Bacardi S4 – Interview with Nucleya

In December 2020, BACARDÍ announced season 4 of its marquee indie platform -BACARDÍ Sessions, with Vidya Vox and Nucleya. This season, the brand is presenting artists across music, art and dance a chance to showcase their talent and do what moves them.

FestivalSherpa got an opportunity to get an exclusive interview with Nucleya the Jungle Raja himself! Nucleya has made a name for himself in recent years, did the unimaginable by becoming a mainstream artists.

In the interview we ask Nucleya about the growth of the Indie scenes, the BACARDÍ House Party Sessions which Nucleya was a part of, since its inception. We asked him about upcoming artists like Ritviz and his latest breakout singles. Nucleya also spoke about his upcoming collaborations with two new artists!

1. Ever since the Instagram LIVE unveiling for this season with Ritviz, how has the response been from artists towards BACARDÍ Sessions S4?

BACARDÍ Sessions has supported the indie scene from its year of initiation and provided a platform for artists and consumers to do what moves them. It was thrilling to be a part of the first season when it was named BACARDÍ House Party Sessions and I’m overjoyed to collaborate with the platform again. Ever since the live, and the call for entries on Vidya Vox and my social media handles, we’ve had an overwhelming response with over 600 entries from across the world including Dubai, LA and Canada. All of them were unique in their own ways which made the selection process so much more engaging and daunting at the same time! The entire process took place on Instagram and we’re now looking forward to co-creating tracks with the winners while also crowdsourcing dance and art visuals for the final music video.

2. We’re sure you’re excited to be mentors to the next wave of Indie artists? What do you believe has changed in the last 4 years since BACARDÍ Sessions launched & how significant has it become as a platform to Indie artists?

BACARDÍ Sessions has only gotten bigger and better with time. It has brought audiences some of their favourite tracks like Thandi Hawa, Hold Tight, and even artists like Ritviz. It continues to usher in a wave of new indie music into thescene as well as to provide budding artistsacross music, dance and art, a platform to showcase their talent. It’s exciting to be a part of the journeys of these artists and to collaborate with a few of them on a track. Can’t wait to get started!

3. From the entries received so far, are there any exciting ones that have appealed to you that you’re eager to work with?

I’ve loved going through all the new music and various styles in the past couple of months through these entries. There’s so much talent waiting to be discovered and it is humbling to be a part of BACARDÍ’s journey in championing the indie scene. It was very difficult to pick a winner, and I wish we could pick a hundred winners! For now though, I’ll be collaborating with 2Jaymn and Subhlasini, both of whom have phenomenal voices and are already such talented songwriters at such young ages.

4. Is there a particular genre or talent that you are eager to see & have the opportunity to mentor through the course of BACARDÍ Session S4?

I’ve been eager to explore and tune in to all the tracks. Honestly, there’s so much talent and such a vast spectrum of music just waiting to be discovered and I’ve loved taking that journey with BACARDÍ sessions. There was no specific genre I was on the lookout for and I went into this with an entirely open mind, since I love experimenting with new sounds and I was definitely not disappointed!

5. How is the season planned to go ahead? Is it going to be virtual or do artists get the opportunity to be mentored by you in person?

The sheer energy of jamming together in a room and then creating music is infectious and so inspiring! Given the current scenario, most of the work will happen remotely, keeping everyone’s safety at the forefront. Technology has simplified the process and has made virtual collaborations so seamless and engaging. It pretty much nullified geographical distances and nothing will deter us from learning from each other as we create our track. However, we will try and make an at least one in-person session happen to really add a special touch to this process.

6. We’ve seen a number of virtual launches & concerts happen through the lockdown. Do you think it’s now important for artists to prepare themselves for a virtual audience and build a tuned in follower base?

One thing that this pandemic has taught us is that the digital wave is here to stay. The internet has made everything accessible during the on-ground restrictions and helped everyone do what moves them from the safety of their homes. This strong follower base is important for all artists. What’s better is the fact that this digital fanbase is a mix of people across geographies and allows likeminded folks from all nooks and corners of the world to connect. And even when we go back on-ground, digital will continue to be an important space.

7. Just so the audience out there doesn’t miss out – can you tell us what’s in store and the opportunity there is for artists in Season 4 of BACARDÍ Sessions?

Artists in the independent scene across music, dance and art have gotten a chance to showcase their talent in this season of BACARDÍ sessions. This is the first time that the platform has opened up avenues for dance and art too. So while entries for music are closed and winners have been declared, I urge all the budding artists across dance and art to stay tuned and participate. Also, there will be two new tracks for everyone to tune into soon and we really hope the audiences love them.