Rapper and singer Nathan Joseph Mendes, also known as Tsumyoki, is proud to get nominated for the upcoming MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), and he says it is a nod to all the hard work he put in his music.
The hip-hop artist hailing from Margao, Goa has earned the nomination Best India Act category, and will compete for the award with hip-hop star DIVINE, pop singer-songwriter Mali, indie-folk band When Chai Met Toast and rapper Dee MC. The MTV EMAs, which takes place in Paris this year, will announce winners on November 5.
“The nomination feels amazing that I’ve gone through this. My family and my state are very proud of me, and I’m one of the first Goans to achieve this, so I’m literally overwhelmed and I’m very proud of myself. Hopefully, if everything goes well, I can win this. I believe that I can,” Mendes tells us.
Opening up about the music which got him the nomination, the rapper shares, “It’s Aight is the name of the song that earned the nomination. It’s one of the projects from my album. I think it earned it. Earned it because it was so different. It was such a different sound, a different vibe, and we really pushed ourselves with this release. So that’s what I feel”.
“What sets sets my work apart is one, that I am doing English music in India, which is quite rare, if you see and also just the way that I’ve constructed the song and the way that I’ve pushed boundaries with the song, sonically I think that that really sets me apart as well as my personality and how I interact with a lot of my fans,” he shares, adding, “My music reflects that Indians can do anything. We can make any kinds of music, we cannot be stopped. We, I’m an example that I, we can even make Western sounding music and it can come out of India, like Indians can really do anything. We are so diverse that we can make international or any kind of sounding music”.
{{/usCountry}}“What sets sets my work apart is one, that I am doing English music in India, which is quite rare, if you see and also just the way that I’ve constructed the song and the way that I’ve pushed boundaries with the song, sonically I think that that really sets me apart as well as my personality and how I interact with a lot of my fans,” he shares, adding, “My music reflects that Indians can do anything. We can make any kinds of music, we cannot be stopped. We, I’m an example that I, we can even make Western sounding music and it can come out of India, like Indians can really do anything. We are so diverse that we can make international or any kind of sounding music”.
{{/usCountry}}When it comes to nomination, he dedicates it to his fans, saying, “I like to say to my fans, and this is what I always constantly say to them, is like, thank you for giving me this job. Thank you for letting me live my life through music. Thank you for letting me do music as a career. Yeah, my fans are letting me live my dream and I’m, I will forever be grateful to them”.
According to Mendes, the nomination puts confidence in his journey and all the challenges he faced. “politics of the industry, the people putting you down, the losses, the bad shows, you know, like a lot of stuff happens, but you just push through and whenever you take an, whenever you take a loss, you learn a lesson as well. So that’s all that matters. And keep working hard and then you’ll be good,” says the singer-songwriter, who gained recognition with White Tee in 2019, followed by Daboij album in 2021, and his debut EP titled Way Too Messy in 2021