LOS ANGELES, CA- NJOMZA. It’s a female Albanian name and it’s pronounced “NYOME-zah”. I recommend that you learn how to pronounce it now, because I have a feeling that you’re going to need to learn how to say it sooner rather than later.
Njomza Vitia is a singer/songwriter who got her break when she got signed to Mac Miller’s record label Remember Music. It you love Mac Miller, then you heard her sultry vocals on “Planet God Damn” from The Divine Feminine. Remember Music first release was NJOMZA’s debut EP, Sad For You. Even if you hadn’t heard of NJOMZA, you have definitely heard her music. Ariana Grande’s “Thank You, Next”? Njomza co-wrote that. “Seven Rings”. That too.
Now signed to Universal Motown, she recently released a seven track EP titled Vacation, a collection of seven “souled-out” pop gems. Touring in support of Vacation, NJOMZA’s first-ever North American tour kicked off in Santa Ana, stopped by San Fransisco, then hit up The Mint in Los Angeles.
I had a feeling that there would be a good crowd for her “hometown” gig. After all, NJOMZA currently lives in Los Angeles, and her friends aside, the most recent video for her latest single, “Me & You” (which was released in late January) has been getting massive numbers.
The show was sold out. I arrived at the venue about 45 minutes early, and I’m thankful that I did because there was already a line of about 30 people waiting to get in despite the unusually frigid temperatures that night. The room filled up quickly and soon I was shoulder-to-shoulder with other patrons waiting for NJOMZA to take the stage.
It was a young crowd, but I could tell that the twenty-something standing next to me were old souls. After all, the music on Vacation is drenched with romantic themes about persevering through pernicious relationships and depression, and they knew all of the music inside and out. I thought that I was pretty familiar with NJOMZA’s music, but unlike the other fans who had lined up at the front with me, I wasn’t singing all of the lyrics to every song.
Even NJOMZA seemed taken aback at times during the performance. It was almost as if she wasn’t expecting such a positive reaction from the audience. In fact, she even announced in disbelief that this was her first-ever, sold out show. But it was that surprise that seemed to turn her energy and vivaciousness up a notch, making for an absolutely terrific showing. It was a performance that felt larger than the venue itself.
While her repertoire still needs to be filled out, knowing the kinds of songs that she is capable of writing has me betting that NJOMZA has the tools to really bust the pop scene wide-open at any moment with one big single. She’s got the voice. She’s got the charisma. I think she’s the complete package.
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LIVE CLIPS
