People expect us to be a straight up dance band but there are many more elements to our sound that you really get to see during our live show and hear on our record 'See The Light.'
Nomi RuizI realize that if I were in that situation - living a hard life with people telling them they're not worthy of love - maybe I would be that strong and that brave.
Nomi RuizI grew up on rap and hip-hop and fell into dance music. Hip-hop died down, and I moved more into dance music, disco and house. It feels very natural. My rhythm growing up on hip-hop and R&B was cool, fresh, and I feel comfortable with it.
Nomi RuizI've been performing live a long time, even before doing dance music clubs downtown. I used to watch clips of Beyoncรฉ to learn how to perform in front of people. I got my jitters out in front of my friends.
Nomi RuizI feel very strongly about letting people know I'm proud of who I am. I want people to know when they hear my songs it's coming from a specific place. The new record is specifically for us trans women: that we can sing about our pain, being ostracized by our lovers, who are ashamed of us in a way. There's no pop music like that for our community. I wanted to contribute in that way.
Nomi Ruiz