Nur Peach

Relax, breathe and enjoy. And don't be afraid to step outside the lines. We're all syncopaters here.

[nurpeachmusic]

Hello World

As of today, I’ve barely started out as an artist. I’m struggling with social media and promotion. I’m struggling with how to survive in this harsh world. I thought I had it bad but my eyes have only just been opened.

Whoops, got a bit carried away there... I forgot to introduce myself. Hi. I’m Nur. I’m 19, I’m a singer-songwriter, and I’m from New Zealand. Nice to meet you.

You can find me in a few other places on the web. I have a YouTube channel, which I don’t post on often enough. I have an Instagram, which I don’t post on often enough. I have a Facebook page, which... you guessed it.

I also have a Twitter which I’ve never posted on at all. I’ve got a SoundCloud with a few old tracks on it, which I haven’t updated in years. I’ve got a single called “Feel the Sun” which is 4 years old now (whew!), and is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play etc. You get the idea. I’ve got a Bandcamp which only has one song on it and it’s that single. If you want to find me anywhere else, I go by the stage name Nur Peach (it’s my real first and middle name... but I don’t use my last name because most people find it impossible to pronounce).

Funnily enough, the title of this post was also the title of the EP I did when I was 13. It’s not very good, and not even the title I’d choose these days. It’s fine for a post (obviously, seeing as I just used it), but not for a recording project. I recorded four songs acoustically in a cheap studio in Auckland, and printed 100 CDs (there’s still some left, and I still sell them at gigs). I thought it was a big deal at the time, but in reality, it doesn’t sound much better than a demo. In addition, my vocals have come a LONG way since then. So have my songwriting skills, although I do still plan on rerecording three of the four songs one day. If you’re at all interested, all four songs are available on both YouTube and Soundcloud.

Anyway, enough about the past. Looking forward into the future... I’ve got a collection of new songs which I’m really proud of. 10 songs to be precise, all written last year. I’m planning to start recording them professionally later this year. I haven’t released anything for years, unless you count YouTube videos of me singing and playing acoustic guitar in my room, and this makes me sad. But it also makes me even more excited to finally be about to start working on my first full length album.

If you’d like to come along on this journey with me... I promise, I’ll actually post regular updates this time.

I love you,

Nur

[nurpeachmusic]

Nur Peach- Overcome (Demo)

[nurpeachmusic]

Here’s “Lines And Squares,” the first in a series of original music demos that I’ll be posting every Friday. A pop song, produced by me, from the POV of personified establishment. 

[nurpeachmusic]

I'm aware I haven't posted any music in practically forever, so here's a little something for you all. It's a relatively recent original song called "Definitions." The song is a message to all those people who appear to be successful but really aren't. It's about how society's way of judging success by external appearances is really damaging. These people may have power, money and fame- but they're not truly successful. Maybe they're not happy, or not honest, or completely out of touch with themselves. I believe that true success, achievement, and victory comes from within. It's feeling happy and confident in yourself, and being the very best person you can be.

This sentiment was what I had in mind when writing the song. To be honest, I don't think I communicated it very clearly in the lyrics- but I still enjoy singing the song and hope you enjoy listening to it.

[nurpeachmusic]

Laziness

It’s something we all fall prey to. When the list of things to do gets overwhelming and you can’t help but turn away, because the only way out of stress is to ignore the work completely. 

Especially doing the holidays, when the only person telling you to do things is yourself. Holidays are supposed to be a break, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to be “productive.” Finally, three whole weeks to work on all the things you had no time for during the semester! 

But when the holidays actually arrive, all you want to do is eat, read and sleep. And that’s all you seem to be able to make yourself do. You know you should be writing your new novel idea, or preparing your songs for recording. Okay... that’s just the things I should be doing. For you, it’s probably something different... but you get the idea. 

But if you’re anything like me at all, you can’t make yourself be productive even if you try. The holidays finish, and the semester starts. You still haven’t done anything you wanted to accomplish. You might have one chapter of the first draft of the novel if you’re lucky. And maybe a few scribbled song arrangement ideas. And maybe you’ve practised the songs a couple of times. But you know it’s only a small fraction of what you could have done.

For me, life is about avoiding the important things. The things that need to be done. And that’s not how I want it to be. I won’t accomplish anything this way. But today, I don’t seem capable of changing it.

It took so much effort just to write this post. To try too late to fulfil my promise from three days ago. And most people don’t even think this is important.

[nurpeachmusic]

Gonna start posting again

I don’t really have an excuse this time. It’s the semester break. It’s so easy to go slack on everything during the semester break. I’ve been on break for a week and that whole week has basically been a big long rest. I slept late. I read. I hung out with family. I didn’t do much else... especially not the things I should be doing. 

But now I think it’s time for me to get back on track. Expect more posts heading your way.

[nurpeachmusic]

Nur Peach- Winds Of Change (original song)

Oh goodness, I haven’t posted in AGES!!!! I’ve been so busy with uni. But anyway, here is an original song for you all... hope you like it.

[nurpeachmusic]

A piece about not wanting to do uni work

I know I should be doing uni work. It’s that time of the semester again, when assignments start piling up and your stress reaches such a level that you just want to tear at your hair and scream. I’ve got about a million assignments due soon and I’ve hardly worked on any all day. I know I’m behind on the singing assignment due at midday tomorrow and I can hardly get up before 10 these days and I have a class at 11 for an hour so... don’t know how I’ll manage to get that done. Because my phone died while I was in the middle of recording and even if it’s charged now, it’s too late to be singing.

I know it’s bad I haven’t worked on my essay for a few days. I know it’s bad I haven’t even STARTED my report or the two theory assignments due on Monday. I know it’s bad that I leave things until the last minute. But it’s so hard to stay motivated. It’s so hard to want to do work. It’s so hard to focus on work for five minutes.

Because there’s so many other things I could be doing. Useless, fun things.

Things like listening to a whole album (or three or four) on Spotify. Or watching YouTube until late. Or chatting with friends over Messenger. Or reading my old Facebook posts on my music page. Or discovering cool blogs on Tumblr. Or scrolling through Instagram. Or relaxing with a good book. Or walking to the beach. Or playing a song I wrote that I don’t have to practice for uni. Or uploading a video to YouTube of myself playing that song. Or learning a new cover. Or writing a whole new song for that matter.

Or writing this post.

With all these things to do, why would anyone want to do uni work?

[nurpeachmusic]

Gonna start posting again

Just wanted to say... sorry for not posting for ages. The point of this was supposed to be posting every day, but I’m very stressed about uni at the moment. I was spending way too much time on Tumblr and it was distracting me a lot. I’m going to try and only take 15 minutes to write a post every day and keep away from browsing people’s accounts apart from that...

Another update... I seem to be able to follow people again. Which is great.

Once again sorry.

Nur <333

[nurpeachmusic]

Kittens and Puppies

This song is about how we view people who are younger and/or less experienced than us, and how we should view them with more respect than we do, because really, we're all the same (it, by the way, is not the song I wrote last night). I love you and I hope you enjoy this song.

[nurpeachmusic]

If I liked all your posts and didn’t even follow you, I’m sorry.

It’s not my fault though. I seem to be unable to follow anyone at the moment.

I’m not usually the kind of person who would do this. It’s some kind of technical glitch that I hope is fixed soon.

[nurpeachmusic]

Late night songwriting: good or bad?

Songwriters are inspired creatives. We’re constantly susceptible to ideas and we can’t turn them off when we get them. This means we can be inspired at literally any time. Including the most inconvenient of times like- the middle of the night, for instance.

At midnight last night I knew I should go to bed. I know I shouldn’t have even picked up my guitar in the first place. But I felt restless, because I felt bad for not practicing my singing that day. And for some reason (probably because I got up late) it didn’t even seem that late.

I’ve been going through a lot lately but haven’t been able to write about any of it. These days I usually just write write write all the time about whatever I’m feeling, but in the last few weeks I’ve had writer’s block. I got a couple of lines a few days back and thought “maybe this will be a song if I’m ever ready to write it.” And last night I did.

I picked up the guitar and just started picking some chords that are kind of typical of me, but just felt so magical for some reason. Then words just started coming. It all just started pouring out... it was so beautiful, and I ended up with something really intensely personal about growing up. About leaving the fairytale of childhood behind and setting out into this cruel world. About not knowing anything, about being inexperienced, about how I need to stop being so overly trusting, and about having to learn to be okay.

But then we get to what’s wrong with late night songwriting. Despite the fact that it disturbs your sleep because, really, who cares about that when you’re inspired? Unless you’re lucky enough to live all by yourself, there’s another downside.

It disturbs other people.

Last night I ended up disturbing people. I was asked to stop, and I had to bite back the instinctive “but I’m writing a song” reply. Not everyone is a songwriter, not everyone gets how important songwriting is. And there was another reason I kept telling myself- saying that would be selfish.

By this time I’d only written half the song. I wrote the words down and then tried to write a second verse without singing or playing at all. That was hard. Trying to write a song in silence is next to impossible for me. I need to be able to at least sing if I can’t get to an instrument.But I managed it, and I think it turned out okay.

I’d like to know your opinion on late night songwriting. Is it necessary, or is it just unacceptable?

Also, if you’d like a YouTube video of me performing the song I wrote last night, please like this post.

[nurpeachmusic]

On writing essays

Today I got up at midday because I stayed up until 1 AM, even though I was supposed to go to bed early.

One thing I didn’t mention in my last post was that I’m a uni student. I’m in my second year of a Bachelor of Music (Popular Music) at The University of Auckland. Normally I love my degree, but not at the moment. Here’s why: at the moment it’s online. It went online when New Zealand was about to go into level 4 lockdown- which makes sense- but now that it’s level 2 they’re still continuing it until the end of the semester, which is so unnecessary! I hate online uni, and I can’t WAIT for next semester when we go back on campus.

All I’ve done today so far is work on this essay I need to write for uni. It’s on Beethoven’s Fidelio, which by the way is amazing and I even cried watching it on YouTube- so definitely check it out if you like opera. So far I’ve only written the introduction to the essay and I’m already taking a break because I feel like that is a major achievement.

When it comes to writing (especially essays), the hardest part is getting started. For me, introductions and beginnings are always the hardest for me to write. Once you get into the swing of things, it just flows and it’s beautiful and I don’t want to stop- but I have to get past that block first. And that always takes some time and courage.

Although, count on me to much rather be writing songs and blog posts than essays.

[shakinghandsmakingart]

[nurpeachmusic]

Some favourite lyrics of mine, from the incredible, inspirational Birdtalker. My favourite band and one of my main musical influences. If you haven’t heard any of their music, do yourself a favour and check it out. I hope it inspires you like it inspires me.

Credit goes to @shakinghandsmakingart- very beautiful, well done!