Nikita Lev’s latest single “No One Is Gonna” feels like a quiet implosion. Built on a hypnotic pulse and unflinching lyrics, the track reflects the numbness that sets in after emotional overload—a breakup song less about the other person and more about what lingers after they’re gone.

It’s the second single from Lev’s upcoming debut EP Suspend (out October 17), a project that pulls apart the emotional knots of memory, heartbreak, and miscommunication. Raised in New York City, the singer-songwriter and model grew up surrounded by chamber music and 90s alternative rock, influences that thread through her style: sparse, immersive arrangements, slow-burn melodies, and vocals that veer between fragile and furious. She’s been slowly building a following through her emotionally raw live shows and striking visuals, including a recent NYFW performance for the Nili Lotan Music Series. But at the center of it all is the music – confessional, vulnerable, and unconcerned with polish.

I became interested in talking with her both about music and about how at twenty-four years old one learns to speak so honestly about feelings. Where does this maturity come from? And why are young artists now increasingly singing not about inner experiences and anxiety? Before, at twenty-four everyone wanted to be stars. Sing about love, about parties, about how cool it is to be young. But now — about therapy, about mental health, about how hard it is to be human in the modern world. Why has it changed so much? And is this good or bad? Plus I’m always interested in the theme of coming home. She left for Los Angeles — a dream city for many musicians. But returned to New York. What happened? What did she understand about herself there? And how do you even figure out where you belong?

Hey Nikita, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. I want to begin with the concept that permeates your forthcoming EP Suspend. You describe it as a work about moments when you don’t yet have resolution to a situation, when you’re still sitting with the weight of something you can’t quite name. Most artists strive for catharsis, for final answers, for emotional resolution in their songs. Yet you deliberately remain in that suspended state of uncertainty. How did you come to understand that these very unresolved moments could become the foundation for Suspend?

uncertainty is quite the main reason i write music. i also strive for catharsis and resolution but i don’t believe those things exist to last. i don’t know how deliberate i am with my lack of final answers, i’m writing about my current irresolution and that within itself validates the feeling. i’m not sure my expectation is ever to have every feeling resolved when i write.

Aren’t you afraid that listeners might remain unsatisfied by the absence of clear emotional conclusions?

no, cause that’s what life is.

Your return to New York after time spent in Los Angeles—you came back with a sharper edge and a deeper sense of artistic identity. I sense that in your case, this geographical shift rather significantly altered your worldview and fundamentally transformed your approach to songwriting. New York’s energy truly permeates all of Suspend. What exactly in New York’s energy allows you to create these moments, and how does the city influence your creativity compared to Los Angeles?

new collaborators and guilt. if one is not moving and trying in new york you’re stagnant while everyone else is moving. los angeles is quite different. 

You began writing songs at age 10 and grew up in a house where very diverse music played—from classical to ’90s rock. Such variety usually either confuses young musicians or they try to copy everything. Has the music from your childhood influenced how you write songs now, and do you use anything specific from the music you heard as a child?

i honestly feel that the music i listen to now makes me just as confused if not more so. not confused, per se, perhaps overwhelmed? because i’m discovering on my own accord and trying to shape the sounds and songs i want to make. the battle is more trying and feeling what fits while maintaining a perspective- your artistic point of view.

In the song “No One Is Gonna” you sing about how you can love someone regardless of what might go wrong in the relationship. This is quite a mature view of love—not “we’ll be together forever,” but “I love you right now, and that’s enough.” Where does such a calm and wise approach to love come from for you? Is this your personal experience?

funnily enough, this song was written post-breakup so there was never going to be a forever in the romantic context. rather than “i love you now and that’s enough” it’s an homage to the moment of acknowledging that there is nobody like you and i love you for that. it’s sad in a way.

You first performed “No One Is Gonna” live at Nublu. Do you prefer how your songs sound in studio recordings or live on stage?

it’s a totally different experience and sound. any live show is to make the studio recording come to life and make the feeling it gives you even bigger; it encompasses the performance, the visual, sound, the impression. my job is to properly convey all of that to evoke whatever it may evoke. 

Suspend isn’t your typical breakup album. There are so many of those now, and listeners have certain expectations from “sad post-breakup music.” But you’re doing something different, more complex. It might be harder to understand, but it’s more honest. Is it important for you to challenge what people expect from music about love?

i think so but not exclusively, i believe that some music should help you understand you’re own emotions but some music is just to make you dance (which in it’s way is doing just that). this record specifically, is me exploring and freaking out in my own head mostly- which is, i expect, something i’ll be doing a lot of in the future.

The music industry is currently very focused on quick hits, viral TikTok moments, and songs that immediately hook you within the first 15 seconds. How do you cope with the pressure from today’s music industry to make more “instant” music, and do you believe there’s room for complex, slowly unfolding songs in today’s ecosystem?

i try not to think about it. 

Suspend is released on 17th October. That’s practically tomorrow, considering how quickly time flies. Will there be live presentations of the EP, and if so, when and where?

we’ll just have to wait and see won’t we…

What’s your most ridiculous or unexpected habit that doesn’t fit at all with your serious artistic image, and what do you do to switch off from all these life problems and just have fun?

kind of all i do is have fun, i don’t think many who know me would say i’m a serious person. but i care about my art and i’m quite particular. 

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