Are you ready for new NINA? In advance of her upcoming album, Synthian, the synthwave star is releasing her engaging new single, “Runaway,” featuring creative partner LAU. Today, Vehlinggo premieres this nostalgia-tinged anthem. But that’s not all. There’s also an interview with them. So, I ask again, are you ready for new NINA?
Synthian releases June 5 via Aztec Records. You can pre-order it in various forms right now.
Interview with NINA and LAU
Vehlinggo: Tell us the story of “Runaway.”
NINA: LAU and I wrote “Runaway” with Ricky Wilde at his home studio in the UK. The song is about unity — sticking together in bad times. Life can throw hurdles at you and you may feel lost at times, but you got to keep going. There IS light at the end of the tunnel. “Don’t ever doubt/Our love will get us out/It’s a long road ahead/But we gotta try.”
How did the songwriting and recording differ for Synthian and “Runaway,” compared to previous releases? What has stayed the same?
NINA: LAU and I worked with Oscillian and Richard X again for Synthian, like we did for Sleepwalking. And like before some songs were written and recorded at Oscillian’s home studio in Sweden and others in London, so in that sense it was a familiar affair.
Ricky Wilde and Till Wild were new collaborators and I’m so happy they came on board. Recording and writing at Ricky’s home studio was a very humbling experience. He’s so incredibly talented, quick, and gentle in his approach. We first wrote “Gave Up On Us” and then “Runaway” a while later. I feel that the two songs certainly have a more uplifting, classic pop sound than some of the other songs on the album. That’s why I really enjoy collaborating with different producers: it gives different flavors to your creations. I see Synthian as Sleepwalking’s bigger sister. It’s bolder and more mature, but it carries the same genes as Sleepwalking.
We really poured our hearts out writing this record.
What were some “ah ha!” moments from the recording and writing process for either “Runaway” or the entirety of Synthian? Any challenging moments?
LAU: Just being in Ricky’s studio with all his platinum records on the wall felt quite surreal! We’re both big fans of his work with Kim [Wilde] and we were ecstatic to be there creating music with him. We’re super proud of the outcome of this collaboration and can’t wait for the world to hear these songs. We dream of touring with Ricky and Kim one day. Who knows!
After your tours around the world, what are your thoughts about the synthwave scene?
LAU: We keep seeing the synthwave scene grow steadily around the world, and that has been amazing. From South America to Scandinavia, the synthwave fans are always passionate and very supportive. It really does feel like a family and we get lots of love and appreciation every time we perform. We hope to start touring again next year.
What do you want people to get out of the album?
LAU: I personally want it to be another classic synthwave album, like Sleepwalking. I want fans to listen to these songs for years to come and still be connected to them as much as we are. We really poured our hearts out writing this record.
