Interview: Crossfya
Manchester, England, based Dance/Dubstep/Rap band Crossfya have released their new EP 'Radiant'. Louder Than The Music chatted with the trio about their music and inspiration.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you got involved in making music?
Tim - Crossfya is a part of the charity Make Jesus Known and we have been together (in various lineups) for around 9 years. We started the band because we love this style of music and combining that with our love and passion for Jesus.
Nana - Crossfya use music as a tool to bring a message of hope and inspiration to the listener. Our music is current with a uplifting vibe that is amplified at our live shows. We are pretty versatile with our sound as we sing and rap over different genres of music like trap, R&B, house, afrobeat, reggaeton and so one.
Nat - I’ve been a recording artist for around 10 years, but never found a platform to create urban music with a message about faith & God until I joined Crossfya.
Tell us about your new EP 'Radiant' and what the inspiration behind it was?
Nana - Radiant is an ep inspired by the summer and the feeling it gives you. There's something about light that brings hope and makes people feel good or that something good is coming. We wanted to create something that helped the listener escape from the negative and leave them feeling inspired and uplifted. Everyone is always looking forward to the summer so we wanted our music to give them the same feeling.
Which is your favourite track on the EP and why?
Nat - ‘Kill My Vibe’ stands out as my favourite because it really captures how care-free we can choose to be in times of struggle. In the production process we literally just tried catching the most positive vibe and put that atmosphere into lyrics.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
Tim - In the current global climate of fear and panic it is so important for people to know the reality of a God who loves them, who cares for them, and who created us for a relationship with Him. We want people to enjoy our music, put a smile on their face, and ultimately get them thinking about Jesus and their need for Him.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
Nat - Crossfya bring urban music into the electronic realm of Rap. We love the sounds of Guvna B, Melvillous & Lecrae, but I think our influences differ a lot from our actual sound - but I think that’s what makes Crossfya a unique collective.
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
Nana - The artist I would like to work with would be Drake, Lecrae, Adele or Stormzy because I feel each one of these artists are amazingly creative and we would be able to create something with depth but absolute vibes that people could get in to.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
Nat - I think it’s personal. If you haven’t defined your own goals as an artist then you can’t fully define success. However I think most goals revolve around reaching larger audiences, finding financial freedom through music and maintaining positive mental health & productivity.
Tim - So many people are after more views and follows. Obviously that is important and something we want to be consistent in building but ultimately success for us is when someone encounters Jesus and we see their life transformed by Him. We get the privilege of seeing that happen over and over again.
What is your favourite album of all time?
Nana - That's impossible to answer because it changes all the time depending on my mood. So many great albums out there.
Nat - So many to choose from but Channel Orange by Frank Ocean. Listened to it start to finish at least 100 times by now !
Tim - That's a hard one as I tend to fluctuate depending on what mood I’m in. From classic Garage to Hard house to EDM… I couldn’t pin it down to one.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
Nana - Something from MJ
Nat - S.O.S by Rihanna! Save me !
Tim - Put your hands up by Crossfya!
What does the next year hold for you?
Tim - Everything that has currently happened has meant a lot of uncertainty for everyone involved in music. We still have another EP we are in the middle of writing, and music videos due to be released. We are more than just a band focused on music, so when everything settles we will be back on the road performing and reaching as many people as we can with the good news.
