British-Norwegian R&B artist Nelly Moar released her debut album, Love’s Law, on October 24th. The album’s eight songs follow Moar’s stories of relationships, heartbreak, and finding confidence in her signature and distinctive pop-R&B style. I had the opportunity to sit down with the Oslo-based artist last week to talk about the album, its unique sound, and all of the emotions it encapsulates.
This album has such a unique sound: combining pop and jazz elements. What led you down that path of finding that sound and combining these genres?
It just happened really naturally. I never go into the studio with the thought that it’s something specific I want to make. It was starting where it felt right, and then the song’s developing. [Also] having references. From jazz, soul, R&B, whatever. So even though something is a pop song, you can still hear those references. It was really important for me to get in those references. It’s not just a pop song, even though that’s completely fine as well. You use what you can to make it your own.
This is also a very love-centric album. What were some of your inspirations for the lyrics?
Definitely getting broken up with [and] heartbreak, which, when you’re a woman in your 20s, hits really hard. I’m so lucky that I’m a singer and I have this life, so I can turn it into something beautiful that I love. It was a pretty tough time. That’s what I think is so nice about this album is you can hear the way I progress through different emotions. I’m healing as I’m writing it, and I think that’s really clear. It was a hard time, but I’m so happy with what I got from it.
I also wanted to ask you about the title Love’s Law. How did you decide on that title?
I had it written down in my notepad for a long time. This album is a bit sad. I thought I wanted to have a title that represented the whole album, but was more positive. What I like about Love’s Law is it represents my new boundaries and rules that I carry with me after this experience of love and heartbreak. I felt like it was a positive take on everything, in the end.
Do you have any favorite lyrics from the album?
I love the lyrics to “Hot Vacation,” especially because it’s so silly. It kind of feels like a breather, you know? It doesn’t even mention heartbreak. It’s really silly, but “all I need is a hot hot hot vacation.” I think that’s pretty great.
I did want to ask you about that one specifically. Amid all the other songs, how did that one come about?
That song was probably the easiest of them all to write. I was kind of at a breaking point in my process. The album was coming together, but I was starting to feel so much better. I went to the studio without these deep, big feelings that I wanted to share. It’s a genuine song, even though it sounds so superficial, just wanting to go on a hot holiday. That was my genuine, most honest feeling that day, so I feel like writing about anything else and trying to dig up feelings that weren’t there that day, that would have felt pretentious and not real. So, I went to the studio and my producer made this beat. It was so fun to just be a bit unserious and write about something that didn’t seem so heavy. It literally came together in about an hour. It was so effortless and so easy.
For this album specifically, what was the writing process like? Do you start with lyrics first or do you work with other people for the whole process?
Since I have a background in jazz, I definitely see myself as more as a musician than a [vocal] artist. So, for me, I feel like the music speaks the loudest. It always starts there, then translates into words later in the process. So it starts in the studio. We play around until we get that spark that it feels right; that gut feeling. That was pretty much how it came about. I rarely sit down and write full lyrics. I have a little book where I’ll just write down small sentences or a word that I think stands out. After the music is kind of a vibe, I’ll go through my book until I find something that matches what I’m feeling with the music.
From listening to your album, I really get the impression that you’re very involved in every step of the process.
That’s really important to me. It’s so fun to be so involved. For me, it wouldn’t feel 100% genuine if I wasn’t included in every step: being a co-producer as well as writing the lyrics. It’s definitely very important to me.
When did you know that you wanted to make these ideas into an album, and when did you know you had said everything you wanted to say?
There was a pretty strong theme when I started writing for this album. So just writing and [feeling] songs making sense together. When it was finished, it felt like a proper, well thought-through story and representation of what I wanted to say, both lyrically and musically. I feel like this is my first album, because I’m so proud of it. I’m proud of every aspect of it. As an artist, you think “am I ever going to write anything as good as this again?” I just felt like this needs to be my first album, even though it’s just eight tracks. To me, it just felt so complete and just exactly how I wanted it.
I think more artists should take that approach of going with the flow. Just “I made what I wanted and I don’t care if it’s a certain length or a certain genre.”
You do feel a bit silly releasing an album that’s 20 minutes long, but it’s just what you said. I feel so connected to it. It just felt right, and I don’t think music should be overcomplicated. You just do what you need to do, and that’s what I did, so I’m very happy about the way it turned out.
Nelly Moar’s debut album, Love’s Law is available to stream now on all platforms.
Stream Love’s Law here:
Connect with Nelly Moar: Instagram
