Make the Debut Album Mean Something (Nep)
Indie-Pop artist Nep opens up about reinventing her sound, embracing discomfort, and building momentum one post at a time on TikTok. We also dig into the making of her debut album ‘Noelle’ and the music video for their latest single ‘Florida Girl’ filmed in a dirt speedway.
Follow Nep:
Also Available On:
Transcript:
Mike: Hey, Nep, how are you?
Nep: Hi! I’m good. How are you?
Mike: Doing good, thanks. Thanks so much for being on the show—really appreciate it.
Nep: Oh my gosh, yeah. I’m so excited to be here.
Mike: I’ve been really digging “Florida Girl,” but I have to say I really like “Biketober.” That was a really cool track.
Nep: Thank you so much—the sleeper! The sleeper of the singles.
Mike: Honestly—super catchy. That was the first song I listened to when I got the press release and I was like, “Oh, I love this.”
Nep: Thank you so much. That means a lot.
Mike: I was going through your socials. Was music your first choice? I know you went to the University of Miami for the School of Music, but was that your initial career path?
Nep: Oh, absolutely not my first choice. I never thought this would be a feasible thing for me. I wanted to be a graphic designer most of my life. I loved physical art—drawing. In high school I got into psychology a bit, and my family is all computer-science people, so I thought, “Maybe engineering—follow the family legacy.” I was stressed: mechanical engineering? My older sibling, about to graduate, said, “Why don’t you try sound engineering? That’s a thing.” I was like, “It’s a thing?” I applied to two schools and chose the one with the Bachelor of Science engineering degree. That made it feel more feasible while I was still split—do something “successful” like my family, but also get to sing all the time. It really helped me when it came time to say, “Okay, I want to be a musician.”
Mike: That’s so cool—and congrats. That’s an amazing feat to get into that program and through it. You mentioned graphic design—have you incorporated any of that into your own artwork?
Nep: Yes! My whole first EP—I drew the cover and designed all my merch. I’m trying to get back into drawing now. I got an iPad like three years ago and went crazy because I’d never done digital art. Now I’m getting back to pencil-on-paper. I’ve always loved that, and I’m trying to add more creative hobbies back in.
Mike: Totally. As creatives, we can feel like everything we make has to be part of our profession, but sometimes it’s okay to do it just for you—peace, relaxation, fun. If it spills into the career, great. I like to call it “practice.”
Nep: Yeah—it’s getting the creative juices flowing in some way. Wherever it goes, I’m happy.
Mike: So now you decide you want to be a musician and start building an audience. Social media: love it or hate it, it’s the most powerful tool. I noticed you started posting on TikTok and Instagram and got traction pretty fast—like, right away some videos had 5–10k views.
Nep: It’s interesting because when I hear about people “blowing up,” I think, “Wow, it happened so fast.” But usually, when you look, they’ve been at it for years—dance, industry jobs, whatever. I’m 22, but I started making music at 13. I didn’t post much back then; it wasn’t about promoting on TikTok—back then it was Musical.ly. I posted random covers and little MP3s on SoundCloud during that Clairo/indie wave. Someone said, “Put this on Spotify,” so I figured out how. I remember my first Spotify release—“Oops, this came out three days ago!” I had a small audience but wasn’t focused. In college I posted a rock cover that did well—“Okay, TikTok is cool.” Then I posted “Soup Song,” one of my earlier songs, and yeah—it was kind of immediate. I was surprised and lucky. That immediate gratification helped me keep going.
Mike: How did you keep the momentum? It’s easy to get fatigued—feeling like you have to post or you’ll lose attention.
Nep: I’m not the best at it, but having a system helps. Right now I’m posting every day and feel in a groove—it’s part of my routine. But my last semester of college, I fully fell off the internet. I was like, “I’m so stressed, I’m going to fail every class—I don’t have time.” It’s important to prioritize yourself. If you’re not happy, this job isn’t fun—and music is supposed to be the funnest job ever. Being excited about the videos matters more than feeling like I “have” to post.
Mike: Speaking of videos—the “Florida Girl” video is super fun. Production looks big—you’ve got a derby going, dirt track, cars.
Nep: Totally! “Florida Girl” is about not fitting in where I’m from—this back-and-forth with being a Florida person: I don’t fit, but it’s fun to tell people you’re from Florida. They think you’re a little crazy—and I am a little crazy. We drove two hours north of L.A. to this random dirt speedway. Nicest people ever. We sat in the cars, filmed, watched races. We got to go down in the pit while they were racing and hitting each other—it was amazing. I’m pretty new to visuals and music-video stuff, so I was out of my comfort zone. Very “Florida Girl”—walking around a family speedway in a blue bikini top, like, “Hi, hope you like me.” Very on brand.
Mike: I love that you mention being out of your comfort zone. We get acclimated to routine, and growth comes from doing the thing that’s a little uncomfortable.
Nep: Totally. Take something less seriously and just try it—and it turns out fine. Nobody thought I was weird.
Mike: Congrats on the debut full-length—this episode will land right around release time. You had an EP before; how was this different?
Nep: People asked why my EP NEP Storybook—it’s 12 songs—wasn’t an album. I said I’m reserving “debut album” for something cohesive. The EP had songs written two years apart—no real throughline. This album I wrote in like seven or eight months, all together. It makes sense to me—motifs, reused words, the whole thing connects. I’ve never had something so established. I feel like a grown-up musician—like, “Here’s my debut album.” Professionally shot cover—I didn’t draw it on my iPad this time. It’s cool to enter a more polished lane—not what I’m used to, for sure.
Mike: That’s smart: saving “debut album” for a cohesive body of work, not just a collection of songs. Also, your earlier releases sound different than where you are now—totally normal. But it helps define, “This is who I am, now.”
Nep: I love the NEP Storybook sound, but I’ve gotten comments like, “We miss the acoustic stuff—this would be better acoustic.” I get it; I love writing folk music. But I also want to push myself. Folk is what I naturally write; it comes easy. What I listen to is a lot of emo and rock, and I’ve always wanted to make that. For my first big statement, I wanted to do what I truly wanted. So debuting with that vibe feels right.
Mike: I can hear the progression. I’m a huge emo-rock person, too. I’ve represented singer-songwriters who start acoustic and then add more production or rock elements—very natural arc. The OG fans will ask for the acoustic, and I get it—I’m nostalgic, too. But stripping production away is always the test: what’s the song at its core? That’s the beauty of acoustic—just you, your musicianship, and your lyrics.
Nep: Totally. That’s a beautiful way to put it. I love stripped-back, raw stuff, and I’ll probably do it again. I just love everything. I’d be limiting myself if I didn’t let myself try.
Mike: The artists who evolve tend to last. Big example—Taylor Swift: country, pop, folk. Some artists can stick to one sound and thrive, but not everyone. Exploration keeps you relevant. Some artists even spin off side projects in different genres. Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup has a country band, for example.
Nep: I love that. And Hayley Williams did her solo run—so cool. Maybe one day I’ll go solo-to-band in the other direction—just play guitar in a band. That sounds fun.
Mike: Love it. A couple of quick ones to wrap. First concert?
Nep: Tyler, the Creator on the IGOR tour at the Kia Center—used to be Amway Center—on UCF’s campus. My sibling went there, so we walked from their dorm. I’d never been to a concert before—I think I was 15. When the opener came on and the crowd cheered, I was like, “Was that piped-in crowd noise?” It sounded fake—so many people! When you read an arena is 15,000 people, you’re like, “No way.” It was amazing. Every concert reminds me how much I love music.
Mike: I felt the same seeing The Format at the Arizona State Fair Coliseum—10 to 15k people. Still in awe.
Nep: That’s amazing.
Mike: Go-to artist right now?
Nep: Will Paquin. His new album Ha ha ha is so good. He’s a guitar wizard. I saw him in Philly a few years ago and voice-memoed the whole show because the songs were unreleased—I just wanted to hear them again. He’s putting them out now and it’s incredible—my favorite album this year so far.
Mike: Last question: If you could give one piece of advice to a fellow musician, what would it be?
Nep: Keep trying. Eventually things do work out. I’ve been online a while and seen friends post every day—20 likes a day—and then suddenly they’re at the VMAs and their songs have almost a billion streams. It’s crazy how quickly something can happen from being consistent and believing in yourself—before you have a big audience. People notice. I stop on TikToks with 10 likes and think, “This person is amazing.” People are seeing your stuff—and they’ll keep seeing it if you’re consistent. Believe in yourself.
Mike: Couldn’t agree more. Thank you so much, NEP—great chatting, and congrats on the debut album.
Nep: Thank you! I appreciate it.
Mike: I’ve already taken a listen—it’s absolutely great. I encourage everyone to check it out.
Nep: That’s great—thank you for having me.
Mike: Thank you!