Known for his honest and powerfully personal expression, the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Niar Nevar releases a haunting and mesmerizing single with "Dangerous."
Niar Nevar, spelled Raven Rain backward, chose this moniker to symbolize gloom, sadness, and confusion, but backward. Playing and creating music for over a decade now, Niar Nevar's career took off after fighting addiction and coming out of an adolescent drug rehabilitation center in Illinois. Writing poetry during that time helped Niar Nevar fine-tune his lyricism and self-expression.
Highlighting his favorite single, "Dangerous," off of his latest album, "Purple," Niar Nevar gives us a taste of the project with the song's haunting feel and honest lyricism. While Niar Nevar goes back and forth from singing with blues to rapping with vigor, he belts an incredibly exhilarating performance overtop of production and instrumentation that sweats through our speakers.
"Dangerous" begins with filtered piano melodies offering more of an eerie and haunting tone, while Niar Nevar makes his appearance and starts singing incredibly personal and reflective lyricism. While exclaiming his danger and how he's in a pessimistic state more often than not, we genuinely appreciate Niar Nevar's vulnerability that's bound to relate with plenty of listeners.
About halfway through the track, we're met with a powerful and astonishing instrumental/production build that pushes through with drum patterns, a gripping bassline, and eerie piano melodies. Ending the song off on a reflective and moody note, we love the intensity of this exhilarating and conceptual single.
Catch Niar Nevar's single, "Dangerous," and his recent album, 'Purple,' on all digital streaming platforms, and experience his conceptual lyricism for yourself.
Seeing as your single, "Dangerous," is off of your recent album, "Purple," why did you want to highlight this piece in particular?
The purpose of this album and the general pattern is that these songs were, for the majority, reflecting an eradicable passion. Making “Dangerous” a highlight without intent because it’s reflecting a trait in myself that has been consistent throughout my whole life. I felt it absolutely deserved that respect.
What inspired the creation of your single "Dangerous?"
Bluntly, selfishness inspired this song. Beyond that, “Dangerous” reflects a trait that I’ve presented my whole life. When I wrote this song 8 months ago I had just become lucid in terms of my emotional greed, or blind direction always leading to the benefit of myself in one way or another. For example, I would be trying to make someone happy but only because I felt fulfilled by their joy. The way I see it, my selfishness is defined by the mask surrounding, perceived as altruism. In my eyes, this trait is very dangerous. It’s a danger to myself and all those I love, obstructing the way I see everything and ultimately, and ironically ruining everything I put my heart into. This realization sent me into a massive downward spiral of confusion and hate for myself. I’m all good now though, straight loving life and making a very conscious effort to live for many more than just myself.
Did you work with any producers for your single "Dangerous"? How did you achieve such a heated and haunting sonic atmosphere?
This piece, like every other I’ve created was constructed 100% independently. From the first note to the last, it was all me behind the scenes. The energy that the song expresses was all inspired and based around the lead piano. Like many of my instrumentals, it starts with improvisation, just messing around behind an instrument. I’m a big fan of reverb and dragged out notes if that makes sense so I did a lot of that in the song to further project that longing energy. I wanted the song to be punchy with the lyricism in the verses, then a smooth and enticing chorus that opened up in the beginning and followed by a hard-ass drop. I’m happy with the turn out of the track and It’s easily the most honest song I’ve ever written.
How does "Dangerous" fit into your album "Purple"? How does the song's concept tie in with the album's theme?
The theme of “Purple” is impulsion, letting go, and the purest honesty. I’ve always been the type that likes everything to be planned and structured with what I have control over. This is something I’ve done in my music since I started, trying to plan every second of the track before I even lay anything out. I let all of those habits and patterns go for the making of this project. I let the emotion run through my brain without intermission and flow through my heart, to my instrument, to the paper in front of me. “Dangerous” fits into this theme because it’s about letting go. Letting go a part of who I am that’s unconsciously weighed on me forever. It was very hard for me to see the things I talk about in the song and so having the strength to express that was difficult. But very very honest. Because of this, “Dangerous” embraces the definition of “Purple” to it’s fullest.
What can we expect to see next from you?
You see, the beauty of my craft is that you can’t set expectations.