Written by Amal Murni
In collaboration with Naqibah
With the surge of women in RnB this year, Kepala Seni is happy to introduce you to NQBH who released her Love Affair EP on 29th August 2020! Let’s dive in and get to know her and her music better.
Hi NQBH, please introduce yourself to our readers who aren’t as familiar with your work just so they know what you’ve been doing lately!
Hi! I’m Naqibah. I’m a singer-songwriter who has just started a journey in the music scene here in Brunei. I have just released both my Single and EP this year, which you can hear on most streaming platforms. I hope to share with you and bring you along with me on my journey in this industry. It’s going to be a ride, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
What were the albums/ artists/ songs that made you want to write and make music? Please describe your music journey.
My music journey did not start with writing songs. It started off with me mainly doing covers, posting them on YouTube and soon after, Soundcloud. The songs I covered were mainstream songs, not necessarily the genre that I am in now. I wasn’t exposed to songwriting at first but what got me started (as cliché as it sounds) was when I was heartbroken in high school. It is a song that I have never released, let alone recorded properly. All i could remember was that I recorded it on my phone and that was it. It was my outlet of how I felt at the time. It was private and personal, so I didn’t really think of making it public. I then had a very long hiatus of writing and continued covering songs on SoundCloud. This is where I experimented with my voice and the sound I wanted to bring as a singer.
From my SoundCloud song choices, it is a mix of everything but what I enjoyed the most were songs that played around with. I got to do tons of Drake songs (which I love) and turn it around to suit my voice. It was definitely something that I really enjoyed doing.
Then came 7 years ago - that’s when I had another heartbreak, and again, my outlet was to write a song. I posted it this time and upped my game by writing two songs! 7 years later, I released my single as well as my EP, and the positive side to this is that it is not due to heartbreak but rather a happy beginning.
"Let’s just say I am now surrounded with supportive people and I could see writing songs as an outlet of happiness rather than the opposite."
Having to write songs when I’m only at an emotional state, I would say that Drake’s “Take Care” album and the old Rihanna songs definitely encouraged me to write songs as some sort of release. I remember listening to them over and over again - I still religiously listen to them today.
Have you performed your music live? If so, describe how it felt and would you do it again and with who?
I’ve performed live several times before but not with my own music so I can’t really answer this question. However, I did have a listening party just before I released my EP. This was quite an impromptu session that was brought up at an existing event my friend was hosting. There was about 13 of us including some people I just met on the day. I remember being so quiet leading up to the listening agenda cause I was so nervous. Despite having to post my covers online, I never really wondered what people would say or think about my song choices and the way I sing cause they’re all based on my hobby; singing. But when you release a song that you wrote and to see their reactions when they first hear it, there will always be tons of questions flooding at the back of your mind wondering if they would like it or understand the message you want to deliver - that was what I experienced. I overthink things but in the end, thankfully, they all liked the EP and they were proud of me, which I will always be grateful.
Heard from the grapevine that this isn’t your first rodeo in the music scene -- would you mind sharing to our readers why you were on hiatus before releasing your single ‘No Doubts’?
It’s true, I had two songs that I wrote and that was about 7 years ago. Those were the two songs I ever released before my single “No Doubts”. One of them “You Can’t” was picked up by Progresif for their Locals Only compilation album/s and that’s when I truly stepped up as an Artist.
What I can say about the long hiatus is that I guess I was going through my own journey to find myself again after that period of time (Breakup). My Mental health and insecurities definitely played a huge part of it, I honestly lost all confidence after that. Though it took that long, I did write a few songs in between but I didn’t really have any confidence to release it. I started my new job that I was passionate about and I joined several musicals with Relentless and posted covers on my SoundCloud.
To be honest, I believe I felt content with what I have achieved at that time, it was a “take one step at a time” kind of thing. The first two songs weren’t exactly the type of vibe I wanted to go for as a singer-songwriter.
"The hiatus taught me a lot on what kind of artist I wanted to be, made me build up my courage and knowledge in different genres and definitely helped me be a better writer."
The two songs I posted on SoundCloud:
Who would you want to collaborate with in the future? And would you venture outside of RnB?
I’ve got my eye on some of the local artists, both male and female. In terms of international, there are some UK RnB Independent QUEENS that I would be honoured to collaborate with.
And yes, definitely! It would be great to venture different genres just to see what I can bring to the table. If I could, I’d like to try Pop, Hip Hop, Neo soul, and Dancehall.
Since there’s a surge of (local) women in music, what advice do you have for the girls and women out there?
First of all, I’d like to say that I’m proud of how far these women have made in the music scene in this country. Whether it’s a cover or their original song, the fact that they have the courage to do it and post it on any platform says a lot.
Going through the same journey and having an unbelievably high volume of self-doubt, my advice to them is to always follow their gut and never question their masterpiece. Never question yourself whether your song is enough or whether it is acceptable by the community.
Even if you’re still finding your sound, never overthink that you need to be unique to be great or heard.
"Be true to yourself and trust in your own music journey. No one should dictate what kind of artist you should be but yourself."
What instruments do you play? And what do you wish you can play?
I would claim that I know how to play the guitar since I own two of them. But if you ask me which instrument I play well, I’d say none.
Funnily enough, even with the guitars at home, I wish I knew how to play the piano. I do enjoy my slow jams and sappy ballads.
NQBH, what are your quirks and pet peeves?
Quirks: people who know me well would know that I love to munch on ice chips. I don’t do it as often now but that was definitely one of my quirks growing up. Another is, I really like my own space. Unfortunately, I am that friend who would rather stay indoors, in my room, doing whatever than to go out and socialise.
Pet peeves: when I have to wait for people. A one-off is fine, but to constantly have that, it definitely would tick me off.
The 9th question is reserved for positivity -- what are the milestones that you’re proud of this year whether big or small?
For 2020, definitely being able to get back on my feet by releasing originals. It has been awhile, and it has been such a wild ride to get to where I am today and I still cannot believe I released a single and an EP within a year!
As for my whole music journey, the highlight of it all was to be one of the opening acts for Joss Stone’s Charity Gala back in 2019 - my teenage self is still grinning from ear to ear!
Alright, we’re on our last question -- the floor is all yours. Please let our readers know your latest/ upcoming project(s), where to find you (social media), and feel free to express yourself!
I’ve got a couple of songs in line for you! Both as an individual and several collaborations with producers and artists in Brunei, so definitely have a look out!
Hint: you might just hear your fav artist on it too!
Instagram - @nqbhmusic
SoundCloud – Naqibah Fadzil
Stream my songs here
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