Bio

Nona

Nona (Uden, 1993) is a free spirit in the truest sense. Honest, outspoken and open-minded, she’s a pioneer who does what she wants, all while pushing boundaries. No one can spoil her party, especially when it comes to music. The point is proven on her sophomore album ‘No Tears In My Champagne’, set to release on June 17 and which showcases a more raw and confident sound. “I now know better who I am and have found my own voice,” says the singer.

For ‘No Tears in My Champagne’, Nona collaborated with various musicians and producers, including Yoda, Benny Sings, Lawrence Mace, The Companions and Bud Kolk. Due to corona, the writing process was spread over a longer period. It required adaptability and flexibility. “You never know in advance what will come out, it works differently with everyone. Writing and singing to a beat is completely different from jamming with a guitarist. The beat then determines the sound and tempo. The trick is to do something with all that”, Nona says. The result is compelling soul pop with an edgy hip-hop groove. What keeps everything together is Nona’s signature fully-rounded, raw voice and a memorable flow.

The songs on ‘No Tears In My Champagne’ are about love in all its horror and glory: longing for an unattainable love, saying goodbye to a relationship, learning to love yourself. That essence comes through in songs like ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Q&A’, ‘Forever Yours’ and ‘Liar’. For the lyrics, Nona drew on her own life, refusing to disguise anything. “I have to expose myself completely, think about personal experiences. You often find out along the way that you apparently had something to do with it.”

One of the most notable track is ‘Victorious’, a piano ballad in which Nona sings about she wants to be independent from others for her happiness. She made the song with producers Wouter Hardy and Gordon Groothedde, who trusted her completely. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so free in the studio, just getting lost and disappear while writing lyrics”

About Nona
Grown up in Uden, The Netherlands, to parent who owned a record store. Nona spent hours as a young girl in her parents’ establishment. At home there was a lot of music, Nona herself played the flute, piano and guitar. Singing has been part of her life from a young age.
Later she studied music management at the Herman Brood Academy yet upon reflection pulled out to further explore singing herself. With friend and guitarist Steve Bradley she played in bars, at jam sessions and on the street. Pretty soon Nona started writing her own songs. She got a record deal and recorded songs in New York with producer duo Likeminds (John Legend and The Roots).

Nona’s debut single ‘It’s Alright’ was released in the summer of 2018 to critical acclaim, as did follow-ups ‘Sleeptalking’, ‘Last To Know’ and ‘Givin’ It All’.

In 2019 she released her debut album ‘Nona’. She was 3FM talent, was selected for the Popronde and received an Edison nomination for Best Newcomer. She played at major festivals including Eurosonic Noorderslag, Paaspop, Down The Rabbit Hole and Parkpop.

In 2020 Nona had a big hit with ‘Forever Yours’, for which she received a Gold Award, award she previously also received for ‘Sleeptalking’.
In 2021, the singles ‘ Don’t Cry Me A River’ for which she received a Sublime Award for Best Song - and ‘Better Than Ever’ followed.

In January 2022 she released the single ‘Liar’ followed by ‘Daydream Eyes’ in April.
In addition to various club shows, this summer Nona will appear at Pinkpop, North Sea Jazz festival and Concert At Sea.