Hannah Frances with NIIKA

Hannah Frances (b. 1997) is a multidisciplinary musician, composer, dancer, and poet. Through cutting lyricism and astute fingerpicked polyrhythms, Frances’ perennial sound melds avant-folk, progressive rock, and baroque jazz. There is no singular way Frances grips us with her guitar or her storytelling. Her voice is colossal in its strength: piercing, warm, and always poised to embrace, even in its quietest expression. Whether performing as a solo act or with her full seven-piece ensemble, her mythology spellbinds with an insistent gravity. Her forthcoming record Keeper of the Shepherd is out March 1, 2024 on Ruination Record Co., marking her most ambitious work to date.

NIIKA, conceived and fronted by Russian-born Chicago-raised Nika Nemirovsky (guitar and voice), is an effervescent blend of intimate indie, soul, and jazz-tinged folk. Drawing upon the creative ethos of artists like Lhasa De Sela, Kate Bush, and The Dirty Projectors, her writing defies categorization and instead draws people in with an unwavering mystery. 

After releasing her first full-length album in March of 2020 which featured a full band, and sonically full arrangements, NIIKA shifted gears somewhat. Her new body of work, created with a stripped back performance in mind, reflects much of what sets her work apart- a sound that is distinctly, undeniably her own. An open hand upon a nurturing flame. An ecstatic flight that plays between harmonic and rhythmic registers. At times elusive but never lacking in a steady groove and often locking into that distinct jangle and abandon of anyone's favorite art pop reverie. In any mode, her sound is fully realized and the artistry is intact. 

In May of 2023 she put out her latest EP, titled "Still a Soft One," with production assistance from Vivian McConnell (V.V. Lightbody), recorded in part with Chicago avant jazz guitarist, Dave Miller. The work is a collection of new material that she has been working at steadily, with an approach aimed more so at solo performance, which is just as compelling if not more singularly hypnotic than her full band sound. The energy behind it is emotional, but more stripped back. It's about the thing that pulls you in rather than the thing that shouts at you from a distance.