LA-based jazz vocalist and composer Niia released the brazen new single “fucking happy,” from her fifth studio album, V (out now via Candid Records). Accompanying it is the music video – a sly nod to Fiona Apple’s iconic “Criminal.” Shot through the lens of director Lili Peper, the video updates that voyeuristic energy for a new era while keeping the same sense of intimacy and unease that made the original so unforgettable.
The album opener, “fucking happy,” is about the all too relatable notion of pretending to be fine when everything is falling apart. Niia found herself contemplating, “How hard is it to get over someone? Do we ever truly?” The track features sarcasm layered over melancholy, carried by a subtle groove, suspended harmonies, and punchy percussion. Niia adds, “The vocal sits just behind the beat, slightly too calm, while the chord choices flirt with jazz complexity without falling into old habits—like cracking jokes at a funeral in 5/4 time.” The music sits at the edge of jazz and indie. Grounded in the language of jazz, yet not confined by any strict definition of the genre.
“fucking happy” follows the release of the poignant single “Throw My Head Out The Window.” With emotional depth and surges of synths, it lives in the tension between control and collapse – the central motif of the new album. “Throw My Head Out The Window” is intentionally over-orchestrated with strings, dissonant piano, and a vocal teetering between aria and tantrum. Featuring new wave jazz boundary pushers bassist Anna Butterss and Nicole McCabe on saxophone, the song’s sonic palette is as bold as its message.
Returning to her roots (and first love), Niia set out to create her most personal and innovative record to date with co-producers Spencer Zahn, who is renowned for his lush soundscapes, and Lawrence Rothman (Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon, Kali Uchis). A culmination of years spent experimenting at the intersection of tradition and reinvention, V seamlessly blends the electronic textures of experimental pop with the thrilling interplay that only live, jazz-rooted musicianship can bring.
