Nadia Kadek Brings The Waiting Room To Stillness With Angelic Vocals

The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington is buzzing with energy; the audience is side to side, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Nadia Kadek. Through chatter and wonderful discussions of opener Josie Oliver’s stunning voice, the room is brought to an abrupt and heavenly stop. Kadek has made her way through the crowd like a shadow in the dark and is standing centre stage. ‘Signals’ begins, and hearts melt as she intricately strums her guitar and leads the room through thirty minutes of utter folk bliss — angels could not sound as divine. 

The sounds of Joni Mitchell, Lizzie McAlpine, and Lana Del Rey can all be heard blending to make Kadek’s soulful declaration of emotion. Kadek stares into the abyss wearing polka dots and retro earrings, effortlessly playing through a setlist of seven songs. Her second song, ‘Jenny From Dakota’, gives more of a melody to swing to: ‘I hope you don’t find some love with another one, I hope you don’t find this song on the radio’. Kadek’s songwriting is nothing less than beautifully transparent, never shying away from the pit of her feelings. In ‘Feeling it All’, her first ever release, she sings, ‘If you said jump I would, maybe that’s where I went wrong/ but I was only a kid, every child needs a hero to live’. Silence grows to every corner of the room, and stillness allows for each word to land like a teardrop. There is a casualness to her as she tunes her guitar, talking to the crowd like they’re sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows.

Kadek’s penultimate song, ‘Lemonade’, is a coming-of-age anthem. It’s clearly a different sound for her and therefore stands out amongst her other songs — boisterous, upbeat, and definitely more of a bop. Kadek’s entire gig is encompassed in a plethora of harmonies as if she is surrounded by a choral band of backing vocals. The gig closes with the audience floating off the ground as if on a cloud of melodies and Kadek is staring into the light — the exact opposite of an angel. 

Kadek’s debut EP ‘Green Car’ has just been announced for official release on the 17th of October!