Valencia-based singer-songwriter Nina Mae Harper releases her debut album A Long Time Coming – a heartfelt collection of folk inspired songs about starting over, losses, midlife musings and grown-up love, on May 22nd. Somewhere just south of Folk, north of Americana, and occasionally brushing up against Blues and Country music, Nina’s music blends intimate storytelling with warm, roots-inspired melodies. Originally from the Netherlands, Nina spent twelve years living in Aberdeen, Scotland, before moving to Valencia, Spain in 2018, a life change that would eventually ignite a creative turning point.

Now she releases her debut album, ‘A Long Time Coming’, a collection of eleven songs inspired by the emotional landscape of the past fifteen years of her life; emigration, motherhood, marriage, loss and mental health struggles. These experiences form the backbone of Nina’s songwriting: honest, reflective, and deeply human.

“Nobody arrives at midlife clean and unharmed”, says Nina about the album. “We all carry baggage. A Long Time Coming is not only an album release, it is a release of many of the stories collected over the years – my own and of those around me.”

“It´s a story about letting go, coming out of life´s ruins and stepping into a new chapter, with confidence and new energy. I think many people will resonate with this.”

Nina´s work carries echoes of the storytelling traditions of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, while also drawing inspiration from the blues-infused songwriting of Lucinda Williams and Eilen Jewell, with the catchy melodic accessibility of artists like KT Tunstall.

Produced by Portuguese multi-instrumentalist Helder Borges Santos and recorded near Valencia, the album grew from simple acoustic guitar demos into rich, organic arrangements over the course of a year and a half of writing, recording and creative collaboration.

A Long Time Coming also refers to the fact that it’s taken Nina three decades to release her first solo album.

“I´ve written songs all my life”. Nina explains. “But I guess it took thirty years, a whole lot of heartache and two emigrations to finally take myself seriously as an artist. Valencia has definitely given me wings.”

And after finally releasing her first album, she feels she’s only just getting started.

“There are still thousands of songs waiting inside my head to be written. It´s like they’ve been sitting in the wings to come out and play. I am all fired up.”

With A Long Time Coming, Nina Mae Harper invites listeners into a world of thoughtful songwriting, emotional honesty, and quietly powerful storytelling – proof that sometimes the most meaningful journeys begin not in youth, but in the confidence and clarity of midlife.

Report by ’24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

https://ninamaeharper.bandcamp.com/

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