NAV ON BACK-TO-BACK NO. 1S AND LEARNING FROM THE WEEKND
NEW York—canadian-indian rapper Nav has no problem being signed to one of the biggest artists in the world. In fact, he says The Weeknd doesn’t overshadow him, but pushes him to the forefront.
“It’s a real family over here. He has so much success. I don’t think he cares about who’s [also successful],” said Nav, whose real name is Navraj Singh Goraya and is signed to The Weeknd’s XO imprint.
With fellow Canadian stars like The Weeknd and Drake, it’s an understatement to say Toronto has had a signature run in the past few years. But Nav, whose new album “Good Intentions” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week, is taking notes and hoping to one day draw the same acclaim.
“In the room, he’s very humble and chill,” Nav said of The Weeknd, who has won three Grammys and also topped the Billboard charts this year with his new album “After Hours.”
“He’s not going to come shake [up] the album on some bravado tip.”
Nav’s “Good Intentions” follows “Bad Habits,” which also debuted at No. 1 last year. While Nav expected his third album to do well, even he was slightly surprised at back-toback apex albums.
“It’s surreal that I topped my last project,” said Nav. “I’m surprised. The music just cut through again.”
Chopping through the jungle known as the music industry has become second nature for the producer-turned-rapper, who began making waves throughout hip-hop by crafting beats and writing for artists like Beyoncé and Jay-z, Drake, Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black and his label boss.
Nav, whose parents are from Punjab in India, grew up in a predominantly white Toronto neighborhood where he initially listened to alternative artists such as Nirvana, No Doubt, Radiohead. Hip-hop stole his heart while attending a diverse junior high school.
“When I started going to middle school, all my friends were from my hood and were like, ‘Listen to Nas and 50 Cent,’” said Nav. “On the production side, you’ll see that my melodies are weird. I take influence from weird synth-pop and put it into a hip-hop beat.”
Nav credits much of his success to taking the time to perfect what he’s already good at, rather than focusing on his weaknesses.
“I don’t have the best pen, maybe,” says Nav, “but I know overall, the music, the sound is gonna sound great.”