ARTIST TO WATCH: Nep

As a true Florida girl, Nep has a love/hate relationship with her hometown. These feelings fueled her debut album, Noelle, which tells tales of her growing up and graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in sound engineering. Growing up queer in conservative Florida, Nep saw music as a safe space to pour her feelings out. She sings about navigating breakups, falling in and out of love, and very specific tales, such as the motorcycle rally that would get in her way every October when growing up in Daytona. It’s hyper-specific in the best way; this amount of detail makes her songs feel lived-in and honest.

Nep’s music lives somewhere between indie-pop and bedroom-pop, but she’s not afraid to turn up the volume. A lot of her songs have punchy drums and guitar riffs that make you want to bang your head dramatically in your car or get up and dance around your room. Even when her lyrics are vulnerable, the melody often carries playful energy, such as in her song "Scar". That contrast is part of what makes her sound unique. Her lyrics are inspired by her own life as well as made up stories from her time writing fanfiction as a teenager. (Fun fact: her song "Fender" was inspired by the band 5 Seconds of Summer!)

Nep’s biggest inspiration is Cavetown, who was the reason for her purchasing her first ever instrument, her first mic, and her first music producing software. Nep was only 15 when she released a song for the first time, and her career has been on the rise in the past 7 years. She has become an artist who not only writes and performs but also deeply understands the technical side of her sound, thanks to her background in sound engineering.

In her first EP, Nep’s Storybook, Nep showcased her range. She experimented with bossa nova in "A Big Brown Dog Named Bagel", jazz in "Eat It Too", and folk in "Cottontail". As her first EP, this seemed like an exploration of her trying on different musical identities and seeing what fit. Her newest album, Noelle, released in October of 2025, is more refined and leans more towards indie or bedroom-pop. Nep has mentioned in interviews feeling drawn to experiment more with genres in the future, and we’re excited to see what she can come up with!

Nep is currently working on producing new songs all by herself for a deluxe version of her album Noelle. She is also heading off to tour on February 20. If she’s coming to your city, consider this your sign to grab a ticket and get to know some new music by a talented emerging artist!