Nayana Iz: International Showcase Fund (SXSW)
A truly fearless young woman, NAYANA IZ was raised in North London by Indian parents. Her peripatetic persona was born from the sacrifices they made migrating to a foreign country: the enduring effects that define a life residing between cultures. Ostracized in a predominantly white-dominated school, when a teenage NAYANA IZ came across the works of MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest and Tupac, she also discovered rap as the means to express herself.
One of the UK’s most distinctive new talents, this follows on from her acclaimed debut EP, ‘SMOKE & FLY’, and a busy period for the 20-year-old Londoner. Having performed for Radio 1’s Big Weekend and toured with the likes of Kojaque, NAYANA IZ was named in BBC Asian Network’s Future Sounds 2020 list, a global prescriber of Next Gen Talent from the diaspora. This award will help to project this unique voice and identity globally in order to start building awareness and a global promotions team in place to further support Nayana’s next steps and ambitions.