Nadia Nakai on going to The MTV EMAs, what she’s wearing on the red carpet and her debut album

Cape Town – Channel24 is in Bilboa, Spain for The MTV European Music Awards, taking place on Sunday, 4 November. 

Ahead of the big show, South African rapper Nadia Nakai sat down with us outside of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and told us all about coming to the MTV EMAs to be the red carpet host, what she is wearing to the big event and what’s next for the prolific musician and fashionista. 

HERE’S CHANNEL24’S INTERVIEW WITH NADIA NAKAI: 

On coming to Europe and working with MTV Nadia said, “It’s my first time in Spain and I’m very excited. MTV Base invited me to represent Africa as red carpet host at the award show and it’s so fun because I always used to sit at home, watching the red carpet and wishing I was there with all these international artists that inspired me every day, and today I get to do that. 

“I’m very nervous, because I’m wondering what I’m going to ask them, are they going to want to have an interview with me? How hectic is it going to be? Because I know how hectic paparazzi can be, but hopefully will be a little more chill."

Nadia also told us about why she stopped watching award shows, saying, “So I used to watch award ceremonies a lot and I remember seeing Beyoncé and Ciara and Nicki Minaj kill their performances.

"Then I got to a point where I couldn’t watch award ceremonies anymore because it made me feel so shit about myself, (because I was thinking) ‘I want to be there, I want to go and be there in that building with those people’ and now I’ve been given the opportunity to and I’m grateful. But back then I used to hate sitting at home thinking. ‘I wish I could do that on that stage.’ Now I can be like, ‘Okay, I’ve been there, it’s fine.’ 

About her look for MTV EMAs red carpet, Nadia said, “It’s a dress by Gert Johan Coetzee. I saw it on the runway at SA Fashion Week and said, ‘That’s the one!’ And he said ‘Yes! Rock it!’ I asked my friends if I should go for a very African look because I’m representing South Africa and they said ‘no, go with what reflects you, because you as a being are inherently African’ and so I went for a very futuristic look. “

While we were walking around the streets of Bilboa, Nadia was getting stopped and asked for photos, every few moments. Here’s what that unique experience felt like for her, “It’s exciting, but it feels very different to me, because I didn’t expect it. Walking in the streets and people are like, ‘oh my gosh I want to take a photo with you.’

"It surprised me because I know that I’m not home, I’m not with the people who know my music, but it was cool to do that, it made me feel special. And these older guys were serenading me, and it was so cute (laughs). "

Nadia has been in the studio and just released a new single but don’t expect her debut album to drop anytime soon because she’s taking her time crafting it, she explained, “So I’ve just released a single, it’s called Yass Chic, I’m shooting the video as soon as I land back in SA and then hopefully it will be out in a couple of weeks. I’m also working on my debut album, but it’s a lot of work because I want it to be perfect. So, I’ve changed my release date a million times, I can’t even say when it’s going to be out, because I’m sure it will change. I’ve shot the cover, maybe three or four times. But I hope it will be out sooner rather than later.”

LISTEN TO YASS CHIC HERE:

Nadia is famous for her distinct fashion sense and recently launched her own line of clothes.

Here’s what she has to say about that, “So I’ve collaborated with Sportscene’s brand called RedBat and we’ve done an exclusive line called, Nadia Nakai x Redbat. I’m very excited there’s about 15 pieces and accessories like hats and belts. On 10 November we’re launching at stores Nationwide; I’ll be making appearances in stores throughout South Africa on the day, into December.’ 

SEE MORE ABOUT THAT FASHION LINE LAUNCH HERE:

The 2018 MTV EMAs at Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Barakaldo, Biscay will be broadcast live on Sunday, 4 November at 21:00 CAT on MTV (channel 130).

*Channel24's trip to Spain has been sponsored by Viacom Africa.