2024, October 2024, Reggae
Lil Flower Nasti
Oct
The Evolution of Sarah
Try as you might, but you can’t put Lil Flower Nasti in a box. This sultry songstress loves dipping her toe into every musical genre, giving her music a rare and refreshing quality. Born and raised in Palmdale, CA, her upbringing in a musical family encouraged her to explore singing from a very young age. Her father, well known for playing bass with world-renowned Latin pop star Jose Feliciano, surrounded her with music from the day she was born. Lil Flower Nasti’s natural abilities were recognized early on. She was introduced to the stage at the young age of 7, as she would often get booked to sing at weddings, graduations, and large events in Southern California. Her creative talents expanded beyond singing as she began exploring photography and graphic design, leading to her developing her career as a freelance performance photographer, website designer, and graphic designer.
Lil Flower Nasti quickly began making waves on the Bay Area music scene as a live performance photographer, shooting for big names such as Doja Cat, KRS- ONE, D-Smoke, and Rakim, to name a few; however, it wasn’t until she started participating in San Francisco’s infamous Return Of The Cypher, that others began to notice her undeniable singing abilities. Her skills grabbed the attention of many Bay Area musicians and rappers as she began collaborating with artists such as Unlearn The World, LiL MC, and Z-Man.
Her Debut project, The Blooming EP, was released in 2020 and told the conceptual story of her first night out. Paired with the nostalgic golden-age production of UnLearn The World, the singer’s natural neo-soul tendencies displayed her ability to effortlessly glide vocally over Boom Bap-inspired drum production.
The next pages of her artistic journey showcase her ability to sing funk and soul, with two singles, “Beautiful Goodbye” and “How”, with smooth, stylistic production by multi-instrumentalist Vagabond Lover. Her audience eagerly awaits the release of her upcoming Motown record produced by Bay Area Native and prolific Grammy-nominated producer Genesee. Her recent single off of this project, “Bye Bye Boy,” featuring San Francisco Rapper Z-man, was featured on Ego Trip VDUB Radio, SoulSide with Tim Spurrier, and Hip Hop Legend Chuck D’s radio show “And You Don’t Stop.”
Nasti’s latest release of her debut R&B EP ,”The Evolution of Sarah” produced by prolific Bay Area Native and Grammy-award winning producer Gennessee was released October 16th, is the talk of the town. Lil Flower Nasti’s ability to effortlessly capture the essence of so many different musical genres keeps her audience engaged and waiting with anticipation for her next drop.
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Lil Flower Nasti Interview
IRIE. When did you know that you wanted to be a singer?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I started singing when I was, like, seven years old. I was doing national anthems for stadiums and stuff when I was little. But then, when I hit about 15, I stopped singing for a really long time. Then, about 2018/2019, I accidentally posted a video of me singing on the wrong Instagram account. And all the folks in the hip-hop community gave me a hard time for not doing anything with it. So I was encouraged to pursue something.
IRIE. What is the meaning behind your stage name, Lil Flower Nasti?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I’m like a little flowery person. Then I open my mouth, and it’s like shock value. Like, I’m like this little person. You wouldn’t expect to have this voice. But it came about when I was at a content retreat with a group of hip-hop artists, and I said it as a joke, “If I were a singer or a rapper, my name would be Lil Flower Nasty.” And we all paused like, “Wait, that’s perfect.” And then I laughed about it a lot. It just was so funny to me, but then it just stuck.
IRIE. How would you describe your music style or genre if there was a genre to represent you?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I’m still figuring out what genre I fall into. There’s some soul, there’s some R&B, and a little bit of a pop influence. Uh, there’s some funky, too. There’s definitely a lot of different influences. So, it’s hard for me to figure out where I fit.
IRIE. Who were some of your musical influences that helped you refine your voice as a singer?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. So I was listening to Christina Aguilera and a bunch of stuff that I was like, belting. That’s how I learned how to sing. But then I was singing at weddings and doing songs like Etta James’ ‘At Last!’ and stuff like that. But once I got a little bit older and really started to find my voice again, Erykah Badu definitely became somebody I started listening to a lot, and I liked her style. Alicia Keys was another artist that I listened to a lot. A lot of people say I sound like Amy Winehouse.
IRIE. What’s been the most difficult part of your journey in music? Were there any challenges or obstacles you faced while establishing your music career?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I think challenges in the sense that I’ve been given a lot of different advice and trying to figure out what resonates with me and what is authentic to me versus what everybody else wants me to be. And so definitely, like in the beginning, I was being pushed more towards being sexy and not being fully myself. But I think that now that a few years in, I’m finding that I can be a little bit goofy and it’s still sexy at the same time, that both of those elements, like it’s okay to be both, you know?
IRIE. Your work includes appearances by Z-Man. How did you two meet?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. Well, I met Z at a cathedral. I was invited to photograph this show, which was a benefit for trying to end sex trafficking. I remember I showed up to shoot, but I was late. Z-Man approached me and said, “Hey, you’re Sarah Arnold, right? I recognized your sunflower.” I was like, huh? Because I didn’t know anybody in the scene. So I still don’t know how he knew who I was, but he got up there and started rapping. I was like, oh, he’s that guy, right? He raps, okay, but then I didn’t see him for some time. Once I was more involved in the hip-hop community, we started crossing paths and intertwining more and more. And I was like, oh, you have to, you have to paint all my covers now. Ha ha. I got him in some songs of mine, too. Now he takes all my photos.
IRIE. So you’re also a photographer? And a damn good one. What inspired you to get into photography?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I’ve been shooting almost just as long as I’ve been singing. My dad, who is also a musician, would tour with Jose Feliciano. His hobby was taking pictures of random people on the street. And so, when I was about 12, I stumbled across a stack of portraits. I was taken aback by them. I just thought they were just so beautiful. And I just started taking pictures of everything. I had access to a camera when I was young. I’m lucky that I get to live in the most expensive place in the country and live off of art, which is photos and video while also being part of music. Not everyone can say that they can do that.
IRIE. What is your creative process when deciding on a particular song to work on?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. My creative process has changed over time. Initially, people would bring me songs that were already written or hooks that were already produced, and I would put my twist on them. But that’s because I’m still a new artist, and I’m still learning how to write. Now more so, you know, Gennessee will send me a beat, and I’ll start thinking of melodies, and then I’ll end up at his house, and we’ll start co-writing together. What is supposed to be a reference ends up being the actual recording itself. Many of these songs on this new project I have coming out were initially meant to be references, but then we just one take Jane, they call it. You know what I mean?
IRIE. Who is Gennessee?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. So Gennessee is the guy. Noble house. He is a producer. He’s a visionary. He’s a director. He’s a Grammy Award-winning songwriter. And he is my best friend. That’s my bud. I can hit him at two in the morning and be like, I have an idea. And he’s like, I have seven ideas, you know? And, like, I got to go down with him for the Grammys. My last project and this project are all Gennessee. So, I’m grateful to him.
IRIE. Do you remember the first time you heard yourself on the radio? What was the feeling for you?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. The newer stuff was with Chuck D, which was crazy. I was sitting in the car with Z-Man, and I got a message saying, “Hey, we just played your stuff on Chuck D radio.” The word we kept saying was “legendary.” We kept going, “It’s legendary.” It was an incredible feeling because I was just thinking, “Who the heck am I?” It’s funny because Chuck D. recently said my name in an interview, and I was in his top 100 charts. He said the name wrong, but hella people were sending it to me. “Lil Flower Nessy” or something. It’s just crazy how you don’t even know who’s watching or listening sometimes. That’s a big honor.
IRIE. What do you hope first-time listeners take with them from listening to your music?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. I hope people feel inspired. I also hope it helps people feel safe to be themselves and to let them know that growth isn’t linear and that we’re not alone in this life journey.
IRIE. Is there anything you would like to share with our audience?
LIL FLOWER NASTI. To all the listeners out there, my latest project, The Evolution of Sarah, comes out on October 16th. It’s an EP featuring six solid tracks that is a little bit of an evolved version of Little Flower Nasti. I’m excited to share it with the world. CDs are coming.
Website:
LilFlowerNasti.com
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