Ny Oh released a stunning stand-alone single titled ‘You Are’ which is an exercise in reflective beauty. Inspired by nature and the joy that can be found in life’s simplicities, Ny Oh takes the listener on a journey packed with ethereal, sonic wonder. ‘You Are’ is a raw and honest moment of serenity routed in self-love.

The Worcestershire-born, New Zealand raised, LA-based singer-songwriter layers intricate instrumentals with powerful lyricism to create a unique, awe-filled single which is a gift to those who listen.

The song is aptly accompanied by a music video compiled of self-shot footage of moments from the last few years.

Did you intend to take the listener on a journey as they listen to the song of is it just your journey reflected in the piece?

I wanted the song to speak about my journey, but I also wanted the song to be a journey in itself. I think what has made it easily translatable, emotionally, for people is the fact that I didn’t really add anything post the first session I worked on it – what you hear is just how it came out.

I like that it’s personal, I like that it’s vulnerable, and it doesn’t have to be anything more than that. That’s taken the pressure off of me as an artist. I think when you’re starting out as an artist, you get so much advice from people about where they think you should go, how you should sound or ‘this isn’t your best work’ and just keeping it as raw as possible is a little bit of a fuck you in a way.

And it also ends up being different to the work of other people because no one’s going to be able to do you better?

It’s so true. That’s the lyrics of the song, ‘know what you do is unique, unique to you’. And I needed to tell myself that at the time because the music world is so big and so vast and we have the Internet where we can just open it up and compare ourselves to others, instantly at any point in time, so what’s the thing that makes you special? It’s just you.

You’ve spoken a bit about how it’s important to you to appreciate the beauty in the natural world and life’s simplicities. What part does nature play in your life professionally and personally?

It feels like everything to me. It feels like the work that I was put on earth to do in this lifetime is very nature focused and nature centred. That probably has a lot to do with growing up in New Zealand because you grow up in nature a lot more. Maori language is all derived from humans’, direct response and direct relationship with nature, their linguistics came from that. So that has created a cornerstone or foundation for me to view the world. I want my work to be reflective of nature, because it’s where I’m most happy. Even this morning, I’m in England, everything’s great and a little bit chilly, but even just to wake up and go for a walk through some fields and breathe fresh air – it’s magic. It’s the most inspiring thing I know.

I listened to your single on a walk through the town I live in yesterday and felt like reflective nature of the single made it possible to find beauty on a walk I’d normally never find beauty in.

That makes me so happy to hear. If you can hone into a song, it’s almost like that song is giving you a pair of sunglasses to look out at the world with. I listen to lots of different music but it’s nice to be able to give that moment to someone and to work out how to do that and spend time sitting in my own shit in hopes that it’ll help lift someone out if there’s a little bit.

If someone was to open your Spotify at any given moment, who’s most likely to be the artist last playing?

Little Simz. There’s not a lyricist like her on the planet at the moment. I love what she talks about. I love the self-reflection. I love the vulnerability to share it. I love the beats. I just think she’s absolutely killing it. She’s an example of how to stay strongly independent. I try and sing her songs and it’s really embarrassing. We should have a London wide Little Simz karaoke battle.

As well as your solo work, you are part of the band Neon Gru, and have been playing guitar for Harry Style’s Love on Tour. How important is it for you, creatively, that you get to pursue so many different things?

So important. I don’t think it’s necessarily for everyone, sometimes your gift or your talent, within music, is so obvious that it becomes your focus and you grow from there. I’ve never really felt like I’ve had one particular gift within music. I’ve always known that music is what I want to do and I’ve always known that I have a voice and I want to share it, but when it comes to instruments, when it comes to my artistic process, I’ve always wanted to experiment and have as many experiences as I possibly can. Maybe that comes from also growing up in Altera, where we’re a small country, there are definitely a limited amount of musical experiences that you can have. Moving to London, and being dropped into this super saturated music scene was just really exciting. It gave me so much good energy to do life so I just want to keep on going like that.

Has your style evolved much over the years you’ve spent making music in various forms so far?

I think that it’s more of a subconscious osmosis. The biggest thing that has influenced my creative process is my own confidence. And that’s what the different experiences have given me the most of.  It has given me my confidence to share my voice more and to filter it less and edit it less. I’m heavily on that journey, and I’m happy to have people see the growth.

Have you had a chance to perform ‘You Are’ live yet?

I performed it live in my last show in London, which was before I released it. That actually gave me the courage to release it, because for a lot of people at that gig, that was the song that they connected with. I also got to open for Harry Styles this year in New Zealand and it was a very emotional experience to perform it in my home land because it’s been about 10 years since I left to do music. To come back and to play that song and play the music video behind me with handycam images of my family and my friends. It felt like a full circle moment for me. It makes me want to cry even thinking about it. It was just so, so special to me. I hope other people found it spiritual. I had a great time.

How are you feeling about your upcoming headline shows in London?

I can’t wait to play to a London crowd again. I spent eight years solidly living here and London raised me musically in so many ways. It feels very safe, cushy and casual. I have a wonderful musical family in London. So the show is coming together in a beautiful way.

Can we expect any more music from you in the near future?

Well, I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say. But there are a lot of things in the oven. And I hope that we can all be eating them together soon.