Nomi Ruiz broke boundaries while fronting Hercules & Love Affair on their debut release on DFA. She went on to release the critically acclaimed ‘See The Light’ as Jessica 6 on Peace Frog Records. Nomi has collaborated with ANOHNI, Honey Dijon, Keinemusik, Sakis Rouvas, Sam Sparro, Todd Terry and been featured on The American Academy Awards, Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto and in campaigns for Mugler, Calvin Klein, Dior Homme and Tommy Hilfiger. She has appeared in Sons Of Anarchy spinoff- Mayans as well as other film and TV appearances where she talks about sex & stigma within the trans community. 

This week sees the release of ‘Love Louder,’ Nomi’s collaborative album with NYC club icon Eli Escobar. We get a chance to sit down with this hugely fascinating and mega talented individual, diving deep into album composition, her next projects, creative spark, and more!

WWD: Where does the impulse to create something come from in you? 

It’s always been innately within me. It’s in my soul. I grew up in Brooklyn around a lot of chaos. Singing helped me deal with my anxiety and I began to realize it helped others as well. For me, creativity is something spiritual. Something healing that heals others when I tap in and push myself to express it.

WWD: What roles do stuff like art, relationships, and the current state of the world play for you in the ideas process?

A huge part. I write and sing about my life. About love, power and pain. Every lyric, every melody you hear me sing is part of my story. The way I perceive the world and how it perceives me. Songwriting has allowed me to examine myself in ways a lot of us never do. I get to break myself down and face hard truths. It’s not easy to face the choices we make. Songwriting helps me explore how the state of the world has shaped me. It allows me to break away from the stigmas and ideals that are imposed upon us. Especially now when there are way more tools being utilized to control us. To stay in line and live our lives in ways that only benefit rich white nuclear families. It isn’t reality. Writing helps me to escape it all and observe what’s happening from a bird’s eye view.

WWD: For you to get started, does there need to be concrete ideas for you to make a track? What is the balance between planning and improvisation for you?

It always starts with a melody for me which is why I deeply love working with musicians. If there’s no one around, I’ll write with my guitar. For the ‘Love Louder’ LP Eli sent my lots of amazing tracks he’d produced to choose from. I’d listen to them over and over again until something pulled at me then I’d lock in and loop that one track. I let it play over and over for hours if needed, pacing around, singing and writing lyrics simultaneously, usually breaking something down that I’m going through at that moment. A good Vinho Verde helps the process. I write poetry, journals and essays as well so there are times I’ll pull up some of that writing and lay it around me to draw from when needed.

WWD: For your latest release, what did you start with? Were there conceptual considerations, what were they?

When writing the songs on ‘Love Louder’ I was really expressing what I was going through day by day. I found myself surrounded by a lot of loss. I was tearing myself away from a trauma bond while a close friend of ours was passing away. New York had been changing drastically as well. Suddenly all the color had faded away from the city I grew up in which used to be so rich with diversity. The world in general has felt so fleeting and broken. I put all those feelings into the record. I wanted people to remember that all we really have is now. To be present with the ones you love because things seem to be fading away so fast. 

WWD: Can you tell us a bit about the way ‘Love Louder’ developed and gradually took its final form?

We were lucky to be able to record at Redbull studios. Eli and I finally got to be in the same room together and I got to perform all the songs and feel them in a new way. It was the most fun part of working on the record for me. After those sessions we sat on the songs for years really. The industry has been so hard on me and it was affecting my mental health. I didn’t want to sing or write or perform anymore. I didn’t want to give myself to an industry that has been ignoring and mistreating me for so long. It started to feel like a form of violence, so I needed to step away from it to save myself. 

The vocal mixes weren’t hitting right for me yet and I wasn’t pushing for things like I usually would. I just gave up. I wanted to disappear. So I did. One day my phone rang and it was Eli. He never calls out of nowhere so I knew it was something serious lol. He said “I’ve been listening to our songs and I really love them. I think it’s time we do something with this.” It took a while after that call but eventually we got it together. I had to remember why I loved music in the first place. For the songs in me. It’s important to nurture them. It’s who I am. It’s really never been about the business for me. Music is the thing that keeps me alive, that gives me purpose in a world that doesn’t want me to exist. 

WWD: Do you find that the feedback of others is important to you? Are there sometimes misunderstandings or does feedback from your peers help you to gain new insights?

I believe putting your ego aside and being able to take criticism is an art form all in of itself. It’s important to keep evolving. To sharpen your teeth in order to connect with people. The only way to do that is to let your work reflect off of others. It’s another type of relationship. If the world can’t receive you then how will your message get across? 

I definitely have a selection of people in my life whose opinions and criticism I hold at a high standard. Eli is one of those people which is why we’ve maintained a long working relationship. I trust in what he’s passionate about. For example, I didn’t want to release ‘The Spell’ as a single because I was so traumatized by the story behind it, it was hard enough to write, and I couldn’t imagine giving it more airtime but he pushed for it, and I trust him in that way. He has his finger on the pulse. So do the guys at Razor-N-Tape. I trust their feedback and ideas. They care.

WWD: What was most important for you to convey throughout this album? 

I wanted people to tap into the present while basking in this sense of beautiful nostalgia that Eli’s productions are drenched in. I threw in some lyrical easter eggs that might remind people of songs they’ve heard in the past. Lyrics that create this sense of urgency to be present, to say how you feel before it’s too late. To make love in ways you never have before. To push through fear. Live the life you want to live now. To love louder for tomorrow may never come.

WWD: What can we hope to see next from Nomi Ruiz? 

I’m writing a memoir that I hope will help others tap into the power of perception. I’m also working on a solo album that will feel and sound like nothing I’ve ever done before. I think it will accompany the memoir perfectly.

WWD: Who do you think is currently changing the world for the better?

Black trans women, AOC, and ANOHNI. 

WWD: Amazing projects! Thanks for the chat 🙂

The ‘Love Louder’ LP is available here