Meet Nygel Robinson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nygel Robinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nygel, how do you think about risk?
I feel like your career can’t begin until you understand that you’re going to have to take some extraordinary risks. You have to realize that nothing is in your control. You’re at the mercy of the universe or God or whatever you want to call it. Releasing the control over yourself, in my opinion, is the first step and possibly the biggest risk of them all. I was working at a theatre in New York called New World Stages. It was a job that would let me leave for months at a time to go do theatre gigs and come back to the same job. It was perfect. It was safe. In the spring of 2019, I started meditating and fasting so that I could get some clarity about my career and all of a sudden a voice started telling me, leave this job. It made no sense. Why would I leave this job that helps me pay my rent and lets me come back whenever I’m ready to come back? This went on for weeks and finally I made the decision to quit. I had two contracts lined up for the summer and I told my bosses that I wouldn’t be coming back. It was scary because I had nothing lined up after the summer. I just leapt into the darkness and believed that something would happen. Half way through the summer I got a call to be the musical director for a new musical in New York and the job stared the DAY after I finished my last summer show. It’s like I was rewarded for taking a risk. Since then, I’ve been working only as an artist. I’m in a constant state of risk taking but I choose not to be anxious. I choose to be faithful and believe that this is what I was put on this earth to do. Long story short: risk equals reward.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I use the word “Artist” to describe myself because I do a lot of things. I’m a musician, actor, composer, lyricist, producer, rapper, singer etc. One day I’m writing music for a musical and the next day I’m chopping up Donny Hathaway samples and rapping over them. I love it all and it’s not impossible to do it all.

I fell into and I love with theatre when I was 16. Surface wise, it’s very grand and dramatic but what struck me the most about it was how it works. I had no idea that I was being groomed to create theatre. If you had told me back then that I’d be writing a musical that would be getting two productions next year, I’d think you were lying. I wanted to do those things but I didn’t feel qualified. Now I know that “qualification” doesn’t matter. The work matters.

I’ve been a musician my entire life. My mom put me in piano lessons when I was 7. I played drums and piano at church. I picked up the trumpet, guitar, and bass along the way. I’ve been writing songs since I was eight years old. My best friend, KD and I, got 50cent’s “Get Rich Or Die Trying” and that was the beginning of our rapping careers. I would be in class writing raps instead of paying attention to my teachers.

There are hiccups all along the way. There are hiccups to this day. I get god smacked whenever I get too cocky about something. People don’t always like what I make. Productions of shows get postponed or cancelled. I don’t always book the roles I may want. This life is full of ups and downs but I refuse to quit.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmmmm I can’t answer this question…yet. I’m not an LA guy but I feel like I’m gonna be there soon and I promise I’ll answer this question one day soon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shout out to my family. The ones that are still with me and the ones that went on before me. They believe in me and support this life that I’ve chosen for myself.

Instagram: @nygeld

Twitter: @nygeldrobinson

Facebook: Nygel D. Robinson

Image Credits
Matthew Holler Brian Russel Carey Jessica Kaminsky