“A lot of people ask me who NUNNE is, and I find this question to be very abstract, mainly because for a long time I had tried to be someone I really wasn't as an artist. The beautiful thing about life is that it suddenly shakes you to your core to bring you closer to understanding who you are. For example, I had never understood what it meant to be a Latina until I moved out of my native country, and that notion suddenly faced me. Now I understand that I am made of powerful emotions, contradictions, complexity, and strong impulses, like my country, Mexico. I like to explore and express myself, without inhibitions or certainties”.
These words encapsulate the essence of NUNNE, a Mexican singer-songwriter and audio engineer whose journey and music has been of self-discovery and cultural reclamation. Born with a natural affinity for music, NUNNE's earliest memories involve creating melodies from the rhythm of a dripping faucet and entertaining her family by improvising lyrics to popular songs. "It's something that you already know you are," she reflects, "it's not like one day you have an Aha! moment and you decide that you are going to be a musician.”
At the tender age of 11, NUNNE began formal voice and piano training at prestigious institutions like MVS Academy and School of Rock Mexico. These formative years saw her participating as a vocalist in numerous ensembles and bands, which led to performances at notable venues such as Lollapalooza in Chicago, Foro Indie Rocks in Mexico, and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, among others.
Her passion for music deepened as she studied composition and music theory, crafting chamber music pieces for quartet, piano, and strings. Her compositions were showcased at the annual Lancaster Composer Concerts, held at significant venues like the Hellenic Cultural Center and the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center in Mexico City. These experiences honed her skills and enriched her understanding of music’s multifaceted nature.
Despite her early focus on classical music and pop/rock music in English, NUNNE's perspective on her artistry began to shift. “You know, when you're young and naive, you think that you have to write Anglophone music to sell more and make it in the industry”, she admits. However, her relocation to Montreal at 18, where she studied music production and sound engineering at Recording Arts Canada, provided a crucial turning point. Immersed in a new culture, she missed the vibrant sounds and rhythms of her homeland. “I didn't just miss my family, friends, and food,” she recalls, “I missed EVERYTHING: The street cumbias at 3 AM that didn’t let me sleep; boom boxes blasting reggaeton everywhere; the salsa classes that I dropped out after just two weeks; and even my mom's tipsy friends singing Juan Gabriel at the top of their lungs.”
This nostalgia led NUNNE to connect with the Latin American community in Montreal, where she met Zisco, a Venezuelan percussionist and sound engineer. Together, they began to explore their shared experiences of immigration and longing for home, which organically infused their music with genuine, personal themes. Their collaboration evolved from commercial imitation to a more authentic expression of their identities, revolving around themes of immigration, nostalgia, and healing.
NUNNE's musical journey came full circle with the creation of her debut EP, "La Selenita." Named after the selenite crystal, which reflects pale blue light and is associated with the Moon, the EP serves as a metaphor for the foreignness and rootlessness felt by immigrants. “It’s referring to something that comes from another place, foreign to this planet. We are from the Moon. That’s how we feel as foreigners, you don’t think that you belong because your roots are constantly calling you.”
"La Selenita" is a tribute to Latino immigrants, addressing feelings of guilt for leaving behind one’s country, family, and culture, and the journey towards self-forgiveness and acceptance. Comprising nine songs, the EP includes collaborations with artists like Eddy Jam, a Montreal/Dominican musician. Musically, it blends traditional Latin genres such as Son Cubano, Bolero, Bossa Nova, and Merengue with a modern, urban twist.
Through this EP, NUNNE channels a spectrum of emotions, embracing contradictions. Her chromatic voice conveys vulnerability and strength, reflecting her personal journey. The opening track, “El Perdón,” encapsulates the EP’s essence: forgiving the past, embracing the present, and practicing self-acceptance. “In Mexico, like everyone else, I had some problems and I blamed myself for not putting a stop to them, for not making different choices. The song talks about forgiving oneself, forgiving the circumstances to be able to carry on and giving yourself permission to stop living in the past and to focus on the present.”
"Náufragos", her favorite track, embodies the conflict of being in an unknown place and surrendering to the journey’s unpredictability. Conversely, "Ojos de Plata" celebrates the pursuit of dreams despite doubts and naysayers. “Náufragos reflects my fears and Ojos de Plata my inner self reminding me not to give up.”
The success of NUNNE's debut album, “La Selenita”, catapulted her into the spotlight, earning her critical acclaim and several prestigious nominations. The album's impact was recognized with nominations and awards at the EMPY Awards, Latin Awards Canada, and Premios Influencia, marking her as a significant emerging talent in Canada’s Latin music scene. This wave of recognition extended beyond the awards circuit, as “La Selenita” garnered feature articles in both Rolling Stone en Español and Billboard! magazines, solidifying NUNNE's reputation as a groundbreaking artist and amplifying her voice in the global music industry.
After having found her true sound in the creation of her first project, NUNNE plans to solidify her style with her second studio album, titled “Hakú”, to be released this Fall (2024). This short EP is a tribute to her best friend Hakú, hence the title, and arises after his recent death. Each song on the EP seeks to capture the emotions that NUNNE experiences when remembering her friend, navigating a range of feelings including profound sadness over the loss, nostalgia for the moments shared, eternal love that transcends death, and the joy of having lived unforgettable experiences together. This acoustic album will be accompanied by three singles: "Vuela" (an elegy) "CantaLuna" (a memory), and "Nada de nada" (an ode to Hakú’s eyes), which promise to resonate deeply with her audience, evoking both tears and smiles.