Talking to: Prinxe Nabu
We all know music is powerful. As well as transforming mood or soundtracking revolutions, it can also change individual lives. We had a chat with Prinxe Nabu recently, a 28 year old music maker living in East London, and he told us how music has transformed his life so far. Music has helped him change the negative course his life was taking when he emigrated to the UK from Romania as a teenager, has kept him continuing on the right life path, and creating music continues to give him hope when other areas of his life are tough.
Data from a long-running British study on health has found men living in deprived areas are more than 50% more likely to experience depression, and Prinxe Nabu isn’t scared to stand up and say this has been an issue for him throughout his life, and that poor mental health is rife amongst the young men in inner city London that he crosses paths with. He wishes his peers were more open about their mental health issues and more willing to speak up about them, and hopes that using his trap and hip hop influenced music as a tool to explore these issues can help lessen the stigma attached to suffering from mental ill health amongst young men, and inspire them to seek help like he has.
Can you tell me a bit about where you are from and what got you into music?
Well, it’s a long story... I am originally from Romania. I was hanging out with bad people and my dad brought me to London for a fresh start, to get me away from that; I am 28 now, I was 17 then. In Romania at the time there were legal drugs everywhere, you could walk into a shop and just buy any drugs you wanted.; it was crazy.
I came to London with my dad and changed my path; I got into studying, wanting to learn, I got into music and wanting to make music. Music comes from the soul and is a way of getting it out there. When I was younger and still in Romania I got into western music through video game soundtracks. I started listening to a lot of rap and hip hop; then I came here and that kept me going, and kept me away from getting in with bad people again. I went to college and studied Philosophy instead.
As well as writing and recording my music and lyrics I also love music production and want to start producing music for film; music with no words to suit that film, to support it. I am starting a music technology course this month to learn music production.
So, it sounds like what you are saying is that music has helped you to move away from a negative way of life, and put you on a better path?
Yes! Exactly that.
Where are you at the moment? What does life look like?
I am in East London and things are not great for me at the moment; I live in a one bedroom flat with my dad and work at River Island part time. But I rent a studio and make music, although it costs hundreds of pounds a month. I spend a long time there when I am not working; just me and my music, getting it out. I write lyrics and these are an important way for me to get my feelings out. My mental health isn’t great but music helps. I have had therapy, both counselling and group therapy, and I don’t mind standing up and saying I suffer from mental ill health. And writing lyrics helps me get that out and deal with that.
What is the music scene like in East London? What are the challenges facing you as a musician? How about the challenges facing young men where you are?
I am not really on the music scene in London, that is what I want to do, it has taken me a long time to get here, but the pandemic has stopped that. I think the main challenge for men of my age I see around me is mostly from the media. We grow up feeling like we can’t get what we want, that we should have this thing, have that thing, and we don’t have them. It’s all about luxury, women and money. Our parents didn't have the chances, and that carries on and a lot of young men I know still are striving and feeling like they haven’t achieved anything. I mean, like me, I am 28, and I look at my life and haven’t achieved my goals.
You mentioned when you first got in touch with us that you are passionate about breaking down the barriers to young men in your community talking about mental health? Tell us more about this.
We find it hard to talk about this stuff, but mental health is everything; it is woven into everything. I write about the negative stuff, about my mental health, it is a good way of getting it out when none of my friends will talk about it. I think we need to talk about it more, I want that to happen. It’s important.
Do you think music is a good way for young men to talk about their mental health?
Yes, it is a good way to get the subject out there and recognised.
How is the current situation with the pandemic affecting you both personally and as a musician?
The pandemic has helped me, it has been mostly positive to be honest. It has given me that time to focus, to get the work done.
And what it is like being an immigrant in London?
London is a major capital, with all different cultures and people from all over the world. It gives you a chance to meet so many different people from so many cultures and backgrounds. I have not had any negative experiences here because I am an immigrant to be honest. When I first started college I had a teacher and she was really kind, she really helped me and she was really there for me. I have seen a lot of kindness; I will never forget her and what she did for me.
And who influences you musically?
I am listening to a lot of American music at the moment, a lot of trap, you don’t really hear a lot of that genre coming from the UK. I wouldn’t say I quite make Trap, I love introducing more melodies in my beats than Trap does, but it has a lot of that genre. In America they call the type of music I make Cloud Trap, that kind of floaty feeling coming in there.
What is next for you as a musician? What do you want to achieve?
Next I want to get my music known, to get an online presence, to carry on making music and doing music production. Then once the restrictions are eased I want to buy myself some equipment so I can start playing at open mics and get really into the London music scene; at the moment that is hard. I just want to keep writing my lyrics and making music; as young men it's important we talk about our health and our problems.
If you are a male wanting some support around your mental health, the Campaign Against Living Miserably is a great place to go to for help and information https://www.thecalmzone.net/.
MIND is one of the leading mental health charities in the UK and their website has a lot of information for everyone about where to go for help and advice.