You Rate It: Mariami’s “Nanina”

Words by Jesse Serwer

Surely you’ve heard reggae mixed with all sorts of other sounds, but we’re betting you’ve never heard it blended with Georgian folk music. When Tblisi, Georgia-born (that’s Georgia as in the former Soviet republic, not the Southern U.S. state), New York-based R&B singer Mariami told us about her song “Nanina,” we didn’t know what to expect, not being versed in Georgian folk and all. Once we heard it, though, we instantly caught on to the vibes, even if we couldn’t possibly recognize the song’s roots (Besides for just being an inherently musical utterance, “Nanina” is actually a traditional Georgian lullaby.)

Stream the track, off Mariami’s newly-released Gates EP (which you can hear in full here) below, tell us what you think in the comments, and if you like what you hear (and happen to be a New Yorker, too) catch her at SOB’s on Jan. 21st.