W: Tahlia Lorenz I:@zachowpictures

German-born singer-songwriter Novine is a must-know artist for anyone who loves intimate, understated neo-soul.

With silken vocals that harmoniously marry pastel-coloured melodies, she delivers an aural dreamscape that instantaneously pacifies and enchants. Her introspective lyrics gently embellish her music with soul that’s undoubtedly reminiscent of artists like Lianne La Havas, Cleo Sol, and Pip Millett. Tracks like Over the Blues and Eternal are a testament to Novine’s delicate and ethereal defining sound.

Growing up with her father’s eclectic vinyl collection, Novine was raised in a musically enriching home, which sparked her passion for songwriting. She moved to Berlin to study music, where she connected with like-minded creatives, including songwriter-producer and partner BK Andersen (@bk.andersen), with whom she regularly collaborates.

Together, Novine and BK crafted her latest EP, Daydreaming. Each track in Daydreaming is rich with warmth and moonlit groove, delivering a collection of tender harmonies that reflect the connection the two share. Overall, it exudes a contemporary style that’s true to the new wave of neo-soul music. Her earlier works, including her debut EP Solitude, are sun-kissed with a classic R&B aura that’s on par with the likes of Jill Scott.

I had the privilege of chatting with Novine about her creative process, the elements that have shaped her signature sound, her ambitions and plans for the future, and more.

What instigated your music journey?

My parents; they’re music lovers – especially my dad. He collects lots of vinyl and always listens to a lot of music at home; different genres [...] a lot of reggae, so there’s always been a lot of music playing in the house. Ever since I was little, I always knew I wanted to make music; I wanted to be a singer. Later, when I was a teenager, I started taking singing lessons. Later on, I slowly started writing lyrics and melodies to beats.

And then I moved to Berlin at the end of 2015 to study music at BIMM, and that’s where I met other musicians and started to get more into songwriting and creating my own stuff. I started to release proper EPs and singles, and that’s how it just flowed into the next thing.

Throughout your journey, what elements helped shape the sound that you create today?

It’s often a mixture of other music that I listen to, and then of course life – everything that happens, going through all kinds of things, be it bad or good. I’ve been dealing with a lot of mental health stuff, which you can hear a lot in my EP State of Mind. The lyrics on that one are kind of like a storyline on that topic. And then my last EP, Daydreaming, is more positive – lots of love songs.

What artists do you look up to when creating music and songwriting?

I really, really love Prince — one of my biggest inspirations. Although you might not hear it in all of my songs, but I just love how bold he was and how many new things he would try [...] inspired me to try out stuff and be a bit more bold as well. I love Sade. I love the smoothness of her vocals and the rich tone, and I love how her band is so locked in together.

What producers do you work with to achieve your sound?

I’ve been working a lot with BK Andersen. We met at university; we’re also a couple. He kind of helped me get more into songwriting – he studied songwriting as well. He went into the production area over the years and got really good at that. We often write together and produce together. I feel like it's a very safe space for me to create with him because I feel like I can just be myself and tell him, ‘Hey, I want this’, and maybe I’m not good at explaining it, but he gets it – I feel like we are very locked in on that.

I’ve also worked with producers from France and Canada that I met through social media — I hope to expand that a little bit as well.

Would you ever expand into other genres and experiment with the sound you create?

Yeah, I mean why not? Whenever it feels right, you know. There are some songs where sometimes I’m a bit like, it’s not really fitting the typical neo-soul vibe; it’s a bit more indie or alternative, but then I think that I shouldn’t put myself too much in a box. I think it’s always good to be open and try new things. As you grow and evolve, you might like new things and want to grow with the music as well.

Are you planning on doing any collaborative projects in the future?

Yes. I don’t know how much I can say yet […] I just finished a track with an artist and I’m very excited about it, but I can’t say much about it. I don’t have a set release date yet, but it will probably be late summer or fall.

I also worked on two tracks with an artist called Mr Käfer. He does a lot of instrumental lo-fi music, but he also does features with singers, and for his upcoming project, I’m gonna be on at least one of the tracks.

Do you have anything you want to plug right now?

We’re currently finalising a few tracks. I definitely have a lot of music coming — I just haven't finalised the release dates. But I’m really hoping that something will come out in summer – a single at least.