Korean-Australian hyperpop artist, Nabii, has today released a fresh, ethereal, nostalgia-filled EP exploring themes of loneliness and self-doubt. Titled Temporary Bliss, the six-track EP follows the artist on a journey of self-rediscovery following a period of personal turbulence.
“[Temporary Bliss] is, like, a soundtrack to how I was feeling last June/July when I wrote most of the songs. It’s about what I was going through. And it really helped me process my emotions because talking is hard, and dealing with shit head-on is hard for me. So, yeah, it was my way to deal with stuff,” Nabii tells Not Safe For Queers.
What resulted was a six-track EP which explores, “loneliness and yearning and wanting to feel like I belong somewhere,” she explains.
To do so, the hyper pop artist has combined light and bubbly sound design (a staple in modern pop music) with introspective and, at times, gut-wrenching lyrics. Think: Charli XCX’s Party 4 U but five times as long and several times more melancholic.
Among the track listing are three songs in particular which really showcase Nabii’s flourishing songwriting abilities: More Than Just a Moment (Intro), What’s Waiting for Me?, and Now or Never.
In the intro, Nabii describes to us exactly which journey she’ll be taking us on over the next 20-ish minutes. “If you think about it visually, the intro is where you open the door and step into this little universe. This is the entrance,” Nabii explains.
“Basically, it encapsulates what the whole project is about; it’s a prophecy. It’s meant to be a song that you can close your eyes, escape, and let it take you away.”
Similarly, in track four (What’s Waiting for Me?), the EP hits its emotional depths. “This one’s a song I wrote for my mum,” Nabii begins. “Its about the sacrifice that my parents made to give me this life. Like, I feel like i’m pretty privileged to be able to make music and do this thing. I get to live this life because of the sacrifices they made.”
“So I guess this song is me questioning if they regret it—and what could’ve been.”
On the contrary, the following track, Now or Never is where things pick back up before heading into a very fabulous and fun final track.
Nabii explains, “[Now or Never]’s a bit silly. Its mostly about, like, doing things out of spite. Like, if someone says that I can’t do something or if they don’t believe in me, I’ll be like, ‘f*ck you. I’m gonna prove you wrong.’”
“It’s one of those attitude-y, tongue-in-cheek songs.”
Nabii’s new EP, Temporary Bliss, is out now.