Music, Motherhood, and Mentorship | Nakira

Denver Songstress Nakira Speaks on Finding Strength Through Vulnerability

Nakira, a Denver native, singer-songwriter, and nonprofit founder, is on a mission to inspire through her voice and life experiences. In this segment of Community Corner, she takes us on a heartfelt journey through music, motherhood, and mental wellness. Growing up in church, Nakira’s upbringing shaped her artistry and fueled her passion for self-expression. She reflects on the challenges of balancing her creative passions with everyday life and reveals the raw vulnerability behind her upcoming EP, Naked. Nakira also shares her drive to empower the next generation through Lyrics 4 Life, a mentorship program she founded to nurture aspiring young artists.

Through her stories, Nakira shines a light on mental health, empowerment, and finding strength in creativity. Her authentic approach to life and art offers a powerful message of resilience and hope. To learn more about her nonprofit and its impact, visit Lyrics4Life.com. Stay connected with Nakira on Instagram at @_IamNakira and listen to 104.7 The Drop to hear her music in rotation!

Transcript

SUGABEAR: Sugar Bear, La Molly, 104.7 The Drop: Community Corner. We’ve been extending our version of Community Corner to our local artists here in this great city we live in.

LA MOLLY: Well, they are part of the community.

SUGABEAR: They are, yes indeed. And we have a special guest today. Her name is Nakira. You probably know. We’ve been playing this song. You know her, you’ve heard her, you’ve seen her. Nakira, welcome to The Drop.

NAKIRA: Thank you so much. I’m happy to be here.

SUGABEAR: It is our pleasure. For the people who don’t know who you are — this is new for me too. This is an introduction for me. If I were to meet you on the street, tell us about you. Who are you? Who is Nakira?

NAKIRA: Nakira is a singer songwriter, Denver native. First of all, mother of three — heavily shaped my life and who I turned out to be and what motivates me and keeps me going on a day to day as my three children. And then also just all things artistic. I love to draw. I’ve tattooed some. I’m a community activists. I’m involved in all the things. Anything charitable, I’m just with it just to give back to the community. Giving is a major theme in my life because so many people have given to me. So yeah, in a nutshell: singer, songwriter, mother, and now nonprofit founder. So, I’m just excited about the future.

SUGABEAR: Yeah, we’ll get into that too. I saw that as well. Okay. Being here as a Denver native and being an artist, I saw you have some background in the church. Yeah, growing up in a church scene and whatnot.

NAKIRA: Absolutely.

SUGABEAR: Talk about that and how that shaped, like, “This is something that I want to do. I want to chase this as a profession and do this as a career move.”

NAKIRA: Absolutely. So, there’s never a time I can recall where music was not a part of my life. My mom has — there’s seven siblings. My grandmother has seven kids. My grandmother was a preacher’s wife. My grandfather was a pastor. They had a group back in the 70s, 60s, and stuff like that where they sang altogether all the time. Almost got a record deal back when that was — when Vinyl was obviously the main thing. And so being raised, my uncles all played instruments and my uncles all sang. My mom was like dancer, and we just grew up with music all the time. I remember my grandmother having a vinyl record player and listening to anything from “Blue Suede Shoes” to just typical soul music. Parliament, I heard all that stuff just in my upbringing. So, I think there was never a time I wasn’t going to do it. In church, Women’s Day, all the things. We’re singing all the songs. It was just a rite of passage, almost, to just be in the church choir.

SUGABEAR: I love it.

NAKIRA: So, I’m just rooted in that. Definitely.

SUGABEAR: Music all the time.

NAKIRA: All the time.

LA MOLLY: And how does the church and the upbringing — how do you see that coming through in your music now?

NAKIRA: So that’s like a two-edged sword, right? Now in my life, I’m more spiritual, but I was raised very religious. Singing R&B music was the devil’s music. Even now, I still feel like that heavily is in my spirit because when I write songs, like the song I was performing, I have to avoid certain wording just to maintain respect because my mama going to hear it too. So that’s what church does to you. But at the same time, it’s just like, okay, what I do realize is that I’m human. God made sex, God made all these things. Why am I shying away from it? But because church made that very taboo to do. So, even as an adult, I’m still breaking free and trying to learn to get my voice back and not feel the shame of that.

SUGABEAR: Love that.

LA MOLLY: Well, and what’s so great about your music and your perspective is, as a woman, and particularly as mothers, I feel like we have to choose. We’re one or the other, right? We’re sexual and sensual or we’re godly or we’re community activists. And so, being able to show those that multifacetedness is so important.

NAKIRA: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I’m raising my daughters. That’s specifically my daughters. I do have a son, but I’m raising my daughters not to be ashamed to speak on those certain things. I have a lot of conversations, open conversations that some other parents will be like, “You talk to your kids about…?” Absolutely. I don’t want them to be ignorant either of what’s out there. And I’d rather them look at me as the expert. They’re going to go to their friends cause they think they’re the experts.

LA MOLLY: Of course.

SUGABEAR: Of course they do. And I mentioned something, I saw something in your bio about the sensual side. That you’re not afraid to talk about that and that comes through in some of the lyrics about that. What’s your process in writing? Is it from past experiences? How do you create in that space?

NAKIRA: I tend to heavily lean upon past experiences or current experiences, because when you perform that live, it comes across different if it’s something you’ve actually been through and experienced. There’s been songs I’ve written like a tribute to my grandmother. If I try to sing that song, that probably would be brought to tears because it means that much to me. Dedicated that to her. But I don’t know, sex in particular is such a big dynamic, and I feel like the way that music is saturated in a very adulterated way now, it takes away from the sensual side, the more — what’s the word I’m looking for — the intimacy of it. It is not just this filthy, nasty, generic thing. To me I was married for a long time, and so a lot of the things that I talk about were during that marriage or other partners. So it’s definitely mostly real life experiences.

SUGABEAR: I love that. And you’re not afraid to show — you don’t shy away from that.

NAKIRA: Not lot of people know that I actually operated a sex toy company for years.

LA MOLLY: That’s amazing.

NAKIRA: My grandmother — you would’ve thought I told her — she was a preacher’s wife. She was not having it.

SUGABEAR: But it’s the creativity that that’s what it’s about. It comes through and through your art and whatever. As an artist, can you explain? Because I mentioned to you off air that I used to sing, and so I can feel you watching you perform. You get into it. Can you explain what that’s like for the person who doesn’t sing what it’s like? Do you hear music in your head all the time?

NAKIRA: I hear it in my head all the time, and I actually play it, like, at work. Everywhere. Everywhere I go, there’s music.

SUGABEAR: You probably talk to somebody and hear a song.

NAKIRA: My daughter will probably tell you it’s annoying. You say a word, and the song is coming out.

SUGABEAR: I hear the song already. Yes. Explain what that feels like and how that fulfills you.

NAKIRA: It’s a weird feeling. So, music, for me — I could pinpoint by songs where I was at in my life. So music for real, quite literally is a soundtrack of my life. I can remember when this song plays that I just had a kid or I was going through a divorce or I was — music is therapy to me for real. I don’t think people give enough credit that music can drastically shift your mood. I’m having a bad day, I could put on some Kirk Franklin smile and my whole thing is like, right? So, even performing for me…For me, I really understand that the gift that God gave me is not mine. And so from growing up in church, I think that comes into play. I’m just singing. I just like to do this. But I’ve had so many people come behind me and be like, “Oh my God, when you sang that, I got goosebumps. I felt this and it made me feel—”bad. You know what I’m saying? So, when I even go to a stage, even at a R&B concert, I pray before I go and say, “God, help me to be a vessel and help somebody to feel touched by this.” And for me, that’s why I kind of remove myself. I feel like it’s not me. I’m just making sure that God shines through me no matter what the subject matter might be.

LA MOLLY: Well, you know, all of it is a part of God’s.

NAKIRA: Absolutely. Thank you. That’s right. You heard it here first.

LA MOLLY: But you’ve been involved in a lot of things, like you mentioned your nonprofit work. Talk to us a little bit about that.

NAKIRA: It’s actually a very new thing for me. I founded it in April and have been getting, like — when you are a team of one, which I don’t even like to say that, but when you’re starting off oftentimes in business or founding different organizations, you’re the one-person team doing it all. So it took a lot of leg work to get everything in play, the website and all that. So, I founded it in April. It’s called Lyrics for Life. It’s a mentorship for 8th to 12th grade. Boys and girls who have an interest in music or they already actively are in music. Because I’m so connected with the DJs in this city, the singers, the songwriters, the audio engineers. They don’t teach this in school anymore. You got choir and band pretty much, but if you’re trying to even be in radio, there’s not really an avenue unless you seek it out yourself.

So I just want to expand that and make it known and provide services to youth free of charge and give them that outlet, because some of them have it so pint up in and because it’s therapy for me, I’m sure it’s going to be therapy for them too. So I’m just super excited. And coupled with that would be more like life skills too. Social-emotional intelligence, just conflict resolution things that nobody’s teaching that are so critical as you step out into adulthood as a young person. So if we could get it early in the game, I just think it sets them up for greater success in general.

SUGABEAR: Okay. So you mentioned your nonprofit, you’re doing that, but I want to talk about your mental health. We are advocates here of mental health here. So I want you to talk about how important that is, how it’s played a factor in your music, your lyrics, how you can help others — even the youth that you’re trying to help. Talk about that and the importance of it.

NAKIRA: So, it’s funny to tie this in. I feel like the opportunity that I’ve had in my music is to be more vulnerable. I’ve experienced so many things. Again, I have three kids. I was married eight years. I’m divorced. I’m the middle child. There’s so many dynamics that you hear about in life that play into who you are. And I think that that’s the one major thing in the project that I’m currently working on. It’s to just be more vulnerable because there’s so many people who can pull from that or feel like they’re not alone. So that’s the actual biggest goal I have. But as far as mental health is concerned, I’m so glad that we are at a space — I don’t know if it’s just America, I don’t know if it’s generationally — that we are speaking to this. I feel like most people — I went through a sick spell, like, 2022. Started having panic attacks, started having all this stuff going on.

I was like, “What is going on?” I was terrified. But your actual health ties so much into your mental health, your diet, and all of that. And so through all of that, I learned I’m not taking care of myself as a mother. We take care of everyone else, and we put ourself last. And just like in the airplane, the mask drops down. You can’t put your baby’s mask on. You got to put yours on first. And so that is so hard because we’re taught to nurture and give and give and give, and then we’re depleted. So, I’ve just found that just taking time to just back away from everything: music, work. And just be who I am and rediscover myself.

As moms — I feel like I lost myself in having children and marriage and stuff. I even put my dream — I don’t like to say on the back burner because I wholeheartedly believe putting my kids first was the best decision I ever made — but it caused a lot of my dreams to fall to the wayside. And that even affects your health because you feel like, can I do it? Am I worthy? And all these things, this negative self-talk, it takes intention and deliberate action to talk yourself out of that. And I think that that’s super important for everybody to know. It’s not, there’s nothing wrong with you. There’s probably every person on planet Earth has these type of thoughts, but people don’t talk about it. And when I was sick talking about it, I realized how many other people had that going on. So I would just encourage anybody who’s going through that to seek the help. For one, change your lifestyle, your diet, and change your self-talk. Because what you tell yourself, you see what you say. Everything you say is what’s going to be attracted to you, and it’s what you’re going to put out towards people as well.

SUGABEAR: That’s a gem right there.

LA MOLLY: Yeah, it is. And you just really spoke to my soul. I mean, as a mother, we do. We’re very — that’s how we feel like we have to be. And the lack of community can be really tough. So as a mother pursuing your dreams, how do you manage it all?

NAKIRA: To be fully transparent? Again, I think as far as resources — because a lot of our goals take money. Let’s be for real. I have two college students now — and my mother used to always ask me, “Why aren’t you doing your music? Why aren’t you doing that?” And in my head, I’m like, “Bro, this costs: studio time cost, video shoots cost, all of this cost.” And there’s so many other things in my mind that are priority over that.

Reprioritizing and telling myself it’s okay to do this. It’s okay to spend money towards that because I do want to empower my children to know, put yourself first, slow off on the having kids. That is always going to be opportunity. Put yourself first. So I feel like, I don’t know, I just feel like I really try to now be more — intentional is my theme right now. The nonprofit, I was slow on my feet. I’m like, “Nakira, the longer you wait, the less people you’re going to reach. People need you.” And so me getting out of that putting myself last, because I don’t want to seem like I’m being selfish. That’s my biggest thing right now.

LA MOLLY: Yeah, it’s tough. I know.

SUGABEAR: The song, we got to talk about it. What’s it called, Serenity?

NAKIRA: You’re talking about “Encounter.”

SUGABEAR: Encounter. The lyric, it’s something about…Can you read — can you just say…?

NAKIRA: “She knows she should be leaving. She knows these dudes be scheming, but she stays.”

SUGABEAR: She stays.

LA MOLLY: “Ooh, she stays.”

SUGABEAR: And I’m not a woman, but I know a lot of women who’ve gone through that. Good friends. I’ve been in that situation. Where did that come from? Tap into that.

LA MOLLY: Just get all up in her business.

SUGABEAR: Because it’s relatable as a singer-songwriter. Right? You want to tap into that emotion. Cause I felt that hearing the lyric, which is why I’m asking you about it now.

NAKIRA: Yeah. So there was the scenario after I was divorced — or actually going through my divorce — where I linked up with this guy, and initially it was a very surface level of physical attraction. I’m going through a divorce, I’m kind of wild or whatever, you know what I’m saying? But yeah, so I met him and it started off as a fling. But then when you get around somebody a long time, they grow to like you, you grow to like them.

And when they’re not being fully honest, sometimes it takes a second for you to realize that the okey-doke is being pulled on you. They’re telling you all the right things, but some stuff ain’t adding up. And then it starts to — the math starts mathin in the opposite way than you thought it should, but you start to realize this person’s like a pathological liar. But that sexual attraction keeps people there longer than they should be. And you know that this is not good for you, for your health, for your body, and these people are probably putting your actual health at risk because they’re not — yeah. So that quite literally would made me write that song. I know I should leave this — it took years. That situation should have been a very six month-ish scenario, but it was a few years. And it took me being like, “Bro, this is crazy. I’m better than this.” It comes across as desperation. Are you that desperate to have somebody that you can’t cut this person who you know is trash off? And once you get to that realization, and if you have a good sense of self worth —

SUGABEAR: That’s maturation though. You gotta go through it to get to it, right?

NAKIRA: Absolutely.

SUGABEAR: I don’t want to sound preachy, but I’m just saying.

NAKIRA: No, amen.

SUGABEAR: That’s the truth.

NAKIRA: Yeah, definitely a real-life story for me.

SUGABEAR: Tell us about the EP that’s coming out.

NAKIRA: So, “Naked.” When people hear that and they know me, they think this is some other stuff, but it speaks back to that vulnerability. I want to just bear my whole soul on that, right? You could do all the sex songs and the turn up and the trap jams and all that type of stuff, but again, I feel like that doesn’t serve the greater good of my audience. So I want to speak to the times that I was very much verbally abused when I was married and how I slept on the floor pregnant. Some people don’t want to hear that story. And I think about others first. We always do like, “Oh my gosh, if I put this out, how is my ex-husband going to feel? Or how is this boyfriend going to feel? Or how’s my mom because my dad wasn’t around.”

I’ve reconciled with my father, but he wasn’t there. My mom told me she wanted to abort me when I was 19. And that really jacked me up, dude. I was like, “What?” And she regretted it. She didn’t know it was going to hurt me so much. So those type of scenarios and things that you go through, I think you feel like, again, it’s just you, but we all have that family drama and dynamic that we just need to — for me, it’s going to be therapeutic. And I think that that’s why I’ve shied away from it, because I get very emotional when I speak about those things, even though I feel like I’m healed from a lot of it. To tap back into those feelings is just like yesterday. I could say how I felt when my mom told me that. You know what I’m saying? So I just feel like it’s going to be good for me, but it’s going to be good for others who have a similar story for me to get that out. And that’s the purpose of “Naked,” to just leave myself out there vulnerable.

LA MOLLY: Well, your bravery to be naked allows other people to tap into those feelings themselves when it could be hard or we’re avoiding it or whatever. So that’s why that kind of stuff is important.

SUGABEAR: True. When is that coming out? When can we expect it?

NAKIRA: So, it’s been an album that I’ve been working on for a good year. I had two kids go to college, so I’m really trying to slate it to come out the beginning of this summer. That’ll be perfect time for video. And I have — my performances tend to ramp up like April, May-ish, and then through the summer, and then things shut down in the fall. But yeah, I want to really push it to be out probably by mid-June.

SUGABEAR: It’s such a pleasure to get to know you. Hearing your story a little bit — I know we just heard a little bit and our listeners as well, but thank you for being vulnerable.

NAKIRA: Absolutely.

SUGABEAR: And sharing your artistry with our listeners and both of us. It was amazing.

NAKIRA: Thank you so much for having me.