NAV on Music, Creativity and What Comes Next
For Canadian rapper, singer and producer NAV, music has always been as much about the process of creating as it has been about the finished record. Long before international recognition, chart success and collaborations with some of hip-hop's biggest names, he was experimenting with beats, engineering tracks and developing a sound that would eventually take him from working behind the scenes to becoming an artist in his own right.
Yet despite his success, NAV's approach to making music remains surprisingly uncomplicated. A laptop, a microphone and a good set of headphones are often all he needs. His creative instincts remain rooted in those early days, particularly the friendships that helped shape his career. Among them is fellow musician Frost, whose longstanding relationship with NAV has come full circle with their collaboration on Pop My Shit, a track that captures the energy of two friends making music together without losing sight of where they started. More recently, NAV has continued that collaborative momentum with WOAH, featuring Young Thug, released in September to coincide with the New Generation Tour.
Speaking to Vingt Sept Magazine during his time in London, NAV reflects on his Punjabi heritage, the evolution of his sound and why creative chemistry matters more than industry connections. From the excitement of performing in front of 18,000 people in his hometown of Toronto to releasing WOAH alongside Young Thug and joining him on the North American leg of the New Generation Tour, he discusses the experiences that continue to shape his music, the artists he hopes to collaborate with and why, after years in the industry, producing remains his first love.
You’ve spoken about music being around you from a very young age through your family. Before you knew you wanted to be an artist, what did you think you were actually going to do with your life?
Honestly, I don’t think I had any plan. I was so bad in school as a kid that I was just focused on getting through middle school and high school. That was such a big obstacle for me.
You started behind the scenes as a producer and engineer before stepping forward as an artist. What made you realise that you had something to say with your own voice?
Basically, when I wasn’t able to make beats, I felt like I had to create a vocal instead. I would record a vocal, make the beat around it, mute the vocal and then try to give the beat to other rappers. I did a song and tried to give it to one of my friends as a songwriter, but he was like, “You can put this out. You sound really good on it. I can’t do it the way you did it, so you should put it out.”
That’s where the transition happened. I thought about releasing the song for a couple of weeks before I finally put out my first song.
Pop My Shit with Frost has such a bold, celebratory energy. What was happening in your life creatively when you made the record, and what kind of mood were you trying to capture?
As I mentioned, early in my career, I started off making beats, and one of my best friends back then was actually Frost, who was the rapper. At the time, I was the engineer and producer, while he was writing songs. “Pop My Shit” was one of the songs he started writing, and we ended up finishing it together.
I kept him on the record because I know he cares about the music, he sounds good on it, I sound good on it, and it has that really turned-up energy. That’s basically how the decision came about.
Frost has been part of your musical life since the very beginning, and now you’re releasing this track together. What does making a record with someone who knew you before the fame bring out of you creatively?
An excited energy. We really want to make music as good as we can, so nobody can say anything about it. It’s really exciting.
It’s cool when you meet artists and do features with them and get money together, but it’s way cooler when you do it with someone who is your personal friend.
You've gone from making music with basic equipment to now having access to the best studios and technology available. Is your creative process easier now, or have the better resources simply created bigger expectations for yourself?
We don't use any of those fancy outboard gear that you see with all those knobs. I'm just plugging in my laptop, and sometimes I just work with headphones, so we basically just use the speakers and the microphone.
Traditional studios have all those big keyboards and things, but I don’t really need that.
You've said that you love London, and you're back here with this new run of music. What's one thing about spending time in the city that you genuinely enjoy that has nothing to do with performing or work?
I like the scenery, the city; I like the food, the fashion. There's so much to do, and the food is so much cleaner and regulated here. I feel that when I eat over here, I feel better than when I'm in America.
Your Punjabi identity has become an increasingly important part of your international story. Was representing your community something you consciously set out to do when you started your music career?
It's a great position to be in, but that wasn't the reason why I started my music career, but I'm glad to be in the position that I am today.
You’ve spent a lot of your career having other people define what NAV is supposed to sound like. Now that you’re starting a completely new project, whose opinion do you genuinely want in the room?
The same person I made my favourite record with - Frost.
You’ve worked with artists from very different generations, genres and scenes. What makes you want to collaborate with someone? Is it their sound, their personality, their ambition, or something you can’t really explain?
There's definitely something you can't explain, but I need to be a fan of their music. I feel like we need to learn something from the experience of working together, like you can bring something to the table, and I’ll bring something to the table to create something different.
You’re joining Young Thug on the North American leg of the New Generation tour. What are you hoping this tour gives you creatively that you couldn’t get from being in the studio?
Just the feeling of performing your music and seeing the fans reacting. It motivates you to keep making more music.
There’s also a lot of community and young artists on the tour that Young Thug has recently signed. Being around that young energy and creative energy every day, I feel like I’m going to make a lot of music on tour.
You’ve toured extensively. Is there one particular show that stands out as especially memorable, where you really felt connected to the audience?
Probably when I played at an arena in Toronto, there were about 18000 people. Everybody was there for me for that show. My family were in a suite, almost like a private box, and my parents were watching the people going crazy. That was probably my most memorable show.
Is there anyone on your wish list that you’d still love to work with?
Quite a few, and most of them are female artists like SZA, but then I'd like to also work with people like Bad Bunny too.
How do you think your music has evolved from your earlier work, such as Price on My Head, to what you’re doing now?
With my old music, I didn’t really know how to use microphones properly. Sometimes the microphone would be pointed at my nose instead of my mouth, or I wouldn’t pay attention to whether I was too close or too far away, or whether the levels were set correctly.
I’ve learned a lot about microphones over the years. If you listen to my old music, especially from around the time I first started, you’ll hear the difference in the vocal quality, especially in the new stuff. And ultimately that's something that comes with constant work and experience.
You’ve been spending time with UK artists while you’re here. People from my generation in the garage and early grime scenes were making beats on game consoles such as PlayStation. What were you making your beats on when you were younger, before you had access to all this technology?
I started out with Reason, and then I started rewiring using Logic Pro.
Then, when I came into the industry and started working with a lot of people all the time, it was FL Studio, so I had to learn FL Studio.
I also recorded myself for a long time, so I learned how to use Pro Tools too. I know how to use about four or five programs.
What comes easiest to you: performing, producing or writing lyrics?
Producing. Writing lyrics is kind of easy too, but it’s more demanding because you have to think about, “What am I going to say, and how are people going to react to this?”
Whereas making music feels like you’re playing a video game, you know what I’m saying? It’s really easy and fun. You can make one in a day.
That’s probably what comes easiest to me.
POP MY SHIT and WOAH are out now
Photographer Zekaria Al-Bostani
Editor & Words Jheanelle Feanny
Grooming by Charli Avery
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