Today we’d like to introduce you to Ainae Nielsen.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started as the kind of kid who felt everything, but did not always have language for it. Music became the language. I grew up singing, writing, and collecting moments that felt too big for my body, then turning them into melodies so I could carry them. Over time, that turned into a commitment, not just to making songs, but to telling the truth inside them.
I’m based in the D.C. area, and for years I built this one room at a time, open mics, small stages, long nights editing videos, learning how to be my own team. I studied at Howard University, and later spent time in Norway at The Lillehammer Institute of Music Productions & Industries, which stretched me creatively and professionally. It gave me perspective, and it also made me realize I wanted to build something that felt like home, wherever I was.
My debut EP, Looking Glass, was a turning point. It’s the fantasy version of what I thought love and life would be, the version where everything is beautiful and cinematic and you never have to ask for too much. But making it also showed me the gap between the dream and reality. It forced me to look at myself more honestly, and to start choosing truth over performance. Recently I released a live companion project, Looking Glass -1, exclusively on EVEN. Those live versions are rawer and closer to the source, like letting people hear the songs breathe.
Right now, I’m in a season of becoming. The FREE WILL Tour has been a big part of that, not just as a run of shows, but as a message I’m trying to live out loud. FREE WILL is about choosing your life on purpose, even when it’s scary, even when it would be easier to stay small. We’ve been doing headline shows, pop-ups in public spaces, and community experiences that feel like gatherings, hikes, workshops, moments where strangers become friends for a few hours. It’s been beautiful, and it’s also been humbling, because I’m learning what it means to build something sustainable, not just inspiring.
So that’s where I am today. Still independent, still hands-on, still learning. But clearer than I’ve ever been about what I’m here to do: make cinematic soul music that tells the truth, and build a world around it that reminds people they have agency, too.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. It’s been beautiful, but it hasn’t been smooth. A lot of this journey has been anxiety-filled, and honestly hard in a way that people don’t always see from the outside. I’ve had to force myself to keep showing up, even when my body is telling me to retreat, even when I’m second-guessing everything. Somewhere along the way I realized I couldn’t wait to feel fearless. I had to build a new mantra: do it scared.
One of the biggest struggles has been the financial side. I’ve lost a lot of money putting on the tour and producing events the way I want to, with intention and quality and care. There were moments where I had to ask myself if I was being irresponsible or if I was being brave. I’ve made sacrifices, cut back, and stretched myself thin at times, and that has tested my faith in a real way. Not the pretty kind of faith, the kind where you’re praying and still booking the venue, still paying the deposits, still believing it will make sense later.
And then there’s the physical toll. Toward the tail end of the tour, I got sick like a dog, the kind of sick where your body feels heavy and you can’t fake being okay. I still pushed through and finished what I committed to, but I remember having this moment of clarity like, wow, I can’t keep treating my body like an afterthought and expect it to carry my calling. That experience humbled me. It showed me that if I want longevity, I have to build care into the way I work, not just grit.
But even with all of that, the hard parts have been paired with some of the most fulfilling moments of my life. I’ve been putting on shows and community events that let me meet people where they are, not just on a stage, but in real life. I’ve watched strangers become friends in the same room, I’ve had conversations that reminded me why I started, and I’ve felt myself expand past what I thought I was capable of.
If anything, the struggle has been the price of the clarity. Every time I’ve pushed through fear, there’s been something on the other side, a new level of confidence, a deeper understanding of my purpose, and a stronger sense of who I am as an artist and a leader.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a singer-songwriter and cinematic soul R&B artist, but my work goes beyond the songs and performances. I’m also a creative director, and I love creating spaces where people can connect, reflect, and feel less alone.
What I’m most proud of right now is the FREE WILL Tour. Not just the shows, but the world around it. I’ve been building experiences that meet people where they are, pop-ups in public spaces, community gatherings, moments that turn strangers into community. FREE WILL is a message I’m living in real time: you have agency, you have choice, you have the right to pursue the life you keep dreaming about, even in the middle of limitations. That project has stretched me as an artist and it’s shown me what I’m capable of when I stop waiting to feel ready.
What sets me apart is that I genuinely believe in the beauty of life and people. I’m not making music just to make music. Music is the doorway, but I’m trying to get people to think, to feel, to remember who they are, and to understand what freedom can look like even when life is complicated. I care about impact and intimacy, and I’m not stopping at the songs. I’m building a world around the music that helps people embrace their purpose, not just listen to mine.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I just released Looking Glass -1 exclusively on EVEN. It’s a live companion to my EP, and it includes performance videos we shot at Hvmane Studios. If you’ve been following my journey, this project is a really special way to support the work directly and experience the songs in their rawest form: https://www.even.biz/r/looking-glass-1-live-at-hvmane-studios-5df40ec3-45d2-4912-9c81-284c1e1ac9f9
If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you in person. I have a show on 11/5 in Richmond, VA at Dreamhaus (tickets: https://buytickets.at/ainaemusic/2473308) and 11/11 in NYC at The Delancey (tickets: https://buytickets.at/ainaemusic/2493532). The live show is where the music really makes sense to me, it’s intimate, it’s honest, and it’s the closest thing to stepping inside the world I’m building.
And if there’s one takeaway I hope you leave with, it’s this: use your free will. Choose your life on purpose, even when it’s scary, even when it’s inconvenient, even when you’re still figuring it out. And along the way, support your local and independent artists, it matters more than people realize, and it’s how these worlds keep getting built.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ainaemusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainaemusix/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18sNwkBvv5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Ainae
- Other: https://www.even.biz/r/looking-glass-1-live-at-hvmane-studios-5df40ec3-45d2-4912-9c81-284c1e1ac9f9
