Those familiar with the NYC underground music scene are sure to recall the recently disbanded band, “In Loving Memory”. Most notably remembered by their more elaborate music videos, and the consistent, shameless evolution of their sound. Towards the end of the band’s life we were able to catch an interview with the two members (as seen below). Half of that band was Naveed Stone, who now goes by Naveed Ahmed for his solo project he started last year in 2021.
Ahmed has since began to develop quite the voluminous library considering the short time frame. When someone hears about a once band-member-turned-solo-artist nowadays one might be quick to assume that Ahmed has put down all of his instruments. If you fall into that category, then you are sorely mistaken. Ahmed keeps his instruments close, and continues to incorporate his vast music knowledge into his creations. With his healthy catalogue of quality music, crisp music videos, and overall consistency of activity, Naveed Ahmed is going all in establishing himself in the cutthroat music industry.
Most recently added to this library is Ahmed’s track, “Long Run”. This song is a peek inside some of the struggles associated with a creative’s lifestyle. Raw emotions and more of a somber sound helps to boost the relatability Ahmed has with his listeners. Ahmed opening up in “Long Run” shows the artist is more versatile, and not trying to fit in any one particular genre or style. Below Ahmed gives us his exclusive story behind this track:
“Long Run” is a song I wrote in reflection of friendships I thought would last a lifetime. The road to being an artist is very daunting at times because there’s such an emphasis on getting as many people as humanly possible to fuck with you. Your success as an artist quite literally depends on that. This leads to a lot of pressure to always socialize, go out to functions, network, etc even when you don’t necessarily have the energy or the social battery for it. Years into my journey, I’ve found that this has caused me to have so many people in my life who I only connect with on a surface level, because there isn’t much genuine foundation to our relationships. It makes me wonder: Who’s going to show up to my wedding someday? Whose kids are going to be playing with my kids someday? Who’s ultimately gonna show up to my funeral someday? “Long Run” is a song rooted in that insecurity and I think the ending lyric of the chorus sums it up well:
-Naveed Ahmed on “Long Run”
“In my life you a wrong one if you not in it for the long run”
Sonically, this song is a breakthrough for me finding my sound and the direction I want to go in. I’m predominantly a pop/R&B singer, but I wanted to explore a more melodic rap approach on this song. Both the instrumental arrangements and my melodies were influenced by a lot of the younger NYC superstars who I admire like Lil Tjay, J.I. The Prince, Stunna Gambino. I wanted to embrace the new school sound while staying true to my background of playing in bands. That’s why the backbone of the track is the organic instruments: the piano, the bass, the guitar solo at the end. While most rappers rely on being provided beats, I want it to be known that I’m not just the vocalist. I’m composing and performing the instrumentals you hear. Shoutout to Studio404 in Brooklyn for gracefully bringing my arrangements and my vision to life. I have a bunch of new music currently in the works that build on the direction I set with “Long Run” and I’m excited to deliver in 2023.
“Long Run” is merely a peak into Ahmed’s capability and vast library that has been released thus far. Despite some of the artist-related struggles that Ahmed touches on in this song, Ahmed’s talents have sprouted directly from his longstanding consistency with honing his craft in music. The fire Ahmed has had and continues to have for making music is down right inspiring and suggests quite the bright future for this upcoming artist. Support Naveed Ahmed by streaming his music and keeping up with his social media, all of which can be found here.
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