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The Spotlight is on a talented and controversial up and coming Hip Hop artist who hails from Maryland, home to the Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs, and the city of Baltimore, a major historic trading port, baseball power and birthplace of the national anthem. In 2020, MNERVA hit the music scene with one goal in mind, to turn the conventional wisdom of Hip Hop on its head. With his witty lyrics, sharp punchlines, and quirky production, MNERVA has forged his own lane in Hip Hop by fusing his Rock, Trap, and musical theatre influences into a cohesive sound. Originally hailing from Germantown, Maryland. MNERVA moved to Nashville in 2015 to hone his craft and became a part of the Nashville music scene by playing drums for various Pop artists. He also improved his artistry by writing a jukebox musical based on the catalogue of one of his biggest influences, Twenty One Pilots, and released a trailer of the show to viral success. Despite facing numerous obstacles, MNERVA released five successful singles during 2020 and is currently finishing up his first cohesive project, “Talk Too Much.” He can’t wait to share his story through these new songs and finally cement his sound as an artist. Follow him on Instagram: @i_am_mnerva.
Name: MNERVA
Where are you from and how many years in Nashville: I grew up in a small suburb in Maryland called Darnestown and I’ve been in Nashville since 2015.
Where do you work at: When I’m not working on music, I spend my days serving at Otaku Ramen and teaching voice and drum lessons.
How many years in the music industry: I’ve been recording drums and playing live for other artists for about a decade and finally took the plunge to officially become an artist two years ago.
Any special or hidden talents we should know about: I have a photographic memory and have a strange talent for remembering the exact year when songs and movies were released. I can also rap and drum simultaneously, which has become my favorite party trick.
Name 3 Artists, Groups, Albums, and or Songs that influenced your life: Linkin Park will always be my favorite artist, Mike Shinoda is definitely my biggest songwriting influence and he’s the reason I started rapping. Twenty One Pilots fostered my creativity and were the group that pushed me to finally become an artist. I adore how Tyler Joseph writes songs with no boundaries and he also taught me how to be an honest lyricist. Lin Manuel Miranda absolutely changed my life and I adore everything that man has ever worked on. Hamilton taught me the beauty of long form storytelling and also opened my mind to the technical side of rapping. In The Heights is also a masterpiece and I dream of one day getting my own musical on Broadway in the future.
What’s the craziest thing you have experienced at work: I watched a woman accidentally split her head open on a stage monitor during a gig once. Thankfully she was alright once the ambulance arrived but trying to finish the set that night was quite strange.
What advice would you give to a beginning artist: Don’t try to sound like your peers or what’s “cool.” It will take longer to get off the ground, you find a more devoted fan base if you make the music that inspires you and you truly believe in your unique sound. Listeners can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. So instead, embrace and heighten your quirks and the music will only improve.
What’s your pet peeve as an Artist: Fake people frustrate me and unfortunately the music industry is full of them. I’d much rather someone tell me they hate me or my music than have them pretend to like me in order to get something out of me. Thankfully though, I’ve found an incredible team of creatives over the last five years so I rarely interact with the faker side of the music industry.
Life lessons you have learned as an Artist: About a year ago, I went viral with a divisive and controversial project called Blurryface: The Musical. That experience made me into the musician I am today but more than anything it taught me to limit my social media consumption for the sake of my mental health. Faceless people on the internet will always have an opinion and letting their comments impact your life will only make you miserable. This career path has also shown me that people value honesty and vulnerability and that has helped me open up in both my professional and personal life. I used to be scared to air out my dirty laundry in a song but now I try to go deeper so that people can better relate to what I’m saying.
If you were in a movie, who would play you and what would the movie be: At this point, if my life were a movie, it would definitely be a romantic comedy in the vein of 500 Days of Summer. I’ve been told I look like Brendan Fraser so he would probably kill the role.
Favorite Drink: Arnold Palmer.
Favorite Food: A medium rare steak.
Favorite Song: “Stupid Deep” by Jon Bellion.
Favorite Place in the World to perform at: My favorite place I’ve ever performed at is the historic 9:30 Club in DC and I can’t wait to try and book another show there after the pandemic has finally disappeared.
Your Signature Song: Currently, my favorite record I’ve released is my song “Bad Guy,” but I think my signature song will finally come out this summer. It’s called “Quarter Life Crisis” and I can’t wait to finally share it with the world.
Personal Top 5 Restaurants in Nashville:
Old Glory
Bar Taco
Virago
Barcelona
Edley’s
Must see in Nashville: The trail around Radnor Lake and the Parthenon.
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