Neffy: A Lesson on Integrity and Sparking Change - What the FOLK is Up?
On June 5, 2021, singer-songwriter Neffy posted a video to her YouTube channel that would change her life.
A newly graduated college student, Neffy was navigating through the music world mid-pandemic. Gigging in New York City almost every night quickly turned into a path of uncertainty, not knowing where a career in music would lead her after the pandemic put a halt on live performances. One day, she sat down on a whim, and with nothing but a guitar, her voice and freshly-written tune, filmed the aforementioned video in one take. She uploaded it to YouTube, titling it “Tiny Desk Concert 2021 Entry - Neffy,” not knowing it would be the winning entry of the 2021 Tiny Desk Concert Competition.
Neffy’s effortless blend of soul, r&b and folk featured in her stripped-down Tiny Desk Concert continues to resonate with 144,000 listeners (and counting), earning her a well-deserved place in the NPR Tiny Desk Canon.
Neffy was raised in a home surrounded by music— whether through choir practices, her record-collecting father or music-producing brother, Neffy’s upbringing primed her to enter the music world herself. At age 13 she did just that, picking up a guitar and never looking back.
Adept fingerpicking and rich vocals weave together to form Neffy’s sound—she expresses, “I just need my guitar and to sing with nothing but that behind me.” She needs no flashy embellishments to put on a show-stopping performance; Neffy herself is enough.
Upon listening, Neffy’s music evidently lends itself to various genres—folk notably among them. Now, Neffy did not start her musical career with the intent of becoming a folk singer, her current sound “came to be just through constant practice and constantly paying attention and listening and being a sponge. Not just with other influences, just with life” she continues, pointing out, “In essence, that’s what folk music is, you're just sharing stories.”
Her songs cover themes ranging from regret and lost love to the fleeting passage of time—things that all humans experience.
While folk music does carry these universal experiences and messages, many continue to be resistant to what the genre has to offer. Even Neffy has had her qualms, as she confesses, “I cringe at the manifestation that folk has taken on in pop culture and just in society in general. It is [seen as] White men playing banjos, with beer and overalls.” Though she provides an addendum: don’t knock it until you try it— “People don't know what they want to listen to until they actually hear it.” There is much more to folk as a genre than old, White men, southern accents and outdated views. If you dig deep enough, anyone can find messages that resonate with them.
“I do classify myself as a folk artist and I don’t look like that. I didn’t intentionally just set out to change the narrative of folk— No, I just am myself.”
Above anything else, Neffy makes sure to stay true to herself. “Just being yourself [...] can be enough to change people's minds,” she affirms, “Continuing to do things with integrity and not cheapening yourself because the music industry wants to hear [certain things]” is incredibly crucial. Neffy values herself as a human, and that is one of the most important things an artist can do. She is sure of her worth and asserts, “I don't compromise on anything, this is who I am as an artist. I've always been this way, and that to me is enough. If people like it and they latch on to it, that's amazing.”
Neffy’s adamance in staying true to herself is integral to connecting with people—she adds, “Any artist that is able to be truthful in their art and be truthful to themselves can propel and have the power to change minds, bring people together and spark revolution. If not spark it, then maintain it and be the guiding light for others.”
Unafraid to spark change, Neffy has proudly spoken and continues to speak on matters she believes in. As a completely independent artist, she has been adamant about her refusal to put her music on Spotify, instead solely being available via Bandcamp. Artists should be properly compensated for their work, and Spotify simply doesn’t cut it with their payment of $.0033-$.0054 per stream. She explains, “The music industry itself is a thing that really operates within the gaze and guise of capitalism—whatever sells in the expected labels and makes managers money, is what they're going to run with,” and that often comes directly at the artists’ expense. Neffy is working toward a more equitable music industry, but affirms that revolutions don’t have to be large-scale events in order to incite change—“just being yourself and working hard, that is really the basis for us to be the revolution and change.”
Rest assured, Neffy will continue to usher in change with every pluck of her guitar strings. Nothing will stop her from continuing to make music, “No matter what” she says, “I am always going to do this, even if it's just for myself in my room.”
One can help Neffy change the music industry for the better by directly supporting her by purchasing her work on Bandcamp and by, of course, listening to her Tiny Desk Concert. In addition to that, you can keep up with all that Neffy does via her Instagram account.