Pop Culturalist Chats with Nostalghia

Ciscandra Nostalghia doesn’t like to be put in a box. As one half of the band Nostalghia, she has cultivated a career that goes beyond the music she creates and performs. She is, to name a few things, an aromatherapist, an empath, a writer, and a spiritual guide. So, naturally, she wants her music to be a part of a universe that feeds the soul.

With the release of Nostalghia’s latest album, Imagō, we were able to chat with her about it all—from the band’s inception to what she envisions for her future and how it all comes together.

PC: Can you talk a little bit about how you got started in the music industry?
Nostalghia: I was homeless for a while. I was living out of a piano room that I was basically sneaking into at night. So, I began to teach myself how to play because I had nothing else to do, and I was really drawn to music. I had always written poetry so I started putting the two together until it sort of formulated into a world of its own. I realized that it was all I wanted to do because it was all i was doing. I wasn’t attending any of my classes in college so I posted an ad on Craigslist saying I was looking for a bandmate [Roy Gnan]. And, I found my bandmate on craigslist. He sent me some of his music; I sent him some of the stuff I had recorded really poorly. We started working together through the internet. I didn’t want to meet until I knew there was some musical chemistry. So that’s how it began.

Then, we were playing out often, and it started to catch some eyes. We got the interest of my now good friend Gábor Csupó; his son, Jarrett Csupó, found us and got his father out [to see us]. They became fans, and they brought out William Morris, our agents, and it all snowballed from there.

PC: What is your creative process like?
Nostalghia: Cathartic would be the first word I would choose. It’s usually just that I have to get something out, and it comes through me really fast. I race to the piano and get it out. So, I suppose my process is to get it out as fast as possible otherwise it will overtake me.

Nostalghia and Roy Gnan

PC: What inspired you to create your most recent album, ? 
Nostalghia: Both of the albums, Chrysalis and Imagō, are under this concept of metamorphosis. Chrysalis is the hardened outer shell of the pupa before it metamorphosizes into a winged insect, whatever that may be: butterfly or moth. So the concept of metamorphosis is something that I’ve been playing with with these albums.

And, it’s been a meaningful concept for me as a person because alongside my art as a singer-songwriter, I took the symbolic concept of metamorphosis from both of our albums and turned it into a way of life. The concept of metamorphosis has been on my mind from the beginning, and it’s something I’ve always been sort of passionate about. On the side I’m a clairsentient-folk herbalist-medicine woman and an aromatherapist and a metamorphic guide for soulful metamorphosis. I’m also creating a book for all our creatures—I call our fans “creatures”—as well as coursework that dives into herbs, essential oils, stones, and ceremonies for your heart portal.

When I was a child I was really drawn to nature. I would speak to the roses and willow tree in my garden. I saw them as allies and friends. It became clear that I was really empathic and sensitive, taping into the feelings of others. I just had this deep desire to help relieve myself and others of any kind of distress. When I got into music, the albums were never enough for me. I needed it to be, essentially, a universe of its own that spoke to something more sacred and soulful so I tied it into a greater and grander message. We’re launching a store named after our fans after a song from the new record called “Gorgeous Creature” that is going to bring all these dreams to life.

PC: When you’re performing songs in front of audiences and fans, is there one song from Imago that you’re excited to share live?
Nostalghia: I think the song “Imagō” itself is the one I’m most excited about because it’s jarring. It’s rare that you find an artist, I think especially a female artist, sing in a way that is that exposed. Whenever we’ve rehearsed that song it feels like I’m baring my soul, and it’s really uncomfortable for me. So, I think it will end up being the one I most need play. It’s sort of reminds me of “Cool for Chaos” from the first album; [it] had that uncomfortable feeling. Either everyone is going to walk out or everyone is going to stay and be like, “What is this?” I love those polarizing songs that really question the devoted nature of an audience. I don’t mind if everyone walks out; I take it as a compliment if anything like that were to happen.

PC: Is there one over-arching lesson that you’ve learned from everything you’ve done in your career? 
Nostalghia: There would be numerous lessons [laughs]. If you are a genuine artist—you’re not doing it for glory or success or fame; you [just] have to do this, and you don’t have a choice—I would say to never listen to the whispers that are coming from every angle. Stay completely loyal to the ones that are loyal to you. I have been gifted with an incredible bandmate. The man I met on Craigslist happens to be a beautiful human being so I got really lucky in that sense. I’ve had someone by my side that I can turn to and rely on and know that they have my best interest at heart.

As far as everyone else goes [like] everyone in the industry…no matter how much you think you trust them, trust yourself first. Tap into your intuition, and if something doesn’t feel right, don’t fucking do it.

PC: Looking ahead specifically in your music career, is there something you still want to explore? 
Nostalghia: Like I mentioned, I’m not a one trick pony. I’m so passionate that I can’t just stay in one box for too long; I jump into something else. I really like to just explore and stretch my boundaries. Luckily, we have fans that support that which is really cool.

I don’t see the music as just music. I see it as an entire universe. I kind of created it so I could listen to a message that was more potent and powerful than the whispered words I was hearing so I could be true to myself.

Yes, I think I’d like to explore many things. Herbalism, aromatherapy, and being a soulful guide [are] all stuff I incorporate with the music. And, I’m writing a book right now. I’m sure with time [all that] will continue to grow beyond just the store. Who knows. I notice that I go in these ten year spurts. Every ten years I get really fascinated with something and incorporate it into whatever I’m doing.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Favorite Book
I’ve been reading Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman. They’ve been really fascinating to me, and I have been scanning them over and over again.

Artist or Musician That You Could Listen to on Repeat
Leonard Cohen

If You Were Not an Artist, You’d Be…
A spiritual guide of some kind.

Favorite Place 
My home

Place You Most Want to Go to
I really enjoy being amongst trees and the ocean so anywhere that has trees and an ocean.

Three Things You’d Want on a Desert Island
Just the people that I love.

Person You’d Most Like to Meet Someday
I wish I could have met my mother’s father.

Learn more about the band visit the website.
Plus, follow Nostalghia & her music on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Photo Credit: Shaun Peterson; color corrected and edited by Nostalghia