Whenever you invent now not know Nija Charles, aka Nija, you without a doubt know the songs she’s helped invent. The 22-300 and sixty five days-extinct Contemporary Jersey native has cowritten one of the most important biggest hits of the final three years, racking up two Grammys within the job. A nonexhaustive checklist: “Ring” by Cardi B; “Heard About Us” and “LoveHappy” by The Carters; and several tracks on Beyoncé’s soundtrack for The Lion King.
Nonetheless she accomplished arguably her biggest rupture this summer, cowriting “Rain on Me,” a shimmery, euphoric cut of rental pop by Girl Gaga and Ariana Grande. The tune grew to turn out to be Nija’s first number 1 on Billboard‘s Sizzling 100 final week, when it debuted—yes, debuted—on the discontinue role.
In a tweet celebrating this success, Nija talked about how the music enterprise so most frequently puts her and other Shaded creatives in boxes. “This sage skill so grand to me because here’s a POP sage,” Nija wrote. “Me being a Shaded woman, folks usually strive to pigeonhole me thinking I’m perfect an ‘urban author.’ So I must thanks @ladygaga, @arianagrande & for displaying folks I’m better than what they attach a question to.”
Nija is now not the principle artist to keep up a correspondence out on the music enterprise’s exercise of the word urban. Earlier this 300 and sixty five days Tyler the Creator criticized the Grammys after he took house Easiest Rap Album for IGOR. “I don’t esteem that urban word. To me, it’s perfect a politically sexy manner to divulge the N-word,” he talked about, in preserving with CNN. “It sucks that each time we, and I imply guys that detect esteem me, attain the relaxation that’s genre bending, all of them the time attach it in a ‘rap’ or ‘urban’ category…. Why can’t we perfect be in pop?”
Republic Records currently announced that the designate is taking away the word urban from its verbiage—a originate toward development, however there would possibly be tranquil a lengthy manner to head. These discussions about racial bias in diversified industries are ongoing, they usually procure been amplified currently by Shaded Lives Topic protests occurring in preserving with George Floyd’s demise. Nija admits it has been a scenario processing her success in tandem with what’s occurring within the nation sexy now. She talks about this, the “urban” pigeonhole, and plenty extra in our conversation, below.
Glamour: Final 300 and sixty five days you talked about in an ABC interview that you just wished to ranking a Billboard Sizzling 100 number 1. Now that it’s also possible to procure gotten one. How does it in actuality feel?
Nija Charles: It feels crazy. On Twitter, loads of folks procure been bringing help the interview I did where I talked about my aims. Me, working so grand, I invent now not put out of your mind about [those interviews] however they devise now not pop up in my thoughts. So when folks bring up that flashback, it’s esteem, “Oh, I did impart that.” I in fact manifested all the pieces I did. Being a songwriter, a bunch 1 on the Sizzling 100 is esteem the Ample Bowl to a soccer participant. I’m delighted about it. It be perfect exhausting sexy now with all the pieces going on, however it’s starting to register that I at final done one among my biggest aims.
How did you peek out about it?
I turned into on a Zoom call, talking about one thing I will wait on with, with my extinct college, with my college, and my sister turned into FaceTiming me all around the likelihood. I’m attempting to silence the likelihood because that you just can hear it on Zoom. I text her, esteem, “What’s going on?” And he or she’s esteem, “Congrats in your number 1!” It turned into peculiar because I turned into offended with all the pieces that is going on, however then she texted me with all this pleasure. I felt a bunch of blended emotions.
How procure you ever been reckoning this milestone with what’s occurring within the nation?
It be positively been a exhausting scenario. On Twitter there are positively loads of folks praising me and my family’s praising me and folks tranquil asserting “congratulations,” which makes me in actuality feel sexy. Nonetheless then on the opposite hand, I could lag browsing Instagram and there would possibly be nothing however protests. There just isn’t loads of happiness going on sexy now, so as that is exhausting to steadiness out. Nonetheless tranquil having in thoughts that I did attain this and I must safe a atomize and safe pleasure within the truth that this took sing has helped me. Nonetheless sexy now it’s tranquil exhausting.
How procure you ever been celebrating? Did that it’s also possible to procure gotten any Champagne? Had been you in a position to procure a occasion?
I’ve perfect been celebrating through FaceTime because all my family is on the East Flee. I’m quarantined alone. So perfect celebrating through FaceTime with my family—them letting me know how proud they’re of me. They net extra pondering things than I attain, so it’s positively a huge occasion with them. Nonetheless I procure never popped any Champagne. I am going house soon, so I’m particular there’ll seemingly be a huge occasion after I attain lag house. Lawful me alone, I have been celebrating internally and on FaceTime.
How did the collaboration strategy about?
BloodPop [who coproduced and cowrote “Rain on Me”], I labored with him on the origin of my profession. He’s all the time hit me as a lot as leap on things he is engaged on, and one day he known as me up and turned into esteem, “Hey, I’ve bought this tune and would in actuality esteem for you to connect in on it.” That’s what took sing.
Nija on the Grammy nominee luncheon in January 2020
Getty PicturesYou tweeted about how loads of times that you just can maybe run correct into a room and folks will attach you within the “urban” category. How has that conducted out in your profession?
It be took sing from day one. Loads of Shaded writers or producers buckle down and do this each day. On myth of we’re Shaded and because they peep us working with rappers or R&B singers, they attain strive to pigeonhole us. You’re going to lag correct into a pop room, and let’s impart the people are working with someone esteem Justin Bieber or Gaga or an artist esteem that—the poppiest of the pop—and then they’ll impart, “I must work on 21 Savage. I must invent a 21 Savage tune this day.” It be esteem, effectively, why all of a unexpected attain that you just can maybe also be looking out to must work on this this day? You didn’t must work on that the day gone by while you procure been with one more author who’s now not Shaded. That is the fixed fight that we buckle down and do each day as Shaded creatives.
To your interview with ABC final 300 and sixty five days, you talked about how usually you run correct into a room beefy of males and directly in actuality feel such as that it’s also possible to procure gotten one thing to point out. Are you tranquil discovering that?
It positively is exhausting, especially as a Shaded woman. And then moreover being a Shaded woman, they customarily strive to pigeonhole us to perfect R&B. That is exhausting satisfactory in itself. Me being a author, as grand R&B as I procure on my résumé, I moreover procure hip-hop. So perfect going correct into a male-dominated room, it’s exhausting to work round that and net away of any field, truthfully, because as grand as I’m Shaded, I am moreover a girl. There is a fixed fight with each of those things.
What made the experience with “Rain on Me” diversified?
What made this diversified is I turned into making a tune with folks that didn’t detect at me as an “urban author.” They knew the vary I had. They didn’t pigeonhole me. They gave me free rein and let me attain me. In the event you invent now not procure that burden or that feeling of someone attempting to [pigeonhole] you, it makes the tune better, and you hear it. Individuals invent now not even hear to the tune and specialize in, Oh, this sounds esteem an R&B tune, because it’s now not. It be now not written by an “R&B author.” It be written by a author. Lawful having collaborators who didn’t attach a designate on me helped it a lengthy manner. That’s what turned into diversified from other classes I have been in.
What did you first specialize in of the tune while you heard it?
When I first heard the tune—I conducted the tune, and I knew what it felt exercise to be in Chromatica [the name of Gaga’s new album, which features “Rain on Me”]. Even supposing I’ve heard the tune, to hear the beefy manufacture—when Gaga goes, “Rain. On. Me,” I literally started dancing in my lavatory teach. It made in actuality feel so sexy.
Discontinuance that it’s also possible to procure gotten a popular Girl Gaga or Ariana Grande tune?
Gaga, “Born This Blueprint.” And Ariana, it’s miles a tie between “God Is a Girl” and “Consider.”
What attain you hope the success of “Rain on Me” will imply to Shaded females who’re attempting to invent it in music?
“Rain on Me” is ready overcoming the be troubled or fight you are going through—irrespective of it’s. I hope perfect being attentive to the tune helps them overcome irrespective of they’re going through. Then moreover, the truth here’s a pop tune and it wasn’t completely perfect white pop writers [working on it]—I hope it exhibits them they’ll attain irrespective of they attach their minds to. There is now not any restriction or labels folks attach on them. Which that you just can maybe perhaps also literally net away of that field.
What attain that you just can maybe also be looking out to must attain next? What’s next in your radar?
There is lot of things I must attain. #1, I will originate my possess artistry, originate striking out my possess music. I invent now not will procure to be looked at as perfect a author. I must develop correct into a mogul, so I’m starting my possess manufacturing company. I must sign artists and producers and writers and moreover give them the platform—to be within the situation that I am in a single day. I must develop correct into a family title, detect on the greater report, and perfect develop as a creative and an entrepreneur.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Christopher Rosa is the staff entertainment author at Glamour.
