Nova May is on a roll. She’s also, it seems, always on a night out.
The rising star has turned heads with a string of releases in 2024, blending an à la mode hyperpop sound and early noughties influence with real style. The result, which has been showcased on four rip-roaring singles, lands somewhere between the world of Charli XCX’s BRAT and Rihanna smash ‘S&M’.
“It’s been bang, bang, bang and release, release, release,” Nova laughs when catching up with CelebMix. “I’m really proud of how it’s gone so far.
“For sure, it feels like things are growing and I’ve found more of a fan base. I love to be connected with like-minded people. It feels like an exciting time.”
Those singles are the first taste of an EP, set for release in September, which tracks the rising star on a raucous night out. The project will come to life with a landmark headline London show at 229 London on September 14 – tickets here.
While there’s a spontaneity to the I AM THE CLUB EP which meets the industry’s sudden desire for a glut of hyperpop this summer, it’s been a long time coming for Nova May after a difficult 2023.
“In a way, it was really planned,” she admits. “I found last year quite tough, I thought I was going to sign to a label and have loads of releases but that dragged out and in the end, I didn’t sign with them.
“That meant I didn’t release much music last year. Towards the end, I thought, no one can stop me and changed my sound from being super hyperpop-y to leaning into the 2010s.”
The pop star is perhaps at her most impressive on ‘TROY’. A full-throttle track that sees Nova dive into the club to chase a love interest, it’s a flick impossible not to play loud.
Clearly, DJs are starting to feel the same way and that single has started to get played in clubs. “That’s really cool, damn,” Nova reacts. “It’s the best thing when people send me videos of it being played in the club.
“Even if people are just playing it on their TVs at home and having the best time! That means so much to me, it’s the best feeling and I don’t think that will ever get old.”
When talking about music with links to the hyperpop movement, it’s impossible not to mention Charli XCX with the artist’s influence on the genre at its most potent ever. The 31-year-old’s BRAT record has driven an interest in electropop, brutalist production and easily quotable lyrics – which Nova May has boasted for years.
“It’s been great to see,” she reflects. “Charli is now obviously getting some more mainstream attention and for people who didn’t listen to that music before, it’s new to them and they are appreciating it.
“It’s a good time to be an electronic pop girly, people are wanting more and more of that. There are so many different sides to that music.
“People just love to compare female artists and I get the Charli comparison a lot – which is a huge compliment – but she wasn’t a reference for this project. It’s going to be great to see more sides of electronic music and other artists flourish.”
The latest Nova May track, released earlier this month, is ‘CBA’. A sassy single that sees the star toss aside the love chase of ‘TROY’ in favour of a solo party, its production is head-turning.
“That track was really spontaneous,” Nova shares. “I was with my friends and we were trying to write another song called ‘Tamagotchi’ or something and it wasn’t really working. We were like… I probably shouldn’t say this but I’m going to… ‘Should we go on the roof and smoke a fat joint?’.”
The trio then returned to the studio and a 1 am brainstorm led to ‘CBA’ being coined. That track joins the wittily titled ‘TROY’, ‘MR BUS DRIVER’ and ‘BOSH!’ on the I AM THE CLUB EP so far.
“The way I like to write is to think of a cool title first,” the singer explains. “That’s maybe a bit unusual. For ‘MR BUS DRIVER’ I was sat with my producer chilling by the window needing ideas, I looked out the window and it had ‘bus stop’ written on the floor. I thought… party at the bus stop vibes, that’s cool.
“We took it to the studio the next day and were working with Jackie Apostel – she’s so sick, and so gorgeous – she loved the concept and came up with ‘Mr Bus Driver’.
“We wanted this whole project to be a big party. We wanted ‘MR BUS DRIVER’ to be a journey and for that to be the journey to the club.”
For any listeners who have lived the joys of a budget night out in London, commuting to and from underground venues on a series of night buses, ‘MR BUS DRIVER’ is the kind of track you wish existed on playlists years ago.
Of all the EP’s releases so far, it’s that single that has caught the imagination of new listeners, racking up hundreds of thousands of streams online. With numbers like that, it’s an exciting time to be Nova May. September 14 at 229 London is clearly a night not to miss.