Getting To Know: Nia Fisher

UK-born singer-songwriter Nia wrote her first song at just 9 years old, igniting a lifelong passion for music. Self-taught on piano and driven by a deep connection to the emotional power of lyrics, her journey took a dramatic turn in 2010 with a diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. This life-changing moment led her to leave behind a successful musical theatre career in London’s West End and focus on her true calling—creating music. Now working with award-winning producer Tim Hamill, Nia’s powerful sound has drawn comparisons to legends like Annie Lennox and Paula Cole. Embracing her belief that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, Nia is unapologetically making her mark as an artist.

Your journey from musical theatre in London's West End to becoming a recording artist is quite unique. What led you to step away from theatre and focus solely on your own music, and how has this transition influenced your artistry?

I was incredibly fortunate to spend 14 years performing in the West End. Although I understudied, and got to play a few leading roles, I was primarily hired as an ensemble member. This often meant learning intricate harmonies which is something I love, oh and hunting for that alto line! I liken this to looking for a needle in a haystack. When isolated, it’s the line that can seem to make the least sense melodically and yet it’s the glue that binds all the parts together. I didn’t break in to the West End until the age of 27 and by the time I stepped away I was in my early forties. The last show I was part of was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory directed by Sam Mendes. It was physically demanding and I was dancing alongside people who were much younger than myself. To be honest, I think I burned myself out but the question of “What am I doing with my life” had been whispering for a while.

A life changing diagnosis back in 2010 shifted my perception of what I was contributing to the world. After stepping away, the biggest change for me as an artist was the freedom to express myself vocally in a way that was completely authentic. In musical theatre, right from the moment you set foot inside the audition room, you are trying to fulfil someone else’s vision. As a member of the ensemble your job vocally is to blend seamlessly. Whilst I love the discipline of that and the way it encourages your ear to perfect the tiniest of details, it can feel quite restrictive. Once away from the stage my writing started to change. I could dictate everything. Choose the key that felt right and deliver the song with whatever phrasing came naturally to me. It was a completely freeing experience and my writing has continued to get stronger the more I have leaned in to that freedom.

 2. You've been compared to artists like Annie Lennox and Paula Cole. How do you see your own sound fitting within this musical lineage, and what do you aim to bring to your music that sets you apart from these influences?

During the surreal years of 2020/21 I submerged myself in writing music like never before. However I didn’t imagine that I would ever record my songs. I think that was the key to me finding my sound. There was zero agenda, I wasn’t ‘trying’ to write it was just something that happened organically and once I started I couldn’t stop. Artists such as Paula Cole, Sarah McLachlan and Shawn Colvin specifically were daily staples for me during the mid to late 90’s. I have always connected with lyrics and these singer songwriters are also poets in my opinion. I think that every artist who resonates with us, in turn will influence us but I never realised that was the case. It is a huge compliment that others hear nods to these incredible creatives within my music and they must have shaped me on a subconscious level. I understand the comparison though, my music is emotional and muscular just like those strong women I mentioned who have paved the way. As far as what I can bring to my music that will set me apart, well in a nutshell, me! I love that music is subjective but more than that, I love that only I have my voice. I’m not trying to sound like anyone else and it’s up to the listener if they connect with my sound, it’s a very personal thing. I’ve recorded many songs to date with the incredible producer Tim Hamill at Sonic One Studio in South Wales. On occasion I have highlighted a certain track by an artist to use as a reference for feel or vibe. Sade, Sting and U2 are a few that come to mind but that’s as far as any conscious influence goes.

 3. Your diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency was a life-changing moment. How did this experience shape your perspective on life and your approach to songwriting and music creation?

Oh this question, it’s hard to summarise how this diagnosis changed me. Following a handful of generic, stress-like symptoms and many blood tests, I discovered in 2010 quite out of the blue that I was infertile. I was going through a premature menopause and had no chance of conceiving my own biological child. I never realised that I had defined myself by the fact that I’m a woman and therefore I can have a child. Within the space of a few hours I felt I was lost, damaged, flawed, unworthy, unsexy and alone. I never knew I had placed so much of my self worth on what I had imagined my life to be. I never asked myself “Why me?” but rather “What am I doing here then!” I didn’t know what the point was as I had lost my centre, that unspoken assumption about what it meant to be a woman. It took me four years until I really started to grieve. It’s hard to grieve something you never had. Once I removed the labels, woman, fertile, I was left with “Who am I?” All I knew for sure is that I needed to find a new way of being, of finding something that felt completely me now that the rules of life had changed.

Having always been a creative, expressive (albeit slightly introverted) person I knew it would have to involve being true to what makes me feel alive. A year into my grief/healing I stepped away from the stage. I loved it but I was hungry for something, a vision or a message that could come from me as opposed to via someone else. Like many crossroads in life, we don’t always see where a new direction is leading us until we find a marker. That marker always shows itself as a strong sense of peace within me. Now working backstage, when the theatres closed in 2020 I sat back down at my piano. It had been shielded by a wall of boxes from a move two years earlier and I hadn’t played or written in a while. I started and there was that feeling, peace. I knew this was where I was meant to be.

4. You believe that it's never too late to pursue your passions, even in an industry often focused on youth. What challenges and opportunities have you encountered as a more mature artist, and how do you embrace this perspective in your music?

It’s early days for me as a recording artist although I have a couple of albums worth of music ready and waiting. The fact that i haven’t been gigging or playing my material live (yet) means it’s a bit more difficult reaching new people, new ears. I’ve no doubt greater challenges will present themselves but I feel my age is an opportunity in itself. Starting out, recording my first song at the age of 47 set me apart from lots of people. Now i’m 50 which is something to be celebrated, age is a gift. I admire the bravery that many young artists show but that wasn’t me. I would have cared far too much about what others thought if I’d tried to walk this path 25 years ago. Now, I have an acceptance of myself, yes I care deeply about what I create but how others feel doesn’t define who I am. There is a freedom that comes from knowing yourself which I feel shows in my music.

5. Moving to Devon to care for your parents is a significant life change. How has this new environment and role influenced your music, and what new inspirations have you found since making this move?

Leaving work and moving a couple of hundred miles away from my friends has been a massive readjustment for me. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for it to feel ‘normal’ and for me to find that peaceful feeling again until I realised it would take as long as I chose. There was a period of being kind and patient with myself and then the conscious decision to get on with it, try and embrace each day. They have a small room in their garden and I’ve turned it in to my sanctuary. Some old furniture, fairy lights and my piano, it has become my creative escape. We’re not far from the sea and any moment I can take myself to the ocean, I do.

I’ve always found nature incredibly inspiring but right now, the sea feels like the perfect metaphor for my life. The ebb and flow, the power, the stillness, the roar and the ripple. Every moment the light is changing and with it the ocean. What we see often belies what is going on underneath, it feels like a glorious mirror being held up to my self. Since my arrival I have written and recorded (as home demos) maybe 8 songs over the past 9 weeks and will take some of these to Tim in the studio. I’ve noticed there’s a very subtle difference in the delivery or quality of my voice. I can’t put my finger on it yet but this chapter, which is already proving to be my greatest lesson in present moment living, is also showing up in my music. If ever I needed reassurance that I’m where i’m meant to be then that is it!