NA Silva had it challenging from his first moment on Earth. Born with optical nerve damage in Mexico, he immediately underwent surgeries to rectify the situation. The extensive medical issues led to the family relocating to East Point, just South of Atlanta, Georgia.

He grew up speaking only Spanish at home. His mother’s lack of paperwork meant she could only sell food from their home. At age four, his mother and father separated. Thus, he learned the English alphabet through ESOL classes at his elementary school. Cleverly, he contrasted the sounds in English to how they would sound in Spanish. By doing this, he gained an intimate knowledge of musicality, which continues to inform him today.

The move from his mother to his father (due to the 2008 Presidential Administration cracking down on illegal immigration) introduced him to a world he’d love – poetry. He got involved in the slam poetry scene, competing in an international poetry competition through Brave New Voices (BNV). During this time, he listened to rap and hip-hop but made a direct musical connection through Kendrick Lamar’s skillful storytelling.

Despite saying he had no musical training, he grew up obsessed with lyricism. Learning English, then learning about poetry, helped to inform his lyricism. This, alongside some excellent friends like Ehloh, his principal engineer that’s produced 95% of his music, means that the journey for him, though hard at first, has led to the path of success he’s currently on.

This evolution goes through NA Silva’s catalog, from his first single, “Speedway,” to his latest release, “GET UP.”

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