[13] This phase fostered significant personal growth, transforming her from a newcomer into a budding figure in the city's rave ecosystem.[14]Musical career
2019–2021: Breakthrough with early releases and Headz Gone West EP
Nia Archives began sharing her music online in 2019, uploading early tracks to SoundCloud under the alias Indigo D while honing her self-taught production skills developed during her time in Manchester. These initial releases, which fused elements of jungle and drum and bass with personal neo-soul influences, quickly garnered attention within underground electronic circles for their raw energy and innovative sampling techniques. By 2020, she released her debut single "Sober Feels" independently, a samba-infused track that highlighted her vocal abilities and marked her transition to professional output, accumulating significant plays on SoundCloud and establishing her presence in the UK bass scene.[15][16] Building on this momentum, Archives founded her own imprint, HIJINXX, and released her debut EP Headz Gone West on April 28, 2021. The five-track project, featuring the title track alongside "(Over)Thinking," "Crossroads," "Sober Feels," and "Don't Kid Urself," blended nostalgic jungle breaks and Amen rhythms with contemporary production flourishes, creating an atmospheric sound that evoked the genre's 1990s roots while pushing forward emotional, introspective themes. The EP received praise for revitalizing drum and bass, with critics noting its fresh perspective on the form and Archives' ability to merge archival samples from vintage vinyl with modern electronic textures. In interviews, she discussed her "archival approach," emphasizing how she sourced and reinterpreted samples from old-school jungle records to honor the genre's history while infusing it with her personal narrative.[17][18][8] During this period, Archives emerged on the live circuit with performances at UK events like the City Splash Festival in September 2021, where her sets captivated audiences with high-energy jungle selections that bridged underground raves and festival stages. She also began collaborating with fellow emerging UK producers in the drum and bass and jungle revival scene, contributing to remixes and shared bills that amplified her role as a key figure in the genre's resurgence. Critical reception positioned her as a vital new voice, with outlets highlighting how Headz Gone West captured the DIY ethos of early 1990s rave culture while appealing to a new generation seeking authentic, sample-driven innovation in electronic music.[19][20][21]2022: Forbidden Feelingz EP and rising recognition
In February 2022, Nia Archives released the single "Luv Like" via her own label HIJINXX, addressing her experiences with body dysmorphia through introspective lyrics layered over a relaxed guitar riff and drum 'n' bass beats.[22] This track served as a precursor to her sophomore EP, Forbidden Feelingz, which arrived on March 10, 2022, also through HIJINXX, and featured six tracks blending jungle, reggae, and soul elements.[22] Standout cuts included the title track "Forbidden Feelingz," with its laser-heavy sub-bass and rapid breakbeats, and "18 & Over," an energetic anthem sampling classic reggae riffs.[8] The EP built on the raw foundation of her 2021 debut Headz Gone West, delivering a more polished fusion of high-energy production and personal vulnerability.[23] Building on the momentum from her early releases, including the recent single "Luv Like," Archives won Best Producer at the 2022 BandLab NME Awards, held in early March. The EP's subsequent success earned widespread playlist placements on platforms like Spotify's "Massive Drum & Bass" and Apple Music selections curated by artists such as Elton John, who spotlighted "18 & Over."[8] It contributed to her accumulating millions of streams across tracks like "Forbidden Feelingz," which resonated with audiences amid the UK's jungle revival.[22] Media coverage surged following the EP's launch, with Pitchfork praising its "sharpness and intimacy" in a review that highlighted Archives' role in revitalizing jungle for contemporary listeners.[23] Mixmag featured her on its May 2022 cover as a leader of jungle's new era, noting endorsements from pioneers like Shy FX and Roni Size, who commended her innovative approach to the genre.[8] By November, The Guardian profiled her Brits Rising Star nomination, crediting Forbidden Feelingz for positioning her at the forefront of the drum 'n' bass resurgence.[24] Archives' rising profile translated to an expanded touring schedule in 2022, including festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Outlook in Croatia, All Points East, and a back-to-back set with Roni Size at Valley Fest, alongside a debut stint in Australia.[8] These performances showcased her ability to command crowds with high-octane DJ sets rooted in jungle's chaotic energy. In interviews, Archives discussed balancing raw emotional content in her lyrics—such as reflections on her strained relationship with her mother in "Crossroads" or body image struggles in "Luv Like"—with the upbeat, dancefloor-ready production that defines her sound.[8] She explained using jungle's intensity to mask vulnerability, stating, "I like to conceal the sadness... by filtering it through something chaotic," while crediting her basic laptop setup and family influences, like sampling her grandmother's love for cowboy films, for infusing tracks with authentic imperfection.[8]2023: MOBO Award win and Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall EP
Following her win for Best Electronic/Dance Act at the 2022 MOBO Awards in late 2022, where she performed live at the ceremony in London, Nia Archives solidified her prominence in the UK electronic scene.[25][26] The award, the first in its reinstated category after a 20-year hiatus, recognized her role in advocating for greater representation of dance music within the MOBO framework, building on the momentum from her 2022 Forbidden Feelingz EP.[14] On March 10, 2023, Archives released her third EP, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall, via HIJINXX/Island Records, featuring six tracks that blended high-energy jungle breaks with neo-soul melodies and experimental fusions.[27] Standout songs like "Baianá," which sampled Barbatuques' vocal hooks over rapid percussion, and "Conveniency," with its introspective lyrics and live-recorded elements, showcased her signature "emotional junglist" style, incorporating guitar riffs and organic instrumentation to evoke personal vulnerability amid rave euphoria.[28] Critics praised the EP for its depth, with Pitchfork highlighting its "irresistible melodies" and ability to merge 1990s jungle nostalgia with contemporary emotional resonance, earning it an 8.0 rating and positioning Archives as a key figure in the genre's revival.[28] The EP's success fueled a wave of sold-out UK headline shows, including her April 1 performance at Dublin's Button Factory, as demand surged for her high-octane live sets blending DJing with vocal performances. This domestic momentum extended internationally, with Archives making her Coachella debut in April 2023 on the Sonora Stage, where she delivered a set of crowd-favorite tracks like "Mash Up the Dance," drawing widespread acclaim for energizing festival audiences with jungle anthems.[29] She also appeared at European festivals such as London's City Splash and Bristol's Love Saves the Day, expanding her reach across the continent.[30] Throughout 2023, press coverage emphasized Archives' contribution to reintroducing 1990s jungle to Gen Z listeners, with outlets like the BBC crediting her for infusing the genre with modern themes of mental health and identity, making it accessible and emotionally layered for younger ravers while honoring its underground roots.[14] The New York Times noted her sets as pivotal in drum-and-bass's resurgence, attracting diverse crowds to clubs and festivals alike.[11]2024: Debut album Silence is Loud and international touring
In early 2024, Nia Archives signed with Island Records through her own HIJINXX imprint, marking her transition to major-label backing while retaining creative control. Her debut studio album, Silence Is Loud, was released on April 12, 2024, comprising 13 tracks that fuse jungle rhythms with elements of R&B, pop, and Britpop influences. The album builds on the introspective style previewed in her prior Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall EP, expanding into more narrative-driven songwriting over high-energy breakbeats. Standout tracks include "Crowded Roomz," which addresses feelings of isolation and social anxiety amid crowds through raw, personal lyrics like "I feel so lonely, especially in crowded rooms," and "Tell Me That You're Sorry," a reflective piece exploring regret and emotional reconciliation in relationships. These songs highlight Archives' thematic focus on mental health struggles and interpersonal dynamics, delivered with her signature neo-soul vocals layered over intricate production. Commercially, Silence Is Loud debuted and peaked at No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart, her first entry on the main listing. Critics praised its emotional depth and genre-blending innovation, with NME awarding it four stars for its "reflective jungle from an essential new star" and Billboard highlighting its role in revitalizing UK jungle for global audiences. To promote the album, Archives released official videos for tracks like "Crowded Roomz" and "Unfinished Business," emphasizing vivid storytelling and her evolving aesthetic. In interviews, she discussed shifting from her DIY roots—where she self-produced early releases to prove her skills—to a more polished sound enabled by label resources, while underscoring her commitment to authentic, party-starting jungle. This period culminated in her extensive Junglists Worldwide Tour, a 28-date run spanning the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, including a high-profile slot at Glastonbury Festival's West Holts Stage on June 30, 2024, and a performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 3, 2024.2025–present: Launch of Up Ya Archives label and new collaborations
In April 2025, Nia Archives announced the launch of her independent record label, Up Ya Archives, dedicated to supporting emerging artists in the jungle and electronic music scenes.[5] The imprint serves as a platform for her to explore her creative vision while uplifting new voices in the genre, drawing on the success of her 2024 debut album Silence Is Loud to fund this entrepreneurial venture.[31] The label's inaugural release, "Get Loose (Acapella Mix)" featuring Bristol-based jungle artist Cheetah, arrived on May 23, 2025.[32] This soca-infused track celebrates carefree party culture and soundsystem energy, with Archives describing it as "about getting loose with the gang" and prioritizing fun over external pressures.[31] Following the single's drop, Archives headlined the Love Saves The Day festival in Bristol on May 25, 2025, where she showcased material from the label alongside her solo set, marking a pivotal moment in her shift toward curating a collective sound.[33] Building on this momentum, Archives collaborated with producer Clipz on the single "Maia Maia," released via Up Ya Archives on September 19, 2025.[34] The track draws inspiration from Notting Hill Carnival's vibrant atmosphere, blending high-energy jungle rhythms with playful, festival-ready vocals; it represents their second joint effort and underscores Archives' commitment to fostering partnerships within the UK bass scene.[35] Later that summer, Archives performed at the Pohoda Festival in Trenčín, Slovakia, on July 11, 2025, delivering a set that highlighted Up Ya Archives tracks and previewed upcoming label projects.[36] In interviews around this period, she emphasized the label's role in artist empowerment, stating her intent to mentor rising talent by providing creative freedom and resources often unavailable in major-label environments.[37] Looking ahead, Archives has outlined plans for dedicated label showcases, including events at venues like The Lot Radio, to spotlight new signees and expand the imprint's reach in the global jungle revival.[38]Artistic style and influences
Musical influences and genre evolution
Nia Archives' music is deeply rooted in the 1990s UK jungle scene, drawing primary inspiration from pioneers such as Goldie, Shy FX, and LTJ Bukem, whose experimental approaches to breakbeats and atmospheric elements inform her neo-jungle sound.[9] Growing up in Bradford, she was exposed to these artists through her grandmother's soundsystem, which played tracks by Goldie, Roni Size, and Shy FX during family gatherings, embedding jungle's raw energy and subcultural ethos into her early listening experiences.[14] This foundation is evident in her tracks, where she samples and reinterprets classic jungle breaks to evoke the genre's origins while infusing modern emotional depth. Beyond jungle, Archives incorporates soulful influences like Erykah Badu, whose jazzy vocal licks and introspective style shape her own singing, blending seamlessly with the high-energy rhythms of drum and bass.[8] Grime elements also play a role, stemming from her early experiments with rap beats and exposure to West Yorkshire MCs, adding a gritty, narrative-driven layer to her productions.[9] These diverse inspirations contribute to her neo-jungle style, which evolves the genre by making it more accessible through crossover appeal and heartfelt lyrics, as seen in releases like the Forbidden Feelingz EP.[8] Archives embodies an archival approach to jungle preservation, frequently referencing and digitizing elements from 90s vinyl records, such as tumbling breakbeats and rave aesthetics, to bridge historical and contemporary production.[9] She has described this method as a way to honor the past, stating, "I reference the past all the time," which positions her as a custodian of the genre's legacy.[9] This evolution transforms jungle from its underground rave roots—characterized by intense, communal warehouse parties—into a globally resonant electronic form that emphasizes personal storytelling and emotional vulnerability.[39] The cultural context of Northern England's rave scene profoundly impacts Archives' identity and output, with her move to Manchester immersing her in a vibrant community of squat raves and soundsystem culture that fostered her sense of belonging and artistic confidence.[8] From Leeds' West Indian Carnival heritage to Bradford's local junglist gatherings, this regional landscape reinforces her commitment to revitalizing jungle as a Northern-led movement, countering its historical London-centrism and amplifying underrepresented voices in the scene.[9] Through this lens, Archives not only traces jungle's history but actively propels its progression into a more inclusive, narrative-rich iteration.[14]Production techniques and thematic elements
Nia Archives employs a production style heavily reliant on breakbeats and amen loops, which form the rhythmic backbone of her tracks, evoking the high-energy chaos of jungle music while integrating modern twists. She often layers these elements with crystalline synths for atmospheric depth and acoustic instruments such as muted guitars or double bass to add warmth and texture, creating a hybrid sound that blends electronic intensity with organic feel. Live vocals are a signature feature, delivered in a raw, emotive manner that contrasts the frenetic percussion, as seen in her use of soulful ad-libs and melodic hooks to drive the narrative forward.[1][8][9] Her songwriting process is deeply autobiographical, drawing from personal experiences to craft lyrics that explore isolation, unrequited love, and the escapist allure of raves as a refuge from emotional turmoil. These themes are conveyed through a melodic, neo-soul-inflected vocal style reminiscent of artists like Amy Winehouse, emphasizing vulnerability and introspection over aggressive delivery. In her work, recurring motifs of mental health struggles—such as body dysmorphia and familial pressures—are intertwined with expressions of Northern pride, celebrating her Bradford and Leeds roots as a source of resilience and cultural identity. This thematic focus extends to genre preservation, where album structures mirror the communal spirit of 90s rave culture, structuring tracks to build from intimate reflections to euphoric releases that honor jungle's underground legacy.[40][1][8] Archives' collaboration approach involves partnering with vocalists and remixers to broaden drum and bass's sonic palette, incorporating diverse samples like Brazilian choirs or reggae influences to push genre boundaries while maintaining its core energy. Post-2022, her production evolved from lo-fi home setups using basic Logic software on a laptop—where "happy accidents" added character—to more polished studio sessions with professional engineers, allowing for refined layering and broader experimentation without losing her DIY ethos. This progression reflects a maturation in her craft, enabling deeper emotional expression across her releases.[9][40][8]Discography
Studio albums
Nia Archives released her debut studio album, Silence Is Loud, on 12 April 2024 through Hijinxx and Island Records, marking her first full-length project after a series of EPs that built her profile in the drum and bass scene. The album features 13 tracks blending nostalgic 90s jungle influences with modern production, exploring themes of self-discovery, heritage, and emotional resilience, and was primarily produced by Archives with co-production from Ethan P. Flynn. It received critical acclaim for its energetic soundscapes and personal lyricism, with contributions from guest vocalists Rico Nasty on "Off Wiv Ya Headz", Miraa May on "Fuck All Y'all", and Nylo on "Tell Me What It Is". Mixing was handled by Nathan Boddy, with additional production from Jakwob on select tracks.Track listing
All tracks are written by Nia Archives, except where noted.| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Silence Is Loud" | 2:37 | |
| 2. | "Cards On The Table" | 2:56 | |
| 3. | "Unfinished Business" | 3:16 | |
| 4. | "Crowded Roomz" | 2:52 | |
| 5. | "Forbidden Feelingz" | 2:46 | |
| 6. | "Blind Devotion" | 1:47 | |
| 7. | "Off Wiv Ya Headz" (featuring Rico Nasty) | Archives, Maria-Cecilia Simone | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Fuck All Y'all" (featuring Miraa May) | Archives, Miraa May | 3:15 |
| 9. | "Tell Me What It Is" (featuring Nylo) | Archives, Nylo | 3:40 |
| 10. | "20/20" | 3:18 | |
| 11. | "I Am" | 3:35 | |
| 12. | "So Cool" | 2:55 | |
| 13. | "Rez" | 4:02 |
Personnel
- Nia Archives – vocals, production (all tracks)
- Rico Nasty – featured vocals (track 7)
- Miraa May – featured vocals (track 8)
- Nylo – featured vocals (track 9)
- Ethan P. Flynn – keyboards, synthesizer, guitars, bass, co-production (various tracks)
- Nathan Boddy – mixing, programming (various tracks)
- Jakwob – additional production, mixing (select tracks)
- Ed Thomas – guitar (select tracks)
- Felix Stephens – cello (select tracks)