One of my favorite things about my journey with this blog is how I have discovered great artists from all around the world that I typically would have never been exposed to in the past. I have always considered myself to be a worldly music listener, and this blog has helped me even further expand my horizons. I am able to help promote exposure for so many cool international artists who deserve more credit here in the United States, and for that I am grateful. One artist who I came across recently who I enjoy a lot and wanted to highlight is Airinna Namara. Airinna is a rising Indie Pop artist based in Malaysia who has an innate ability to create lovely and catchy melodies as well as write poignant and deep lyrics. Her music has elements of old school Pop and Alternative music, while also feeling so newfangled and fresh. Her vocals are super soothing and sweet; they create a connection between her and the listener that is palpable. Airinna has been honing her craft for quite a while, having first uploaded music onto Spotify back in 2018. Airinna has had multiple songs gain viral success, with songs like 2019’s ‘Last Letter,’ 2020’s ‘Hate That I Think About You,’ and 2022’s ‘Bad Blue Boy’ all having significant success in streaming services. All three of these tracks are very distinct and take on their own sound; although Airinna’s charm is present in all of them, her diversity as an artist is easy to see when you listen to these tracks. Airinna has had a relatively quiet 2023; before last week, her only release of the year was with one feature performance on Starcade Arcade’s track ‘Atmosphere'(if you go through her discography, she has done many awesome feature performances throughout the years that are worth checking out as well). Airinna Namara’s first solo release of the year is called ‘Nice Knowing You,’ having come out on the 15th of December. Below, I wanted to briefly highlight ‘Nice Knowing You,’ as it is a great track that shows Airinna is definitely one to watch. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about Airinna Namara, and also comment the names of some other rising up-and-coming artists you think I should check out.

As I mentioned above, ‘Nice Knowing You’ is Airinna Namara’s first solo release of the year. She did provide vocals on Starcade Arcade(an indie game publisher who also makes original music for their games) track ‘Atmosphere’ earlier this month as well; if you are into downtempo, lively House music, check this song out, as it is a very fun track and Airinna’s vocals are noteworthy. It is easy to tell how adaptable Airinna Namara is if you listen to both of these songs because they are so unlike each other. ‘Nice Knowing You’ is a nice and soothing Indie Pop track with a bright and illustrious sound that will make anyone feel good when they hear it. This song is driven by a sweet, vivid piano riff that is complemented by shining synths that build up as the song goes on. ‘Nice Knowing You’ feels very light and soft when it starts, building power and emphasis as it progresses. By the end of the track, the song feels very grand and all-encompassing, showering the listener with a wave of positive emotions. ‘Nice Knowing You’ has a beat that is calm yet exciting at the same time. It has the kind of energy that makes the song perfect to listen to in a laid-back setting but also has an element to it that makes me want to dance around my room. Airinna has stated two of her biggest influences are Regina Spektor and The Smiths, and I can hear influence from both of these artists in this track. This song has the charm of a piano-driven Regina Spektor track and the rhythm of a New Wave song from The Smiths back in the day. As cool as the instrumental is, my favorite thing about this song is Airinna’s vocals. Her vocal performance on this song is tranquil and pleasant. There is something so comforting about Airinna’s voice, and it connects to the listener in a very inviting way that I enjoy so much. On ‘Nice Knowing You,’ about getting over a relationship and finally finding happiness after going through a lot of trauma. This person has made her life hell recently because of how things ended with them, but she is finally ready to move on and let go of all the emotions she has been holding on to due to what happened with this person. ‘Nice Knowing You’ is a really great Indie Pop track that I downloaded the moment I first heard it because it just pulled me in immediately. ‘Nice Knowing You’ is a song I will be listening to frequently for the foreseeable future, and it makes me very excited to see what Airinna Namara does next!