This one is dedicated to all of the (hopeless) romantics out there. The people who have been scorned by love, but haven’t given up on love. The people who above all love themselves enough to demand respect in a relationship, or have the strength to walk away from something unfulfilling. This is the culmination of Toronto’s own singer, Nadri Nami. This genre of people is who this artist writes music for. And for those introspectives who enjoy cognitively connecting over music and storytelling.
For this interview, we found our artist on a day that was a bit different from normal. Unfortunately, the artist was dealing with a very fresh breakup. So this day was declared a “purging day”. Nadri prefers to deal with her emotions from a logical standpoint instead of crying. But today was a day where she had to slow down and hold space for herself to feel those emotions and let the tears flow. And what’s her go-to post-breakup self-care routine? Grounding herself with women talk shows and podcasts discussing the throes of heartbreak.
It’s clear that Nadri Nami, formerly know as Oshanna, possesses a genuine and transparent vibe that can be felt both through her music and when you speak with her. Take one listen to her catalog and it’s clear that this is an artist you need to have on your radar for the years to come. She’s a trailblazer, carving her own path in the music industry. She can appreciate the great artists she grew up listening to like Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, B2K, as well as artists of newer generations like Kehlani and Jhené Aiko. She even admired the late great Michael Jackson’s style of big production in his entertainment. But when it comes down to it, Nadri makes sure to not be influenced by anyone else. She strives to pave her own way.
“I always try to… not have any idols”
Through the practice of years of dedication, Nadri has evolving into an r&b powerhouse in the making. Her career can be traced as far back as 2011, with youtube videos she would post of her doing covers of classics like “Marvin’s Room” by Drake and “Knock You Down” by Shaunee. She’s gone back to her roots in recent years, dropping covers of Libianca’s “People” and “Folded” by Kehlani. And as far as the latter, it looks like things are coming full circle. Nadri Nami has plans in motion to work with the producer from Kehlani’s song of the year “Folded”.
Nadri describes the start of her career as her being on “autopilot”. Her first songs were the outcome of her just recording and getting comfortable with the process.
“I had a voice and I knew how to connect with it”
But even before she started recording music, she’s been writing since she was a child. She describes these early writings as “songs that’ll probably never be released”. In 2019 is when Nadri really started to be intentional with her writing, performing, and taking her craft seriously. But with her first released song, she signed a bad deal. This is an obstacle that many up and coming artists can unfortunately relate to. But she didn’t let that stop her in her tracks. She starting doing things her own way.
Through these early stages of her career, there are plenty of unreleased songs she’s created. Although they have the potential to eventually be released, Nadri questions whether she wants to feel those feelings again. And this really just speaks to her staying real to the creative process. Writing music is like journaling for Nadri, giving her an opportunity to vent and express herself. And it’s clear her writing game is on point. Currently, her favorite way to write music is by getting in the studio and building with her favorite engineer. They set aside time for a whole day and go build on top of unfinished beats and loops. She describes working with her engineer as a “natural flow” where ideas can pour out.
Fast forward to January 2025 and we’ve seen a pivotal milestone in her career. You see, Nadri Nami used to go by the Oshanna. She had gone a year without any music releases or recordings. The artist began to question what she wanted her sound to be like and what of her artist brand is she ready to either implement or remove. This name change was more than just signing legal documentation and changing her instagram handle. No, this name change was accompanied by a persona change. And can you blame her? We’re humans and humans change. Even though it can oftentimes be hard to accept change, it’s a healthy aspect of life. For this singer, she had entered a new era of life and wanted to separate her current self from a older version of herself. This is the creation story of the artist we know today as Nadri Nami.
“I was attached to a persona of an older version of myself”
Nadri is Toronto-born & Brampton raised. She says the music scene in Toronto is popping, naming big talents like Drake and Jessie Reyez. But unfortunately, Nadri says there’s still a lot of underdogs in the city. These include Yoko Gold, MVP MARIAH, Bugatti Bonsu, and so many more. Even with all of this talent flowing throughout the Canadian city, Nadri feels that for true success as an artist, you have to fly out to other cities and countries to receive the recognition your talent deserves.
“We don’t get enough love here [in Toronto]”
Now that you’ve gotten a chance to meet Nadri Nami, let’s dive into the exciting announcement that is the release of her newest single “Tradition”. This soulful record with slight Caribbean vibes is a redefinition of love and self-worth. It tells the story of a woman caught in a cycle of broken promises and emotional highs and lows. Through the power of self-love, she is able to find the strength to walk away and choose herself.
“Letting go can be the most powerful form of self-love”
In these heartfelt lyrics, you can feel the sort of, tug and pull of deciding whether to stay in this unfulfilling relationship or leaving it. And it truly opens up the question, what does it really take for a person to finally walk away from a negative relationship? Nadri wrote this song from a place of experience and has perspective to offer. According to her, “it takes a lot of self-awareness, it takes a lot of healing”. Having the strength to walk away starts when you’re still in the relationship. Nadri had to reflect on her own issues she was bringing into the relationship. This was actually the motivation for her to start going to therapy. And although she’ll always have love for the individual “Tradition” is inspired by, she came to the conclusion that the relationship altogether had too many issues for her to stay.
This is a beautiful and often relatable life lesson presented by the artist. Many of us may find ourselves in a predicament where we love someone but the way that they love us is simply not fulfilling. And while love is a bond that will make you want to stay, it’s true love to walk away from that situation, or even be the person to let someone go.
But how does the song title relate to the premise of the song? At her core, Nadri is a traditional person when it comes to relationships. She believes in marriage and love and values a 2 parent household. The song partly stems from her being in an untraditional relationship. They were growing apart because of their desire of different things: a traditional or non-traditional relationship. Nadri feels that her need for a traditional relationship stems from her lack of that model in her own family while growing up.
Nadri Nami is a refreshing blend of vulnerability and soulful vocals. In the world of “microwave music”, I appreciate the depth and relatability of her lyrics. Her newest single “Tradition” is a true testament to her talent. From the opening sample that immediately captures your attention to the slight island bounce. All wrapped up in powerful vocals and great song writing. I guarantee you’ll finding yourself replaying this song to hear that particular melody again or to catch that lyric you didn’t hear the first time. But don’t let me be the judge. Find out yourself and give Tradition” a listen below!
