NËSTRÄ
BIO
NËSTRÄ, born Eliyas Abdulkadir to East African immigrants in Minnesota, is an American artist based in Seattle. The moniker NËSTRÄ derives from the Spartan Queen Clytemnestra of Greek legend—chosen to embody the duality of masculine and feminine energies—while the umlauts above the E and A represent his initials.
NËSTRÄ fell in love with music in 5th grade drumline, and began freestyling with his friends at lunch. After participating in Macklemore’s program “The Residency” in 2017, NËSTRÄ released his breakout single 11:11, produced by Seattle heavyweights Sango and Está. of Soulection. In 2018 he made the semifinals of MoPop’s SoundOff! Competition. Over the next three years, NËSTRÄ released 3 projects: “QUALITY” explored an electronic sound, “texture.” embraced acoustic tones, and “JIGGY” combined RnB, Rap and Pop Influences into one cohesive vision. At the age of 23, NËSTRÄ has already performed at Seattle’s two most iconic music festivals, Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot.
Through his lyrics, music, and dance, NËSTRÄ tells his story, reflecting on his life as a first-generation immigrant of East African heritage, as well as dealing with an absentee father. NËSTRÄ plays with a variety of sounds and themes, while never forgetting his roots. We are taken on a trip through struggle, love, anger, happiness, and spirituality. His music is organic, enigmatic and always directly from the heart.
PHOTOS
RECENT VIDEOS AND MUSIC
PRESS
RESPECT MY REGION
May 21, 2021
"Following the release of the trailer, the first song also dropped. Titled, “Honestly,” the lead single features Kateel, NËSTRÄ, Nyles Davis, Campana, and Sol. The music video accompanying it was shot in a single take at Sage Studios right after they finished recording the track. You can feel the passionate energy of the room throughout the entire video."
RESPECT MY REGION
September 25th 2020
"NESTRA is wavy as fuck. He’s an alumnus of both The Residency and MoPop’s Soundoff! competition; making it safe to say that he’s got a pretty solid base foundation for his artistry. He’s the type of artist that shouldn’t be classified as anything other than himself, oftentimes blending multiple genres together to create his own kind of sound. In 2019, he released his album, Texture, in between notable performances at Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot. However, I feel as though 2020 and the release of his album, Jiggy, have really showcased his artistry and has brought his name to the forefront of my musical conversations."
SEATTLE TIMES
July 17th, 2020
"The momentum continued this year with strong new projects from Tacoma’s Blakk Soul, high-energy R&B/rap hybrid Nestra, and Rahale B."
SEATTLE REFINED
September 21st, 2019
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
DAN'S TUNES
August 30th, 2019
"Nësträ is a local R&B artist who believes you should free your heart and stay true to your roots. The artist drops his new EP, texture., produced by Malygin and Elan Wright Upe Moore, in conjunction with his performance at Bumbershoot on August 30th on the MoPop stage. I got a chance to get to know Nësträ a little deeper as I learned about his time in The Residency and growing up in Seattle...."