PHOTOGRAPHY Ryan Jafarzadeh
Alt-pop trailblazer Nxdia has just released their debut mixtape, I Promise No One’s Watching, a raw, genre-blending self-portrait that captures their unfiltered exploration of queer identity, desire, and self-liberation. Out now, the 10-track project is a deeply personal revelation of growing into one’s queerness, Arab heritage, and gender expression in a world that constantly watches – and often misjudges. Blending confessional lyricism with experimental pop and punk energy, Nxdia offers a soundtrack for anyone carving space outside the binary.
The Egyptian-Sudanese artist wrote much of the mixtape in their childhood home before moving to London, pouring a year’s worth of emotional evolution into the songs. With standout tracks like the viral queer awakening anthem ‘She Likes A Boy’ and the flirtatious, Arabic-laced ‘Body On Me’, Nxdia moves between euphoria and anxiety, rebellion and reflection. Songs like ‘Boy Clothes’ and ‘Feel Anything’ dig into gender dysphoria, top surgery, and mental health, while others like ‘More!’ and ‘Puppet’ lean into queer desire and self-expression.
Blending bold alt-pop with diaristic lyrics and sonic experimentation, I Promise No One’s Watching marks a fearless moment in Nxdia’s journey, one that encourages listeners to shed expectations and embrace every version of themselves. It’s not just a debut; it’s a powerful statement of identity, freedom, and growth.
In a major career milestone, Nxdia has also been announced as the headliner for the BBC Introducing Stage at this year’s Reading & Leeds Festivals. Their set promises to be a cathartic, high-energy celebration of self-expression and queer joy – cementing them as one of the most exciting new voices in UK music.
Below, Nxdia shares how paranoia, Tracy Chapman, and songwriting at their family home inspired their debut mixtape, I Promise No One’s Watching.
Firstly, congrats on the recent release of your debut mixtape, I Promise No One’s Watching. How are you feeling about releasing it, and do you have any plans to celebrate?
I’m so SO excited. It feels so weird that it’s finally here – the mixtape is a snapshot of my last 12 months, the messy parts, and the surreal parts, so it’s been a weird time, but also an amazing time. Writing this record has helped me open up to myself and be more open and honest, to be truly myself, and I’m so excited to share this with everyone. I will be celebrating with my friends – it’s been a wild ride!
I love the title of the mixtape as a reclamation of a carefree attitude and a reminder to quell social anxiety. It works so well for such a deeply personal project. Did you start with this title in mind, or if not, at what stage in your process did this title feel right for the mixtape?
Actually, it was close to the end and while I was writing ‘Body On Me’. I felt as though I had been operating as if someone was watching me and hating me, when really it was just this parasitic voice in my brain that wasn’t really my own at all. I always did feel like someone was watching. I would assume how people felt about things, and I’d assume that it was negative – that’s really not fair, because I didn’t even give people the chance to say it themselves or feel it themselves. I just assumed, I hid parts of myself – which is very avoidant of me, but what’s new? So yeah, I promise no one’s watching. The title’s kind of a reassurance to myself and other people, if you feel paranoid about everything: it’s going to be okay, it’s no big deal, it’s all good baby!
I felt as though I had been operating as if someone was watching me and hating me, when really it was just this parasitic voice in my brain that wasn’t really my own at all. I always did feel like someone was watching.
This is your debut extended release, with 10 tracks – 5 new songs, and 5 singles we’ve been enjoying this year already. Can you share what your curation process was like for this project, and when did you get the feeling the project was finished?
I Promise No One’s Watching felt finished after we started playing the new songs, songs like ‘Body on Me’ at shows. It felt like I had closed a chapter and started my next one. My shows feel like safe spaces where people can be their true selves, and it was so great to see everyone’s initial reactions. After seeing that, I knew I was ready for the mixtape to be shared. I was ready to be open and share a side of me that people may not have seen yet.
Fans have found and loved your music thanks to your candid lyrics vocalising pivotal moments of the queer experience, from reflecting on old journal entries questioning your sexuality to sharing your gender euphoria and the complexities of falling in love. On the mixtape, are there any other queer experiences you’ve written about for the new tracks, and can you share what inspired you to pen these lyrics or songs?
There are two: ‘More!’ and ‘Puppet’. With ‘More!’ it’s very much inspired by a first date that went really well. If I’m being honest. I’d felt as though I hadn’t had a really good first date in a while, and I think I appreciated going away from that day and just being like, you know what? That was a f**king great date. It was Brick Lane, I’d been in London for a few months, and I was like, damn, I feel like I’m in some aesthetic film where scenes like this happen. I was so excited, it all felt really new and intoxicating in a way. I just wanted more and more and more of it, so I wrote a song called ‘More!’ – makes sense, hey? It’s talking about instant attraction and need with people, but it happens so rarely with me!
With ‘Puppet’, I’d gone to this event and listen – I’m not someone who actually talks to people. That sounds a bit stupid, but like, I don’t approach people. Sometimes people would look at me and assume that, you know, I’m tall, covered in tattoos, and maybe more androgynous or masculine-leaning. So, I can see why someone might stereotypically think I’d be more direct. In reality, I don’t make the first move. But ‘Puppet’ was about this girl who had come up to me so directly, she knew what she wanted, and she scared the shit out of me. I just sat back, and I was like, okay, hell yeah. It was beautiful, she was beautiful – I can’t comment any more on that… just have to listen to the song. It was great and fabulous and scary, but that’s kind of my type, I think.
I know that the majority of this record has been written in your childhood home, and I’m curious to know if any unexpected or nostalgic memories or references appear within the mixtape, sonically or lyrically?
I’ve listened to more Prince, I’ve listened to more Bowie, I’ve tried to listen to more old rock like Alice in Chains, The Police, and U2. I really love Mother Mother, as well. I was listening to people who I feel challenged “normal” genres, who have tried and looked outside of norms, so they could explore music more fully. Seeing artists truly be themselves is so inspiring to me; it means the world to witness it.
I’m inspired by people who can showcase themselves in a way that feels genuine, who can move you with their music. Artists that seem to tap into a part of your brain where you hide all the thoughts you think nobody else would understand. I’m trying to connect with people and I’m trying to open myself up to the world, and in turn, see what happens. It feels like a surrender.
Your music takes notes from and pays homage to an eclectic blend of sounds and styles from around the world. I know artists like Stromae, Paramore, & Marina are forever inspirations for you, but I’d love to know what you were listening to while writing and recording this project, and how it has influenced you?
I have this habit of re-listening, I think, because I’m an anxious person. I still feel the same way when I’m listening to a lot of this music. That nostalgia has not gone away. If anything, I value them so much more because I know exactly how much they meant to me when I first listened to these songs. I was also listening to some amazing artists like Dominic Fike, Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, and Childish Gambino.
I went back and listened to Tracy Chapman as well, her first album that my mum showed me when I was little. It’s not so much about being inspired by specific parts of the music. I’m inspired by people who can showcase themselves in a way that feels genuine, who can move you with their music. Artists that seem to tap into a part of your brain where you hide all the thoughts you think nobody else would understand. I’m trying to connect with people and I’m trying to open myself up to the world, and in turn, see what happens. It feels like a surrender. It’s true artistry to me to channel how you actually feel into what you do. I love fusions of music, and I like feeling as though you’re not one thing, because none of us is just one thing.
I know asking a musician to choose their ‘favourite’ song from a project can be like asking a parent to pick their favourite child, but do you have a track from the mixtape you’re the most proud of & why?
‘Body On Me’ feels timeless to me. It feels like a collection of a lot of stuff. It’s flirty, it’s intentional. It’s trying not to be superficial about being attracted to someone, but also wanting more from them (which is ironically the title of another song). I love ‘Body On Me’. In a different way, ‘Tin Man’ is another one of my favourites. I’ve not shown that side of me before, and it’s something I’ve not thought about sharing before, because vulnerability is quite difficult when you want to seem okay all the time.
As summer starts officially, what are you looking forward to?
I’m so excited about I Promise No One’s Watching being out in the world. When writing, I imagined playing all the songs live and experiencing that this summer is going to be so incredible! BludFest, TRNSMT, Latitude, Brighton Pride, Metronome in Prague, and so many more shows this summer. I cannot wait!
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