{"id":351165,"date":"2021-10-09T21:34:45","date_gmt":"2021-10-09T18:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-its-like-to-work-with-beyonce-per-songwriter-nija\/"},"modified":"2021-10-09T21:34:45","modified_gmt":"2021-10-09T18:34:45","slug":"what-its-like-to-work-with-beyonce-per-songwriter-nija","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-its-like-to-work-with-beyonce-per-songwriter-nija\/","title":{"rendered":"#What it&#8217;s like to work with Beyonc\u00e9, per songwriter Nija"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#What it&#8217;s like to work with Beyonc\u00e9, per songwriter Nija<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>When Nija Charles was a junior at Union Township High School in New Jersey, she wrote her first song, about getting dumped by a boy.<\/p>\n<p>Five years later, in 2019, she was running late on her way to the Grammys in Los Angeles when a deluge of \u201ccongrats\u201d text messages poured in to her phone. Beyonc\u00e9 and Jay-Z\u2019s \u201cEverything Is Love,\u201d for which she wrote songs, had just won Best Urban Contemporary Album.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that time I could have never imagined that anything I wrote would win a Grammy,\u201d Nija, now 23 and known by her first name, told The Post. \u201cI was just over the moon about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once she arrived at the ceremony, Nija got a second chance to watch her own history in the making when Cardi B\u2019s debut smash, \u201cInvasion of Privacy,\u201d took Best Rap album. Nija co-wrote its songs \u201cI Do\u201d and \u201cRing\u201d \u2014 the latter of which took her only 10 minutes to pen the lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was like, \u2018Two in one night? I can\u2019t believe it,\u2019\u2009\u201d said Nija. \u201cI seriously partied \u00adafterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"&quot;Faye&quot; mini dress, $2,250 at StellaMcCartney.com. &quot;Croissant D\u00f4me&quot; hoop earrings, $65,  and &quot;D\u00f4me&quot; ring, $55, both at Mejuri.com. &quot;Slim Ice&quot; ring, $287 at TomWoodProject.com. &quot;Kari 90&quot; pumps, $1,125 at JimmyChoo.com.&#10;VERSACE SLEEVELESS LOOK&quot;La Greca&quot; vest, $775, pants, $1,195, logo pumps, $895, and ring, $450 for similar, all at Versace.com. Versace gold padlock earrings, $575 at FarFetch.com. \" class=\"wp-image-19752413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles1.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>\u201cFaye\u201d mini dress, $2,250 at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stellamccartney.com\/us\/en\/women\/winter-2021-collection\/faye-mini-dress-603943SSA343703.html\">StellaMcCartney.com<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mejuri.com\/shop\/products\/croissant-dome-hoops-silver\">\u201cCroissant D\u00f4me\u201d hoop earrings<\/a>, $65,  and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mejuri.com\/shop\/products\/dome-ring-silver\">\u201cD\u00f4me\u201d ring<\/a>, $55, both at Mejuri.com. \u201cSlim Ice\u201d ring, $287 at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomwoodproject.com\/product\/ice-ring-slim\/\">TomWoodProject.com<\/a>. \u201cKari 90\u201d pumps, $1,125 at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/us.jimmychoo.com\/en\/women\/shoes\/kari-90\/latte-nappa-pumps-with-crystal-embellished-strap-KARI90WZC0C8443.html\">JimmyChoo.com<\/a>. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Tamara Beckwith<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since then, she has helped mastermind tracks for Drake, Maroon 5, Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Brown, Zayn, Teyana Taylor and Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s soundtrack album \u201cThe Lion King: The Gift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I wouldn\u2019t be able to breathe the first time I went into a writer\u2019s meeting and laid eyes on Beyonc\u00e9,\u201d Nija recalled, adding that Queen Bey flew her to Paris so they could work together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I met her I went right into professional mode and avoided having a fan-girl moment,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when I got back to my hotel room, I was like, \u2018Oh my God, did that just h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en? Did I just meet Beyonc\u00e9?\u2019\u2009\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now the go-to songwriter is doing it for herself. In August, Nija\u2019s sultry debut track, \u201cEase My Mind (Come Over),\u201d announced her arrival as a singer. Earlier this month, she dropped her sassy single \u00ad\u201cFinesse,\u201d about breaking up with her boyfriend of three years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I work with other artists, I\u2019m writing about their story and what they\u2019re going through,\u201d she explained. \u201cBut when I\u2019m writing for myself, I get to express my emotions and speak directly from my heart. It\u2019s a breath of fresh air.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Music is in her blood. Nija\u2019s dad, Marcellus, a DJ, would spin classic records by The Jackson 5 and New Edition at family barbecues and parties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember being fascinated by those old jams when I was as young as 4 years old,\u201d Nija said. \u201cIt really influenced how I write songs for artists and for myself \u00adtoday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mother, Tracey, is a Verizon engineer who has fiercely supported Nija\u2019s artistry since the girl first fell in love with making catchy beats at 13.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was a kid, my aunt and uncle would make beats on a keyboard in my grandmother\u2019s basement all the time,\u201d Nija said. \u201cAnd I knew I wanted to do that, too. I started out as a music producer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Nija earning straight As in middle school, Tracey gifted her with a MIDI keyboard with which she began honing her craft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce I got my keyboard, I spent all my time making beats,\u201d Nija said, noting that she was proud of herself for not being into clothes and makeup like the other girls her age.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"&quot;La Greca&quot; vest, $775, pants, $1,195, logo pumps, $895, and ring, $450 for similar, all at Versace.com. Versace gold padlock earrings, $575 at FarFetch.com. \" class=\"wp-image-19752479\" width=\"618\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1233 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=925 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=308 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/nija-charles2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>\u201cLa Greca\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.versace.com\/us\/en-us\/women\/clothing\/knitwear\/la-greca-metallic-jacquard-vest-5b090\/1002213-1A01524_5B090.html\">vest<\/a>, $775, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.versace.com\/us\/en-us\/women\/clothing\/knitwear\/la-greca-metallic-jacquard-pants-5b090\/1001914-1A01524_5B090.html\">pants<\/a>, $1,195, logo <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.versace.com\/us\/en-us\/women\/shoes\/pumps\/la-greca-signature-sling-back-pumps-1r33v\/1001831-DVT2P_1R33V.html\">pumps<\/a>, $895, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.versace.com\/us\/en-us\/search\/?q=ring\">ring<\/a>, $450 for similar, all at Versace.com. Versace gold padlock earrings, $575 at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.farfetch.com\/shopping\/women\/versace-greca-padlock-earrings-item-16816887.aspx\">FarFetch.com<\/a>. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Tamara Beckwith<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201c[My friends] wanted to be at the mall. I wanted to be on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> teaching myself new tricks and techniques,\u201d she remembered. \u201cI was always trying to make timeless sounds like the old-school music my dad would play.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began posting her creations on SoundCloud and getting attention. Her mom told NBC New York how Nija had producers sending her songs to work on \u2014 but that \u201ca lot of them didn\u2019t realize she was 16 or 17 years old. That was funny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once they did, it didn\u2019t exactly help at first. Nija admits that music bigwigs were reluctant to give her a chance because of her race, gender and age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen people [in the industry] saw me, a young black female songwriter, they didn\u2019t automatically want me on their [writing] team,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n<p>She got her break in 2017 when a representative for Christian rapper Lecrae came across Nija\u2019s music on social media. She was hired to write the hook for Lecrae\u2019s \u201cLucked Up\u201d when she was 19 and enrolled at NYU\u2019s Clive Davis Institute, where she majored in recorded music for two years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut even after earning that writing credit, being accepted by the music world was really hard for me,\u201d she added. \u201cI had to fight [for inclusion], especially in the pop and rap genres\u201d \u2014 especially after she was pigeonholed as an R&amp;B persona.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/beyonce-cardib-gaga-grande.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Nija wrote for Beyonce (far left) for &quot;Lion King: The Gift&quot; and helped out with The Carters' &quot;Everything is Love.&quot; Songs &quot;Ring&quot; and &quot;I Do&quot; -- from Cardi B's (left center) Grammy-winning first album -- were co-written by Nija. Nija's first big pop track was Lady Gaga (right center) and Ariana Grande's (far right) hit &quot;Rain on Me,&quot; which also won a Grammy. \" class=\"wp-image-19752516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/beyonce-cardib-gaga-grande.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/beyonce-cardib-gaga-grande.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/beyonce-cardib-gaga-grande.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Nija wrote for Beyonce (far left) for \u201cLion King: The Gift\u201d and helped out with The Carters\u2019 \u201cEverything is Love.\u201d Songs \u201cRing\u201d and \u201cI Do\u201d \u2014 from Cardi B\u2019s (left center) Grammy-winning first album \u2014 were co-written by Nija. Nija\u2019s first big pop track was Lady Gaga (right center) and Ariana Grande\u2019s (far right) hit \u201cRain on Me,\u201d which also won a Grammy. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn the pop space they saw me and thought all I\u2019d be able to write is R&amp;B. And most male rappers only wanted other men to write their hooks,\u201d Nija recalled. \u201cBut I just kept pushing, even after I\u2019d been told \u2018No\u2019 a thousand times. Consistency is something my mom really instilled in me and my little sister, Zoe, growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her first major pop co-write, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande\u2019s 2020 smash \u201cRain on Me,\u201d won a Grammy in the Best Pop Duo\/Group Performance category. She\u2019s also worked with Grande on the songs \u201cObvious,\u201d \u201cPositions\u201d and \u201cMotive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of my favorite memories is meeting Ariana for the first time. She\u2019s so hilarious,\u201d Nija said. \u201cWe were writing \u2018Positions\u2019 at a birthday party. And we kept running outside to write a lyric, then running back \u00adinside to turn up. It was so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nija, who lives in LA, was signed to Capitol as a performer and is working on her own album now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m grateful that I get to do what I love every day,\u201d said Nija. \u201cI\u2019m excited to continue growing and showing the world more of who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: Tamara Beckwith\/NYPost; Stylist: Elise Sandvik\/See Mgmt; Hair: T. Cooper\/crowdMGMT using Eva NYC; Makeup: Markphong Tram\/ABTP using Charlotte Tilbury\/Alison Brod PR; Stylist Assistant: Ryan Castelli; Location: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.edgenyc.com\/en\">The Edge<\/a>, Hudson Yards.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/10\/09\/what-its-like-to-work-with-beyonce-per-songwriter-nija\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What it&#8217;s like to work with Beyonc\u00e9, per songwriter Nija&#8221; When Nija Charles was a junior at Union Township High School in New Jersey, she wrote her first song, about getting dumped by a boy. Five years later, in 2019, she was running late on her way to the Grammys in Los Angeles when a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":351166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/Nija-Charles.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[117283,46637,29235,70661,70501,80730,70532,40962,11350,28264],"class_list":["post-351165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-10-9-21","tag-ariana-grande","tag-beyonce","tag-cardi-b","tag-fashion","tag-grammys","tag-hip-hop","tag-jay-z","tag-lady-gaga","tag-new-jersey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}