Singer Nadedja brings the sunshine with new single
Newcastle’s adopted alt-pop artist celebrates her journey so far with Twilight - a song inspired by family, music and starting over
Newcastle-based Brazilian singer-songwriter Nadedja is stepping into a new chapter of her music career.
Known for her distinctive blend of alt-pop and Brazilian influences, her vibrant new single Twilight - an upbeat, feel-good pop song rooted in the life she’s built in the North East - is out tomorrow (April 25) and will offer the first glimpse of her long-awaited debut album, set to arrive later this year.
Originally from Piauí in north east Brazil, Nadedja moved to the UK in 2019 after meeting her partner during a year abroad in the US.
“Coming to the UK meant the beginning of a new phase in my life,” she explains. “It filled me with excitement to lead a more creative life - that’s how I ended up finally taking the leap and starting to create and perform music here and the North East’s music community adopted me with open arms right from the beginning.”
Since then, she’s become a regular name in the local scene and has gained national attention through support from BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music. Her 2023 single Unfold was featured on ITV2’s Love Island, giving the track a huge boost and helping it reach over 200,000 streams on Spotify.
More recently, she took to a variety of stages during the MOBO Awards 2025 programme in February. As part of the MOBO Awards x BBC Introducing Showcase, she performed at The Glasshouse and took part in industry panels focused on the role of Black culture and art in shaping the UK music scene.
“Performing and being part of the MOBO Awards this year was a huge highlight,” she says. “I was fortunate enough to speak at music industry panels about the importance and impact of Black culture and art in the UK and the North East, as well as perform at The Glasshouse… What a huge honour!
“If you know me, you’ll know I’m an advocate for global majority musicians here, so being able to witness them shining on these big stages was a beautiful thing.”
Nadedja’s new single, Twilight, is a personal one, fuelled by her journey and the close bonds she’s built along the way.
“It was inspired by the pure joy I feel when I look around and see the life I was able to create alongside my partner and my beloved golden retriever, Lilo,” she says. “Lilo and I moved to the North East together from Brazil, and she is probably the reason why I didn’t completely lose my mind at times!”
Described by Nadedja as “a sunny day kind-of-song,” which “still puts a smile on my face every time I hear it”, Twilight was co-produced with Bob Mackenzie (The 1975, Anne-Marie, James Blake) at Real World Studios and Mackenzie’s private studio in Wiltshire.
“Working with Bob is always a huge pleasure,” says Nadedja. “Our minds and visions align so much that we barely need to speak, we just get it. He’s also the most fun, positive and talented soul you’ll ever meet.”
When it comes to influences, Nadedja cites artists like Florence & The Machine and Empress Of alongside the Western pop and rock acts in her dad’s record collection - including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Doors - and Brazilian artists and styles which shaped her upbringing.
Traces of música popular brasileira (MPB) are woven into her melodies, while she says the genre-blending style of São Paulo artist Liniker has inspired her to experiment with her own sound. Forró pé de serra - a traditional folk genre from north east Brazil -has also been a constant influence since childhood.
“I think my heritage shows up more clearly in the themes, lyrics and stories,” she says. “The songs are filled with the imagery I grew up with: the cacti plants, the thunderstorms, the land in my home state… it’s all there.”
She’s keen to highlight that her approach to songwriting is more instinctive than analytical. “When I write, I don’t necessarily think of them, I just trust my own process and feelings will guide me towards my sound. I just let the lyrics come out of me and sonically, I go wherever the sounds excite me the most,” she says.
“That’s the beauty of producing your own music - you get to experiment and have fun with the multiple directions a song can go.”
The making of the album was helped along by a PRS Foundation Women Make Music Award, which Nadedja says was “life changing.”
“It not only gave me a huge boost of confidence in this project, but also enabled it to actually happen,” she adds. “This music wouldn’t be possible without the support I’ve received from organisations like PRS, Help Musicians, and The Ivors Academy.”
Looking ahead to the album, which she has both written and co-produced, Nadedja admits it feels like the realisation of a long-held dream.
“This has been, by far, my longest-held dream and something I’ve always wanted to accomplish,” she says. “To be able to write it fully and co-produce it as well feels like the cherry on top.”
Her hopes for Twilight and the album are simple: “I hope listeners connect with the songs and make them their own. I also hope they can feel how raw, honest and unfiltered I was when creating this. That’s really the dream.”
You can catch Nadedja live on her BBC Introducing Live Session at 8pm tonight (April 24), The Bandstand Sessions in Hexham on June 22, and at the Last Train Home Festival on September 6. For more updates, follow her @thisisnadedja on social media. Twilight is out tomorrow (April 25) on all streaming platforms.