If we had the authority to award the title of breakout artist of the year — even with more than four months left before calendars flip to 2026 — we already know we’d give it to NISY. Coming with a sound that the region’s ears are still not fully accustomed to, the Moroccan singer-songwriter is building her name on the palette of sounds she chooses to lay her lyrics over. Floating between hip-hop, R&B, UK garage, and other influences from more alternative corners of the music spectrum, she’s managed — in a short span of time and despite being a relative newcomer to the scene — to mark her sonic territory with a style that’s unmistakably hers.
Since January, the 27-year-old has been on a streak, dropping a string of independent singles that, in hindsight, seem to have been designed to showcase both her range and her versatility. After matching nearly four years’ worth of releases in just eight months, that momentum has now culminated in her first full body of work: RIP THE DRAGON. Spanning seven tracks, the EP sketches the blueprint of her artistric identity — a version of herself she says is far from her usual — and brings in five collaborators: Lordie the Goat, Demi, Kemi Ade, Plylist, and Shinigami to help her reach the full extent of her talent.
To celebrate her debut, we caught up with the rising artist to learn more about how she got started in music, the story behind RIP THE DRAGON, and how she deals with the demands of a fast-growing career.
Who is NISY?
NISY: My name is Nisrine Zarqane Bezzari and I’m a Moroccan singer-songwriter and producer. I was born in Barcelona, where I lived for nine years. I lived in Morocco for three years, in the South of France for one before moving to London about 14 years ago. I love the amount of culture there is in London — they’re all connected, yet so different. Not many cities can give you the whole world the way London does.
How did you get into music?
NISY: My brother Adil used to produce, and he’s the one I’d say who sparked my interest in music. I was six and he’d teach me his ways while introducing me to artists like Kanye West, the Daft Punk , Kid Cudi or Jamiroquai . He showed me a lot of music and I eventually learned how to produce but I was always more interested in singing.When we moved to London,I made some contacts with artists and producers who knew I sang like SAMO, KIKO and Harvey Whyte. I used to go to the studio a lot, but at one point very early on, I chose to not drop too much music because I knew I wanted to create something unique and develop my own style before I put any more out there.
How would you describe your sound?
NISY: My sound depends on my feelings and how I feel on the day I go to the studio. My producer Earthtone and I make everything from scratch, from the drums, to the guitar to the scratch, so it really depends on the mood we’re in. I also don’t use beats from outside. I could work on them but they wouldn’t have the same energy that comes from creating something in the moment. And since I compose music as well, I know what to add and what to remove. I want everything to be fresh, it’s just who I am.
Having lived in so many countries, and having learned to speak the languages of so many, why did you choose to sing in Arabic?
NISY: My parents always taught me about my background, always reminding me where we’re from. We love our country like crazy — Morocco is everything to me. So I thought, why wouldn’t I bring a new wave to Morocco that’s connected with the UK scene? I love the UK scene so much, and I live here… but at the end of the day, I’m Moroccan in my blood, and that’s never going to change. That’s why Moroccan Arabic only felt natural though I mix it with English sometimes.
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Your songs feel like you’re letting listeners read your diary. Why do you write that way?
NISY: I see music as therapy. I’m that type of person. It’s very hard for me to explain things — I’m a very shy person so I share how I feel and think through my songs. In my lyrics, it’s all real stories — what’s happened to me before. I never write about things that aren’t connected to my life. If something is in my heart, that’s when I go to the studio and do everything myself to tell that story.
In my music — especially when I perform — I become another person, another personality. I’ve always made a difference between Nisrine and NISY. They’re not the same. Nisrine is a mother, a student, focused on herself. NISY is the artist. They’re two different sides, but in one body.
You’ve mentioned being a parent — how do you balance that role with life as a full-time artist?
NISY: I’m a very disciplined, focused person. I’ve learned how to deal with things, how to manage my time. Being a mother is actually what pushed me even more into music and my studies, because you always want to be a better mom, to look ahead into the future, and to work hard at what you love.
My son Ramy is growing up around music because his dad is a musician too. We’re both artists, and even though he’s only four, he’s already so interested in music. He loves playing the piano. Sometimes I take him to the studio with me — partly because I’m a mom and need to take him, but also because he has that spirit and energy for it. He’s very calm, he listens, he takes it all in. For some shows, I’ve even brought him along — not all of them, of course — but for a couple, I felt comfortable having him there.
What values are you hoping to pass down to your son?
NISY: My parents were so open-minded, and I want to follow in their steps. My mom studied acting, which is why she loves culture so much. My brother, like I said, is a producer — so art really runs deep in the family. We all love art. And with my son, I’ll let him choose whatever he wants in life. I’ll never tell him what he has to do — it’s his life. If he wants to be an artist, a footballer, a basketball player, whatever… that’s his choice.
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Where did the name of the EP come from?
NISY: RIP THE DRAGON tells my story. I used to go by NISY the Dragon, but that name now belongs to the past and this project is my farewell to it.
Why the dragon? Because I used to watch a lot of anime. I was obsessed with Dragon Ball, One piece and I loved Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, especially the white dragon Haku in it. That character inspired me a lot because he was kind, but he turned into a dragon and wouldn’t show his emotions anymore — you could only see them in his body language. That’s why I called myself NISY the Dragon. I never showed my feelings, only through music, almost just like the white dragon did.
Is there a specific message that you’re trying to deliver through this EP?
NISY: This EP talks a lot about my past, how I was lost, naive, and very trusting of people. There are many things in it, but the main message is about change. A lot of the songs are very different from each other, because I wanted to show that NISY can do many things and create in different ways. Each song tells a different story from my past — some from 2019, 2020, when I was still ‘the dragon,’ for example. It’s my way of saying: I’ve been through it, and I’m with you if you’re going through it too.
I’m not really nervous about it releasing, I’m just ready for people to hear it.
Is there a milestone you’re trying to reach through this E.P or more broadly speaking with music?
NISY: I’m just going with the path that God is taking me on. I really think everything happens for a reason, and I’m just here trying to do my thing, follow that path, and be honest about it.
I thank Allah every time, because I receive so much love — both in the UK and in Morocco. When you see two different countries supporting you, and people believing in you, it’s powerful. I have an audience in the UK, in Morocco, even now in Egypt and France . I’ve had messages from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and one time even from Japan. It makes me so happy. That’s what keeps me working harder — knowing that my fans, my audience, my friends, my supporters, and my family all believe in me and in my music.
