RECKLESS – NAV
Punjabi-Canadian hip-hop recording artist NAV (aka Navraj Goraya) had his first taste of fame when reality TV star Kylie Jenner posted a Snapchat video of herself singing along to his song “Myself.” The mysterious star had been steadily building a large following through a string of releases via his SoundCloud account, beginning in 2015 with “Take Me Simple.” Along with the Jenner endorsement, NAV accumulated a number of high-profile connections that propelled his career forward. In January 2016, his track “Take Me Simple” was featured on fellow Canadian Drake’s OVO Sound Radio on Beats 1, and later that same year he appeared on — and in the video for — hip-hop star Travis Scott’s single “Beibs in the Trap.” With his profile steadily increasing, he signed to XO, the Canadian record label founded by the Weeknd. His self-titled album appeared in early 2017, and it was chock-full of his by-now-trademark silky vocals and slick beats. The release was preceded by the lead single “Some Way,” which also featured the Weeknd. That same year he also put out the Perfect Timing mixtape, on which he collaborated with Atlanta-based producer Metro Boomin. NAV’s single “Wanted You,” which featured Lil Uzi Vert, charted on Billboard’s Top 100 and he followed up in early 2018 with a pair of solo singles, “Freshman List” and “Only You.” ~ Bekki Bemrose