Melody & Muse

Nov 30th 2025

FEAR NF PREVIEW   ​

Wow! NF has always been a prolific creator and voice in the world of music and this recent project further proves that. 'Fear' has been stuck in my head and spoke so much to many of the internal struggles and questions I've wrestled with in my own journey. It's so cathartic to see an artist express something so vulnerable in a relatable and compelling way. My love goes out to Nate and to anyone who relates. Fear has it's way with all of us in some form in our lives and can feel overwhelming at times. I can't think of anything much better than turning that fear into art and something meaningful to others. Not denying the fear but instead leveraging it, alchemising it into something beautiful.

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her (feat. Annika Wells & Ka... JVKE, Annika Wells, Kaden Ha... PREVIEW   ​

There is just something so magical about this song. Especially this version, created via na open verse challenge on TikTok where Annika and Kaden made their own verse ideas and JVKE chose theirs out of thousands to be on the official release. It's such an uplifting and refreshing sound with a story that speaks to how life can change when you least expect it, when you feel lost or as though things surely couldn't workout but yet somehow they do, you just need to keep going and trust.

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Little Jack Frost Kate Rusby PREVIEW   ​

This one is a very special song to me. A real throwback to my childhood. It's fairly unknown to most but somehow came my way growing up. Kate Rusby has such a soothing voice and the instrumentation speaks to my Scottish heart. It makes me feel home, feel warm even if the outside world feels cold and the frost bites in the winter wind.
Part of me wasn't sure if I should feature this song as it's out of the usual style and direction that I lean into but then I remembered that that is the whole point of this newsletter. To share the melodies and musings that shape me. For me this is a song I can count on to reconnect me with my soul, the reason music carries the meaning it does for me. During the colder months of the year, now that we are heading straight towards a new year, I find it important to slow down a bit, recalibrate and reflect on all that has been this year and what was special about it. To create a space of stillness and warmth. Music like this takes me right there.

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Marcel Proust

'The real voyage in discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes" by

I realise evermore that how you look at what you see and experience in life is as important, if not more important than what is actually there.

Shakespeare

“Expectation is the root of all heartache.”

It’s wild how much our expectations shape the way we feel about our lives, our “successes,” and our “failures.” I’m seeing it firsthand right now with the growth of Nyx on streaming platforms and social media. It’s incredible to watch, truly, but with that comes the quiet pressure that it should keep rising, keep performing, that whatever I create next needs to match or surpass it to be considered “successful.”
But the only expectation that actually serves me is the expectation of unpredictability. You can’t control the outside world, culture, or timing. All you can do is show up as a vessel for the creative act and trust that whatever magic is meant to move through you will.

Childish Gambino / Donald Glover

“People who are afraid to be themselves will work for people who aren’t.”

It’s a confronting idea, but the older I get, the truer it feels. The more space you carve out to be yourself genuinely, the more agency and freedom you create in your own life. If you don’t shape your time, your voice, your path, someone else will gladly shape it for you.

I don’t know what exactly gives someone the courage to be themselves, except maybe witnessing others who already are. Their honesty creates a kind of permission. The process doesn’t have to be dramatic or sudden, it happens step by step, moment by moment, through small acts of self-honesty.

Being yourself demands courage. It means being willing to be judged, misunderstood, or misrepresented by people who never really looked long enough to see you clearly. Because when you choose not to be yourself, even if people love the version you create for them, they’re not actually loving you. They’re loving a character you’re performing, and that kind of validation only deepens the loneliness.

Authenticity invites the right people in. It filters out the noise and creates room for real connection. And in work, in music, in career, the same truth applies. The more you stand as who you are, the more your life begins to align around that honesty. It's a really tough thing to get good at and requires consistent work but it's worth it and I remind myself of that very often.

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Succeeding in Music Without Selling Your Soul - Jon Bellion

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Two of my favourite creators from completely separate worlds collide here. Two people I genuinely look up to for their honesty and authenticity, for sharing their humanness alongside their excellence.

In this discussion, Jon and Chris explore topics I think every human should be aware of, especially artists. They talk about the value of the small things, the simple things, and how the real good stuff in life often lives there. At the same time, they acknowledge that you cannot always create from a place of pure artistry if you want to survive, support yourself and thrive as a creative. There is a constant balancing act between working for utility and working for soul, and there is room for both. Accepting that reality helps you navigate the music industry and any creative world with both your heart and your head intact, working together instead of fighting each other.

It is easy to fall into music elitism and believe that only work which is deep, nuanced or technically complex is worthy. It is easy to think that anything formulaic or predictable is lesser, even when it connects with millions.

It is equally easy to go in the opposite direction and lose sight of depth entirely, seeing music only as a machine for money, fame and numbers, and believing that success only counts when it wins awards or tops charts.

But what if both perspectives have value, and both can coexist.

To me, a truly skilled musician is someone who can recognise the importance of each path. Someone who can respect and even pursue both directions depending on what they are creating. Someone who can be honest about what they want from their music, where their strengths are and where they feel less at home, without criticising the approach that feels unfamiliar.

Understanding this dance feels like a powerful way to hold soul, musicality and utility all at once, without losing yourself in the process.

Sleep Token - Blood Sport (from the room below)

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It hurts so good.

The Lord of the Rings is a MASTERCLASS in Theme Writing

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One of my favourites broken down by one of my favourite music youtubers

Where in your journey have you started to drift from who you are and what would it look like to gently guide yourself back home this month?

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In the colder months, as the year draws to a close and the nights grow darker, I find it meaningful to ask which parts of myself I would be grateful to reconnect with. For me, it is playing music live in real time and moving my body in ways that feel replenishing. These last few months have been filled with deep work on production and promotion, a lot of sitting still and then training intensely. Now my body is asking for slowness, gentleness and more free-flowing movement, and I look forward to answering that call.
What is your journey asking of you right now?

An awesome Home Studio build I helped out with!

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I've been diving deep into creativity again and one of the spaces I've been working in regularly is the home studio of my good friend and artist Finn HP. He has always had a stellar eye for aesthetics and it shows in his videos. He poured a lot of time and dedication into making his space beautiful for music creation and I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the process of transforming this space into a creative haven. I can't wait to make more music with Finn in there and share it with the world.