Amindi Talks Self-Love, Nods to The Weeknd and Drake While Breaking Down Her “nice” EP

The debut EP is out today via Human Re-Sources.
Track by Track
Amindi Talks Self-Love, Nods to The Weeknd and Drake While Breaking Down Her “nice” EP

The debut EP is out today via Human Re-Sources.

Words: Margaret Farrell

photo by Vinny Nolan

July 29, 2021

Amindi‘s combination of hip-hop and neo-soul contains an infectious confidence and openness. You might recognize her name from her 2017 breakout single “Pine & Ginger,” and her latest EP nice showcases those same lustrous vocals while also demonstrating her playful and vulnerable songwriting. All eight tracks display a straightforwardness that’s both charming and candid, with her bluesy delivery that’s at times reminiscent of Kali Uchis—a queen of disarming coolness.

Whether it’s taking a break from weed or celebrating the power of her friend group, Amindi’s reflections feel not only clever, but wise. Her relaxed delivery—switching from soulful croons to a breezy flow—invites us into personal reflections and moments of clarity that present themselves as revelations. Take the trippy funk highlight “great again,” where she sings during the chorus, “Overall I feel find / But I want to feel great again.” Later, she digs deeper, shooing away the expectation that one has to be perfect 24/7, to not let anyone perceive that something’s wrong. “When they ask me how I’m doing I’m like ‘Stay tuned’ / I don’t want to say I’m good if it ain’t true,” she swiftly raps. Self-awareness plus honesty equals a type of self-care.

nice is a project from a musician with an exciting amount of promise that gives us a window into her upbringing and philosophies on mental health and self-love. Today, Amindi gives us some more detailed insight on the project, breaking down each track from the EP. Listen to the project below and read what she had to say about each song.

1. “u got next”

This is me reflecting on my entire career up until this point. The title is something I’d hear a lot from people trying to encourage me every time I felt like quitting music. Eventually, I chose to just do things 100 percent my way, and life has felt better since.

2. “haircut”

“haircut” is a love song for myself! I made the conscious decision to put zero romantic-themed songs on this project, but, of course, my Venusian self found a loophole. Self-love wasn’t always an achievable thing for me, and now that I’ve got it, I been holding on for dear life.

3. “nwts”

This was the first song I recorded that ended up on “nice.” the song itself is about all the men I’ve encountered in this industry who have tried to take credit for and/or minimize my success. I love Drake and I love this song and I love being able to talk my shit.

4. “slideshow”

This was one of the last songs I added to the project. It’s everyone’s favorite. The theme was high-key inspired by “Next” by The Weeknd. The vibes are very much “you see me getting this money so now you wanna pop up—I see through you! But honestly we could still kick it when I feel like it.”

5. “telly”

“telly” is another song about me evading romantic advances and pursuing money. It’s a fun song; it was very fun to write. This was actually the first song I recorded that ended up on the project, and the only song that Devin didn’t produce. Shoutout to my guy Walt Mansa.

6. “death proof”

“death proof” is a bestie anthem! It’s named after my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie, which is basically about a group of girlfriends who beat up this creep who’s killing women. I thought of the title before I wrote the lyrics because the chords reminded me of Tarantino. After I wrote it, I asked my friends to send voice memos that sounded like we were having a good time. I also included some videos from my camera roll!

7. “great again”

This is probably my deepest song on the project (other than the first one, I guess). As humans, we all know what it’s like when we’re just in a funk—feeling kinda off—and that’s what this song is about. Instead of just going with the flow of whatever isn’t working for me, I try to intentionally change my behavior in order to return to center. Learning how to care of myself has been such a rewarding journey. If not me, then who?

8. “nice”

“nice” is the title track and a summation of every song’s theme, I think. Then the song ends and the project is over and you’re all like, “Nice.” and I’m all like, “Exaaaaactly.”