INTERVIEW: Rising Artist Nina Archer Introduces Debut Single “Homecoming”

Every once in a while, an emerging artist comes along with a debut so resonant and self-assured it instantly stops you in your tracks. Enter 16-year-old pop newcomer Nina Archer, who is taking her first official bow with the electrifying single “Homecoming.” Beneath its vibrant, high-energy pop production lies a striking and deeply vulnerable narrative about the quiet ache of wanting to belong, capturing the bittersweet transition of leaving high school behind and stepping boldly into a new era. Having spent the summer refining her craft in Los Angeles alongside hitmakers Jeffery David and Brandon Paddock, Archer showcases a rare, poetic maturity that effortlessly balances raw storytelling with infectious hooks.

Beyond her compelling lyricism, Nina Archer brings an irresistible visual energy to everything she touches. From embracing dynamic choreography to drawing inspiration from an eclectic music palette, ranging from Ariana Grande and Mitski to Arctic Monkeys and Broadway, she is a multi-dimensional talent who refuses to be placed in a box. In our candid interview below, Nina opens up about the surreal experience of finally releasing her own music, staying fiercely grounded amidst industry expectations, and the deeply personal message of solidarity she hopes listeners take away from her debut.

Your debut single “Homecoming” has been out for almost a month! What’s been the coolest, weirdest, or most unexpected part of finally having your own music out in the world?

I think the weirdest part is that I’ve spent so much time sitting with and listening to this song, and now I have to stop being insane about it and let people hear it. At this point, I feel like I have no idea what it sounds like because I’ve spent a while thinking about it. It’s cool to see how people are responding to it and the feedback I’ve been getting.

“Homecoming” is such an interesting song because underneath this big, energetic pop sound is a pretty vulnerable story about wanting to belong. Why did you want your first release to tell that particular story?

For my first release, I really wanted to send off my high school experience in a way that symbolized the beginning of my career and the end of an era. I also wanted the contrast of putting a lonely story inside a song that you can party to. The desire to belong has been so prevalent in my life and I think that it can sometimes be embarrassing to say out loud, so I wanted this song to be a simple story about trying really hard that people can find solidarity in. 

One of our favorite lyrics is “Maybe one night could fix all of 14.” It’s such a specific thought, but almost everyone can relate to it. Do you find that songwriting helps you understand things about yourself that you couldn’t necessarily explain in a normal conversation?

I’m pretty much the same person in conversation as I am when I’m writing. Songwriting says the same things I could say in a normal conversation, but it just gives me a different way to engage with the ideas and be more poetic with them. With that lyric, I was interested in the irrational promise that one night could make up for years of being mistreated, ignored, or taken for granted. I was just hungry for any kind of appreciation and love, and I stopped respecting myself somewhere along the way. That’s how I got to the point of, “I want this so bad, so if this goes well, all of my suffering can be forgotten about.”

We love watching you dance on social media! There’s this whole other playful, carefree side of you that comes out. What does dancing make you feel? Is it a way to just let go and stop thinking about everything for a minute?

Thank you! I’m still relatively new to dancing, and I think it will definitely make me a more well-rounded performer. Recently, dancing has become such an important aspect of being an artist. People consume so much content so quickly that capturing and holding someone’s attention is an art. The visual stimulation part of performing is becoming more and more necessary for artists. People don’t totally want to just hear a great voice anymore; they want an experience, so dancing is great. I’m working on getting myself healthy, and I think as that happens, I can only become a better dancer. Dancing makes me feel like I’m actually having fun, especially with an audience. It does let me let go in a sense, because I enjoy it so much that everything else feels less important in the moment.

You’re 16, and you’re growing up in a world where everybody seems to have an opinion about who you should be. What’s something about you that you hope never changes, no matter what happens with your music?

It’s a typical answer, but I do truly hope I never lose my sense of self. No matter how well people say they understand me, I hope I’m never convinced that they know better. I want to grow in a way that feels authentic for me. I never want to become so influenced by other people’s perceptions that I lose the ability to distinguish between what I actually want and what I’ve learned to want because of expectations, both with music and in general. My instincts have yet to fail me, and I hope I don’t forget that. I’m pretty sure I’m safe because I’m stubborn when it comes to what kind of person I want to be. Like I hope no one convinces me out of my love for animals or vegetarianism. People can have whatever opinion they want about it and do whatever they want, but I NEVER want to give in to passive-aggressive critics.

You’ve spent the summer writing and recording in LA with Jeffery David and Brandon Paddock. What’s something funny, surprising or completely unexpected that’s happened while making these records? And have they encouraged you to try anything musically that you might not have tried on your own?

Every collaboration so far has taught me a lot, even if it’s simply learning more about what I want. One of the most surprising parts of the writing and recording sessions was how differently everyone heard the same idea. You can have one thing in mind and because of a different interpretation the song can go somewhere else entirely. I’ve been encouraged to get out of my own head a little bit and not overthink every decision, and it’s been good to try experimenting with lots of possibilities. 

Let’s talk about your musical DNA. What are three artists or songs that helped shape your taste? And who’s somebody you’re listening to right now that people might never expect?

If I had to pick, three artists that helped shape my taste throughout my childhood were Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and Faouzia. It’s so tough to choose only 3! Right now, since I’m such a big pop girlie, I think people would be surprised to know that I listen to things like Don Toliver, Zeppelin, Arctic Monkeys, Mitski, and even musical theatre. Like I’m obsessed with SIX the Musical. All on the same playlist. I probably have every genre of music on my playlist. I used to be a huge MCR fan. Literally no one knows that. 

We get the feeling there’s a lot more to Nina Archer than what we’ve heard on “Homecoming.” If this song is just the introduction, what sides of your personality and musical world are you most excited for people to discover next?

I’m really excited to show people some more contrast. And I can’t wait for people to see some more of my lyrical depth. Homecoming is pretty innocent and hopeful, which is true to me, but my favorite songs get kind of salty and I think people will be into that. Sonically, I’m exploring a lot of different yet similar worlds and not confining myself, which I have no doubt will make every release so fun and interesting. 

You’ve already spent time performing live, but now you have your own music. When you imagine your first real Nina Archer show, what do you see? What kind of experience do you want people to have when they come see you?

Madison Square Garden, absolutely sold out. No, I’m kidding. I’m not crazy. Humble beginnings are exciting because I can only grow. When I picture my first show, I think it will be intimate. There are moments people are dancing and having the best time and there are moments where people are still and feel like they’re hearing something they aren’t supposed to. I wanna give people whiplash. I hope I look and dance the way I want to. Ultimately, I want my first listeners and watchers to feel like they got to know me and had a great night. I want it to be a concert I would die to go to. 

Imagine there’s a girl somewhere who’s 14 or 15, sitting in her bedroom, feeling like she doesn’t fit in. She hears “Homecoming” for the first time. What do you hope she takes away from your music, and what would you want to say to her?

I hope she hears the song and knows that she’s not the only one grieving the childhood they didn’t get to have. I’d want to say that there’s nothing wrong with her for feeling different from her peers, and that she doesn’t have to be relatable or young or quirky to anyone else because the people that will love her will find her someday. I want her to feel that somebody recognizes the things she’s been carrying so privately that she’s started to assume they’re just part of her personality. I’d want to give her the strength to wait it out, wait for a life that is kinder to her and stop making sacrifices for people who don’t deserve it. Having nobody is the hardest thing in the world, especially because you have to grow up too quickly and forget what it feels like to be a kid. And that really sucks, because it’s just over. But I hope she takes away from my music that people can be so stupid, and she deserves the chance to discover who she can be when life stops kicking her in the face, because people are easy to love. I’d like to say that the person she is trying so hard to carry to the finish line is already a person who deserves love. And I hope that, in early adulthood, she gets to look back at the girl she was and feel proud of her, not embarrassed. I hope she understands how much that girl was carrying, how hard she was trying, and how little she should have had to prove. If “Homecoming” can make a kid in that spot feel understood, I’m set. 

Get to know more about Nina Archer on Instagram.