Mecca Russell, known professionally as Neffy, is a singer-songwriter from Arlington, Virginia.
In 2021, she won the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. [1]
Neffy was a musical child who sang frequently. [2] She has described her father as the “epitome of a music encyclopedia" who taught her about R&B and soul. At age 12, Neffy's mother gave her her first guitar, which she taught herself to play. [3] At age 13, she wrote her first song. [2] She sang in a choir in high school which was called, "Magicals". [4]
From 2015 to 2020, she attended the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School. [4] [3]
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Neffy performed over 100 concerts on the East Coast. [4]
In 2020, she won a grant from Emergent Seed, a DC arts organization, to support her music. [5]
In 2021, Neffy submitted a video of her playing her original song "Wait Up," to the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. [6] Tiny Desk creator, Bob Boilen, said, “Neffy’s song stood out amongst the thousands of 2021 Tiny Desk Contest entries as a universal cry to break free of constraints and celebrate nature's beauty. With an acoustic guitar and that uplifting voice, Neffy wowed our judges.” [7] The judging panel consisted of Boilen, Tobe Nwigwe, Phoebe Bridgers, and four other judges. [7] Neffy previously entered the Tiny Desk Contest in 2018 and 2020. [4]
Neffy faced unique challenges winning the contest during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was able to film an NPR Tiny Desk set, but with only the All Songs Considered production team present as an audience. [8] She has shared that the pandemic has been difficult for independent artists. In 2022, she released the song, “I Lost My Nerve” about these struggles. [9]
Title | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
I Don't Miss You | 2020 | [10] |
Title | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
“Wait Up” | 2021 | [11] |
“I Lost My Nerve” | 2022 | [9] |