NYX | Photo Credit: Joseph Lynn
After years spent weaving myth, ritual, and raw sonic experimentation into their live shows and collaborative projects, London-based vocal and electronic collective NYX are finally stepping into the spotlight with their self-titled debut album, NYX (out now) via their own imprint, NYX Collective Records.
Led by composer and music director Sian O’Gorman, the group has built a reputation for crafting intense, otherworldly performances that merge choral tradition with futuristic electronics. Now, that energy is bottled into ten shape-shifting tracks that roar, whisper, and howl with power.
The first single, “Daughters,” arrives as a bold initiation—an invitation to descend into grief, rage, and rebirth, and to meet the wildness that lives within us all.
We caught up with NYX to talk about the process behind the record, reclaiming the voice as ritual, and what it means to create from a place of collective vulnerability.
What was the creative spark behind your debut self-titled album, NYX?
This album is a culmination of our many years singing, performing and collaborating together, so to me the initial spark feels like the tenderness of connection and togetherness through the group - the memories of where these pieces originated and the different people who have shifted through the project as it’s blossomed and grown.
The music itself is incredibly colourful, psychedelic and cinematic ~ it's a big old journey of raw human emotion expressed through a range of voices. Voices painted and shapeshifted through shimmery and expansive electronics.
What are the biggest challenges and freedoms that come with operating independently?
Challenges - finances, engagement, admin. When you release music yourselves, I’m often comparing our output to artists on established labels that have a lot more money, human resource and favourable algorithms behind them. But there is so much to be learned in the process of putting out music, and it's all about finding more free range super star experts & cheerleaders in the field to help - we’ve been incredibly lucky to have support from State51 (who we have a P&D deal with), Andrew Ellis (huge legend / supportive NYX pal), and Sugar Factory PR who help connect us to the people we wouldn't otherwise have access to.
Philippa Neels (Creative Director / Co-Founder of NYX) has also been nurturing a wide expanse of industry relationships since our early days, and that has been by far the most helpful and effective strategy in terms of getting our music out there to the people that really care and support us. The DIY spirit is the biggest freedom for us - there's something about being brave enough to attempt putting the music out yourselves that means that people around you are extra keen to get stuck in, help out and think outside the box with us.
Your music has been featured in films, video games, and now an upcoming BBC TV score. How does composing for visual media differ from creating for a live performance or an album?
I love working to a creative brief - particularly something visual. The first part of any collaborative process we take on is to develop sound “swatches” in response to the themes or direction of the project that's been passed to us. Whether it's responsive to live, music led, or visual media, this is a really important step as it helps to develop a sonic language between us and whoever we’re working with - a foundation of mutual understanding for the work to grow out from.
I think in some ways I prefer the limitations and boundaries of an external project (as long as they're relatively aligned with our musical and creative values) - there’s something about having a structure of a brief that opens up a sense of lightness & freedom to me. I can experiment with sounds and approaches to composition that I may not have otherwise considered.
I love the pressure of a deadline to keep me motivated & inspired, and I appreciate the clarity of a collaborative agreement - the collective understanding of what everyone’s role is and a structure to the feedback process.
I've really learned over the years that I find working that way much more grounding and connected than wide open ambiguous creative spaces, so I now apply that to all ways of working - and that applies to albums and live shows as well. We give ourselves briefs, stories and deadlines to work towards. However, it's taken a really long time to be at peace with this preference within myself - I've got this voice at the back of my head saying I'm not a real artist if I prefer working within structures and deadlines, that it's somehow less authentic or creative. So I’ve had to go through a big process of accepting that this is just how I am, being grateful that I've found a way of working that flows, and that it's just different - not any better or any worse than anyone else's approach.
NYX | Photo Credit: Joseph Lynn
What is your top networking tip for connecting with the right people in music?
We have a lot of meetings with a lot of people, and I think it becomes very clear very early on in the conversations if the people we’re talking to have a genuine interest in our music and approach or not. You sometimes encounter industry experts who haven't really taken the time to get to know you or your work before they start to offer out wisdom or generic advice, and while I do think it's important to listen and assess whether that information is valuable from an open mind (because you can sometimes find a gems inside mansplanations, it is possible).
I don’t really want to work with someone unless we have a genuine interest in each other's work and there is a feeling of reciprocity and mutuality in what both sides can offer.
Like it's coming from a place of creativity and connection. I also think we really benefit by collaborating with a lot of people that come from artforms outside the music industry (theatre & visual art particularly). Diversity in the creative ecology has always proved beneficial for us. More than anything it has helped us forge different pathways to create work, which is becoming more and more essential in this day and age where the music industrial complex doesn't really appear to be effective for artists at most levels any more.
Tips for finding your creativity on a tough day
I don't have a single go-to for this - sometimes it's knowing when to take space, get out of the studio and into some trees. And sometimes it's actually pushing myself through the tough moments - not giving up even though I'm screaming in rage and crying at everything that's coming out.
For me it is a constant search for a balance between these two approaches - giving myself enough space vs dancing through the pain to that point beyond resistance. Both of these hold a lot of power to me. It's like stretching vs lifting weights - I want to develop my capacity for flexibility, peace and strength inside the multitude of pressure and magic of the work.
I have gone through years of pushing myself too hard and burning out, and then years of taking so much space where I’ve lost my sense of resilience. So now I'm on a daily mission to check in and find the balance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Nicholas Snyder’s soundtrack to Scavengers Reign (eagerly awaiting the Common Side Effects OST 🤞), clipping., Ichiko Aoba, Lyra Pramuk, Antonina Nowacka, Harold Budd, Brighde Chaimbeul, Andy Aquarius, Daisy Rickman, Oklou, Clarissa Connelly & our Alicia Jane Turner’s new single Veil.
Interview by @ninakeh