Debut records can be intimate and intimidating ventures. Charleston, South Carolina musician and thespian Janise Robinson made Exit Simulation over the course of two years and was not certain whether or not it was ready. Interest was bubbling however and Kranky Records, specifically Brian Foote (Peak Oil, Audraglint), had been taking note. Kranky has been known to release the hushed and moody music of Grouper but also shoegaze classics like Beat by Bowery Electric. 

Texturally, Niecy Blues is a brilliant fit. Silky and at some moments swimming, this record pops and thumps with electronic pulses, bass, and harp but features her vocals most prominently. Layered and sublime, the first single on the record “Violently Rooted” sets the tone of thought-provoking music that is also patient and potent.

“How do I sow the seeds
How can I sow a seed
that‘s been ripped away from me?

Violently rooted will I wither?
Lonely winters
Sun can’t kiss the ground
I’m still around”

The themes and broad strokes of this record, vulnerability, fear, and empowerment, are timeless and Exit Simulation holds the promise of the music to come but also stands firmly planted in its power here and now. I had the pleasure of speaking with Niecy Blues about how her first full-length materialized.

‍How does living in South Carolina inform your music or approach?

I think living in SC ultimately allows me solitude. Room to breathe and to create. I am also deeply connected and rooted spiritually here. I think with limited resources for musicians, I feel like it sort of puts me in a position to have to research, dream, and explore outside of my day-to-day. You kinda have to get really creative and be very intentional about your artist community because it’s up to us to push beyond what Charleston allows.

How long did you work on your debut release, Exit Simulation?

I’ve been working on Exit Simulation for about 2 years. I didn’t intend to be working on an album at all. I had a playlist of songs I had been producing, most were the first things I had been working on since learning to produce. After releasing the CRY EP, I thought I’d be working on another EP. I didn’t think I had reached the level of skill or knowledge really to be making an album. But labels were taking interest and asking what I was working on and when I sent the playlist it became clear that perhaps this could be something more full length.

Tell me about the guests and team on the record. How did these connections happen? Harpist Mary Lattimore is on "Exits," vocalist Durand Bernarr is featured on "Soma," and Brian Foote has a production credit as well.

Durand and I connected in 2020 when I released CRY. He reached out via socials and we hopped on a phone call and he immediately felt like my cousin! Fast forward… I went to L.A. to finish recording a couple things for Exit Simulation in May and I went to his house to just catch up. He asked to hear what I had been working on. I played a few tracks from the album and when I played “Soma” (very bare bones at the time) he stopped me and asked if I would air drop the song to him. He immediately just started recording vocals on the spot! He is so organized and strategic in the way that he writes and records melodies. It was incredible to witness. He’s so brilliant. 

The song began to take shape on its own from there. Aisha Mars (flute) came in and completely took it to another level energetically. The entire room shifted. KeiyaA effortlessly added sax and vocals. Her and I are really good friends and it was the first time we were able to sit and work with each other. We harmonized together and it felt so special. Intimate and intuitive. 

Qur’an Shaheed and I met a few years back and I admired her work so much. I was stoked when she actually agreed to come to Brian’s studio (all of these additions to “Soma” were recorded there) and we were blown away by her powerful musical instinct. Brian really helped us steer the ship! He’s brilliant at creating the space for exploration while simultaneously reeling things in so to speak.

Do you have a process? Is collaboration a big part of that process?

A goal is to open myself up to more collaboration. Sometimes when you’re just beginning to learn to produce and figure out your sound, you’re in a vulnerable place. I still very much consider myself a baby at this (I am literally 3 years old as a producer haha - not counting vocal producing) so I really wanna just get out of that state of fear and trepidation and just fucking go and collaborate with people. When I opened myself up to it, the reward far exceeded all of that fear. I have much to learn. That requires vulnerability. 

‍Is there a proverbial North Star that guides you through a performance or when writing music? 

I lean as far into what feels intuitively physically, mentally, and spiritually. I try my best not to judge myself while in that space when I feel that doubt creep in. But it’s a voice and I follow it. Humbly. With performance it’s very much an exchange. And when there isn’t much exchange happening between myself and the audience, there is always the exchange happening with me and Spirit and that’s what I lean into. Performance is just as much for me as it is for the audience.

What do you do aside from making music that supports you either financially or emotionally?

I’d love to be able to be creative all day and be able to have my basic needs met that way (rent, food, clothing, etc. and there really is no reason why that should be so rare for artists to experience... But that’s a different subject of course. I am a community organizer and marketing/engagement for a food justice organization.

Charleston has a lot of food deserts and is one of the fastest gentrifying cities in the country. That displaces a lot of Black people. I am fortunate to be able work specifically with and serve Black elders in the community who have chronic illness and are food insecure. We help get them resources and fresh produce from farmers in the region as well as educate them through a free wellness program. It’s really special work and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to get to learn from them, really.

Your opinions on the options we as listeners have to interact or consume music (i.e. streaming, the future)?

I want equity. I want autonomy. I want to be able to live like the execs who literally don’t have shit without the artists. Where’s my house? Where’s my car? Health insurance? You’re telling me I get LESS THAN A PENNY per stream? I put my all into my work and I still need to work a 9-5 to sustain a roof over my head? It’s bullshit. It’s hard work and I deserve to have my basic needs met. So yeah… buy the music. Buy the records. Buy a ticket to a show. It’s not enough to stream. Just remember you are listening to 3 or 4 minutes that might’ve taken someone hundreds of dollars and months to years to create from conception to final “product.” 

What do you anticipate are areas you'd like to explore sonically that you haven't yet?

There’s honestly so many areas I could go to. I’m following the breadcrumbs right now. I’m interested in what happens when you take a little of this and sprinkle it into that. I think I exist best in gray spaces when it comes to sound.

Live music/performance you've seen recently you've enjoyed?

I got to see my friend Akeema[-Zane] perform for the first time (!!) and was completely blown away. I was incredibly inspired. She really created an intimacy through exposing themselves artistically to the audience in a way I hadn’t experienced before and their work is just… well, it’s beyond words. I hope I get to work with them in some capacity soon.

How was your show at Columbia, South Carolina’s longest-running music venue, New Brookland Tavern, in November?

‍Thank you so much for asking! I had a blast at the show. It was pretty emotional. The venue is closing down and has hosted so many unforgettable shows. I can remember going to see so many local acts, including Toro y Moi at the time, dozens of times and playing there myself as I was starting out. Just trying to figure myself out, really. Ah, I'm really happy we got to play in that space one last time!