Known for her soul-stirring vocals, introspective songwriting, and cinematic alternative-soul sound, Nuela Charles has firmly established herself as one of Canada’s most compelling musical voices. Her latest project, NU2U, represents a deeply personal return to artistry, much of it written, produced, and vocally recorded by Nuela herself, often under blankets or inside a makeshift vocal booth built with her father in her apartment before later being completed alongside Los Angeles co-producer Matt Parad. Stripping away industry expectations, she allowed the music to speak for itself, rediscovering the pure joy that first drew her to songwriting. The album is a fearless exploration of heartbreak and ambition, showcasing Charles’ signature grit, soaring vocals, and genre-bending edge. With raw vulnerability and cinematic intensity, NU2U captures her most authentic sound yet, solidifying Nuela Charles as a force in contemporary Canadian music and a voice impossible to ignore.
NU2U feels like your most personal project yet — what did returning to writing, producing, and even recording much of it yourself unlock creatively for you?
- It unlocked freedom in a way I honestly hadn’t experienced before. When you’re writing, producing, and recording yourself, there’s no clock ticking and no one watching you second guess a line or a melody. I was able to follow instincts instead of overthinking, and that allowed the songs to feel more honest and less filtered. I rediscovered the joy of experimentation and play, and I think you can hear that in the textures and performances. It reminded me why I fell in love with making music in the first place.
You’ve shared that some vocals were recorded under blankets and in a makeshift booth you built with your father. How did that DIY process shape the emotional tone of the album?
- There’s something really disarming about recording in a space that feels safe and familiar. Being literally wrapped in blankets created this cocoon where I could be more vulnerable and less self conscious. It took away the pressure of a traditional studio environment and let me focus purely on the emotion of the performance. There’s a warmth and intimacy that came from that process that I don’t think I could have captured any other way.
Working alongside Los Angeles co-producer Matt Parad helped complete the record — what did that collaboration bring to the sound after such an intimate creation process?
- Matt brought perspective and refinement. After living with these songs so closely, it was helpful to have someone who could hear the bigger picture and help elevate the sonic landscape while still protecting the heart of the record. He added depth and polish without taking away the rawness, and that balance was really important. It felt like the final step of taking something very personal and giving it a wider cinematic scope.
The album explores both heartbreak and ambition. How did you balance vulnerability and strength while telling those stories?
- I think vulnerability and strength are actually two sides of the same coin. Being honest about heartbreak takes courage, and ambition often comes from the lessons you learn in those harder moments. I tried to approach the songs with compassion for myself and the understanding that both softness and resilience can exist at the same time. The balance came from telling the truth without trying to tidy it up too much.
You’ve described stripping away industry expectations while making NU2U. What expectations did you feel most pressured by, and how did letting them go change the music?
- For a long time I felt pressure to fit into a clear lane or to chase what I thought the industry wanted to hear. There’s always this subtle voice asking if something is commercial enough or radio friendly enough. Letting go of that allowed me to trust my taste again and follow the songs wherever they wanted to go soni cally and emotionally. The music became more expansive and more authentic because I wasn’t trying to prove anything.
As a four-time JUNO nominee, how does this nomination for NU2U feel compared to previous recognitions for The Grand Hustle, Distant Danger, and Melt?
- This one feels deeply personal because NU2U represents a return to myself creatively. The earlier nominations were incredibly validating and exciting, but this project carries a different kind of pride because I know how much of me is in every layer of it. It feels less like recognition of momentum and more like recognition of growth and resilience, which makes it really special.
With more than 40 sync placements, including ESPN and Jane The Virgin, how does writing for yourself differ from creating music that lands in film and television?
- Writing for sync is often about serving a story or a moment, so you’re thinking about universality and emotional clarity in a very specific way. Writing for myself is more inward and exploratory. I’m not thinking about where it might live visually, I’m just following what feels true. Interestingly, I think the more honest you are when writing for yourself, the more those songs can still connect in visual storytelling because they come from a real place.
Having been born in Kenya and raised in Switzerland, the Bahamas, and Canada, how does your multicultural upbringing continue to influence the cinematic, genre-bending edge of your sound?
- Growing up between cultures naturally makes you comfortable living between sounds and influences. I was exposed to different rhythms, musical traditions, and perspectives from a young age, and that shaped how I hear music. I’ve never felt confined to one genre because my life experience hasn’t been confined to one place. That blend of global influences shows up in the cinematic elements, the rhythm choices, and the way I approach storytelling. It’s just part of who I am.
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