nenci
nenci is a Queer Vietnamese-American singer/ songwriter from Vallejo, CA based in Oakland.
Her background is embedded in 80's and 90's R&B/ Soul through the Bay Area music scene and at a young age that gave her early exposure to classical music by playing the flute. This helped her develop her style of diving into the genres of experimental electronic R&B with Hip Hop elements. She collaborates with artist/producer and girlfriend, Leviathe.
She has two new singles coming out called Underneath the Moon and Lydia. They came out of the desire to explore and blend classical flute, California Hip Hop, and experimental R&B. These two songs are a big departure from their past releases offering a heftier tone through growling synths, low kicks and 808s, levitating flute arches, and tape sampled vocals. These songs offer a more optimistic hopeful seduction than her past release (based on trauma and mental health struggles) through the beauty of the imagination when in pursuit of romance.
RELEASES
VIDEO
PRESS
It’s everything. It was something that was really innate that I never had to question. Since I was a child I always expressed myself through singing even when I didn’t know how to articulate why I did that.
Queer, nonbinary singer-songwriter nenci recently released two brand new singles focusing on queer love and putting yourself out there.
'Lydia' is the named depiction of a lover both potential and remembered. The song plays across timelines of imagining pursuing a queer love through anticipation and memories between nenci and Lydia. The song is a snapshot of the things that go through nenci’s
mind of the life of Lydia.
There are very few Artists nowadays that break the mould. Nenci is one of these rarities. Her vocals draw in the essence of Aaliyah and the rawness of Bon Iver - delivering stunning performances with a proven ability to captivate the mood of any song.
Queer Vietnamese-American singer-songwriter nenci premiere’s her soulful R&B jam ‘Underneath The Moon’. Described by the Oakland-based artist as “the ideation of queer romance”, the complex single projects the love surrounding nenci’s interest, Lydia.
nenci’s sound encompasses a variety of influences: from playing classical music on flute to bumping 80s and 90s R&B/soul alongside experimental electronica. in this first look at their collaboration, nenci and Leviathe perform their rendition of james blake’s “f.o.r.e.v.e.r.”, and we had the honor of chatting with them more about the project and how the video came together.
Local songwriter and producer Leviathe has been behind a huge number of our Text Me favorites in the last few years here at The Bay Bridged. Today, she's releasing a project with new musician nenci — tomorrow, for sure.
Produced through a grant from Red Envelope Giving Circle — an organization that supports art in the LGBTQ Asian Pacific Islander community — tomorrow, for sure is a dreamy pop-scape, perfect for setting the mood at chill dinner parties. It also marks nenci's musical debut.
The nymphs and mermaids in the feminist strip club of my imagination are pole dancing to “lydia” by Nenci, a down-tempo, undulating R&B track from the Oakland-based, Vallejo-raised artist.