Our Maisie Peters feature was originally published in our September 2021 issue. Purchase a print copy here.
How does one define love? How can it be understood? The journey of understanding the meaning of love is confusing as it is universally understood. In her third studio album, Alskar, Nina Nesbitt takes listeners on this journey. From the first track to the last, Nesbitt shares her personal growth and deepening understanding of human connection through enchanting melodies and empathetic lyrics that get right to the heart of it all.
“There’s a lot of reflecting on this album. I feel like I’ve finally made it out to the otherside of growing up and the insanity of adolescence and my early-20s,” she said. “My perception of what love is has changed a lot. My relationships, whether they be romantic, friendships, family, or with myself, have all shifted since hitting my mid-20s. So I just want to delve in, look at them and try to make sense of it all.”
This album is not just defined by the romantic brand of love that fills radio stations. The track “Dinner Table” tells the story of Nesbitt’s relationship with her mother and grandmother. And while her lyrics on Alskar tell her story, she hopes all listeners find a way to connect to them.
“I strive to make music that makes people feel something,” she said. “I’m hoping people can take the lyrics into their own life however they want — even though some of them are quite specific.”
And many listeners have already made those profound connections. The album’s sixth track, “When You Lose Someone,” captures the pain and joy of reminiscing about someone deeply loved but unreachable. The lyrics — “Now I’m just trying to remember you in the best way. I go from feeling numb to feeling everything at once….”— portray cycles of grief that can feel so hard to put into words.
Nesbitt described “When You Lose Someone” as a “deeply personal” song to her.
“I tried to keep the lyrics open enough that people were able to hear it in a way that suited them,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of messages from people saying it’s helped them understand the grief they’re going through, which was really touching.”
Nesbitt does not only connect to her fans through deeply personal lyrics. While the lockdown represented a chance for reflection — which can be seen in the most recent album — it also was a chance to connect to new fans in new ways. Her TikTok account has recently taken off, allowing her to show folks new dimensions herself.
“It was a really fun way to connect with people in lockdown when I had all the time in the world!” she said. “Although my music is kinda sad, I’m actually quite a happy person. I can’t take anything seriously and have a very dry sense of humour, so I think you really see that side of me on my TikTok. I love making stupid videos in the hope that they’ll give people a laugh.”
This fun-loving side of Nesbitt and her love for her fans was the catalyst for one of her favorite fan interactions.
“I met some people on the last U.S. tour who were pilots, and they offered me to fly a plane in the morning,” she said. “My manager and I said, ‘Why not?’ so we went to fly a plane over Texas the next day. It was such an incredible experience!”
The joy of experiencing life and connection is as prevalent in this album as the pain and loss; all of it makes up Alskar, or love.
Alskar seamlessly combines the many complicated stories of love all people carry, from loss in “Lose Somebody” to the rush of romance in “Colours of You,” to resentment that can be felt when looking back on relationships with wisdom that comes with age. “Older Guys” is akin to Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of “All Too Well”—both can feel they are speaking directly to the listener about an experience intensely personal. Nesbitt’s storytelling ability has been a constant throughout her career.
“I’ve delved into a lot of different production styles and genres, but I think the storytelling lyrics have always remained a constant,” she said.
The album’s title prompts the question: what makes Sweden so influential to a Scottish artist?
Nesbitt went on to explain how the country feels like a second home to her and how she would visit twice a year to see family while growing up.
“Getting to write there for the first time on this album was a really special experience because I got to meet so many people my age who had shared similar upbringings tome,” she said. “It made me wonder who I’d be if I’d grown up there.”
It is worth noting that the album’s first song is “Gaol,” the Scottish Gaelic translation of love, and it ends with “Alskar,” seemingly a metaphor for Nina’s journey through life and love.
One song on the album stands out as being about neither the past nor present but rather about wishes for future. “Heirlooms,” seems to talk to Nesbitt’s future child,highlighting that her journey is far from over.
As an artist, Nina Nesbitt’s future is exciting. Her talent has been noticed by many people already, reaching a billion streams on Spotify. Her music has also gotten her seen by some of the greats. Recently, she was handpicked by Coldplay’s Chris Martin to open for the band at Hampden Park in Scotland. During Coldplay’s set, Nesbitt was called up to perform “Let Somebody Go” with the band.
When asked about the experience, she said that it was such a surreal moment for her.
“There have been so many special moments, but that would be the most recent one.”
Without a doubt, there will be many more memorable moments in the career of Nina Nesbitt. While her only true goal is creating incredible music like her albums Peroxide, The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change or most recently Alskar. She hopes that her music will keep finding ways to connect with people all over the world, like Japan, South Korea or Brazil. And with so much dedication to music, storytelling and human connection, it seems like a Nina Nesbitt tour that touches many continents is a likely future.
When asked if there was anything exciting for fans to be looking for, Nesbitt said to“Keep an eye out for more music soon” a response that is exciting in light of the phenomenal album she just released.
Until then, everyone should do themselves a favor and listen to Alskar while basking in the wide range of emotions and experiences that make up the album and the journey of understanding the nature of love.
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