Nina de Vitry – “Being with Myself”
Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Nina de Vitry’s song “Being With Myself,” from her forthcoming album What You Feel is Real. “Being with Myself” will be released on July 7. What You Feel is Real will be available on August 25. This album was produced by Nina de Vitry, with engineering and digital editing by Shani Gandhi with additional engineering and digital editing by Sam Leslie. It was recorded at Middletree Studios & Sun Bear Sound, mixed by Mike Newman and mastered by Alan Silverman at Arf Mastering.
“Being with Myself” is Nina de Vitry on acoustic guitar, vocals, harmony vocals, and auxiliary percussion; Ethan Jodziewicz on bass; Dominic Billett on drums; Kai Welch on piano; and Chris Lippincott on lap steel and Telecaster.
Americana Highways had a chance to chat briefly with Nina about the song. The song link appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: What prompted you to write this song? What inspired it? What is its message?
Nina de Vitry: “Being with Myself” is about getting back to the self, and I wrote it at a time when I felt very distant from myself. I remember feeling like I was a shell of myself, and yearning to have that connected, passionate sense of being again. In writing this song, I found healing, and it became a sort of map for self-care and a mantra for me after I composed it. The core message of the song is that we can always find our way back to ourselves, even when we feel that we’ve completely disconnected from the very things that make us who we are.
AH: What was the songwriting process like? How did this song come together?
NDV: For this particular song, the lyrics and melody came through almost simultaneously. I was sitting out in my Nashville yard on an unseasonably warm December day, strumming a chord progression that inspired me, and letting the story come through as I played. I actually had recently heard a chord I really loved in a new David Grier tune, and I used this particular chord to jumpstart the progression inspiration. I had a pretty clear vision from the start in terms of what story I wanted to tell with this song, and the repeated line, “I think I could learn how to (do)” that again, helped to create a clear structure.
AH: What kind of a vibe were you going for on this song? How does the final version differ from what you heard in your mind before you recorded it?
NDV: This song definitely draws from my roots and Americana influences more than some of the others on the album. I remember thinking of one of my favorite singers, Aoife O’Donovan, as I played with some of my melody choices and vocal inflections, and I think keeping this inspiration in mind as I wrote definitely informed the overall vibe. When I produced it, I wanted the chorus to feature three-part harmonies, like something from an Indigo Girls or Lula Wiles album. The final version differs a bit from what I originally heard in my mind in that it is slightly more upbeat than the original version. I had fun creating a mid-tempo-shuffle feel on the choruses, and even added a little bit of auxiliary percussion myself with some brushes. Producing it with a full band breathed some new life into it, and I think helps to underscore the uplifting tone I’m hoping to communicate.
AH: What message do you hope the song has for people who listen to it?
NDV: I hope this song can remind people to slow down and prioritize the things that make them feel whole. It is so easy to feel detached from yourself in such a fast-paced and distracting world. For me, simple things like meditating in the morning, giving myself time to write, and moving my body go a long way in helping me to feel present with myself. I’m sure everyone’s list looks different, but we all probably have some practices we used to do that we want to get back to. I also specifically wanted to use the language of “learning” how to do things again, because I think a lot of what makes us who we are are learned habits. We may forget that we know how to do certain things, but we can always choose to nurture old parts of ourself again. Sometimes we just need to find that part and dust it off.
AH: What is coming up next for Nina de Vitry?
NDV: I’m looking forward to playing several single release shows leading up to my album release in August, including one for “Being with Myself” in Asheville, NC on July 9th and another in Philadelphia on July 15th. The show in Asheville will be especially fun because it’s a double bill with my brother, Lyle de Vitry, who also has a new album on the way. It’s going to be a great summer of shows and musical collaborations!
Enjoy the suspenseful, reflective arrangement of “Being With Myself,” and let your own heart open alongside the lovely vocals of Nina De Vitry as they crackle with deeply honest vulnerability.
Find more information here: https://ninadevitry.lnk.to/beingwithmyself