N2K is a musical trio consisting of members Norman Burns, Nigel Finley and Kenny Vaughn. The name of the group comes from their first names and the musicianship and focused mindset runs through them all. With combined years of musical experience, this is a group that formulated through commonalities of all kinds and continues to showcase their intentionality with everything that they do.
At the center of all the musical talent the group has is a passion and love for God. When speaking with the group, they constantly credited Him for all that they were able to do and all they have done in their ongoing careers.
“At this point in our lives, we’re thankful for the fact that God and the Holy Spirit keep giving us all these opportunities. The blessings just keep coming in.” said Kenny
The commitment to bringing God all the glory comes through in all the music N2K puts out. While their music is not “traditional” Gospel - the message of God’s love still reverberates through it no matter what the genre is. With a background in church both spiritually and musically, it was a natural process to bring those elements into the music for the group.
“Gospel music has changed and evolved throughout the years. It’s always been a field that incorporates different things. In my journey, I’ve had experience with classical music, musical theater, jazz and more and all of that has informed our musical ears of the multiple ways the music can go. Whatever genre, vibe or atmosphere the setting calls for, we can actively respond to it.” said Nigel.
N2K’s latest single, “Come My Way,” is an ode to the beauty of black women anywhere and everywhere but women of any background can still appreciate it. Built on an amalgamation of Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop, it’s a danceable and uplifting track charged with both positivity and relatability.
Kenny shared that the original inspiration for “Come My Way” came from how he saw people responding to both former First Lady Michelle Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris - two of the most powerful black women we’ve ever seen in this country. While one would hope the entire country respected both of them, the reality is that this is not the case. He saw the derogatory remarks some had made about them and wanted to do something about it.
Rather than respond with the same hostility those people had, he wanted to respond with the exact opposite: affirmation. By crafting a song that empowered black women, the trio knew it would reinforce the mindset of having reverence and appreciation for black women. However, the message was still universal for all women too.
“It’s a song about black women but I feel women in general have not been given their just due and have been maligned and underrated in this country. The song is about affirming black women but also all women.” said Norman.
The original name of the song was actually going to be “Beautiful Black Sister.” But, Norman and Kenny realized that from a commercial standpoint, this might push some listeners away. Kenny stated that the fact this was even a factor was why the song was needed in the first place. People needed to hear that there’s music uplifting women of all kinds - especially black women.
“Come My Way” was created with intentionality in both the song itself and the visuals for it. The music video features black women from all walks of life and ages who showcase beauty in multiple ways. They aren’t models, they have day-to-day beauty we see from black women all around us as we go about our lives. The women featured in the video are all friends of the group which doubles down on the relatability of it.
“The word that best describes it is authentic. Not contrived.” said Kenny.
“There was no audition process.” said both Norman and Nigel.
With sung vocals and rapped ones, the lyrics of the track are pure poetry - and considering Nigel Finely is a spoken word artist and the one who rapped the verse - it makes total sense. Nigel’s words paint a picture that resonates emotionally with anyone who has had a black woman make an impact on their lives.
“These are things that you think about when you were reared by a black woman. Those women were always instrumental in your upbringing and cared for you when you couldn’t care for yourself and made sure you had what you needed to in order to become a contributing member of society.” said Nigel.
Kenny shared how the song’s producer Andre Best came up with the idea to make sure the rapped verse was at the forefront of the song instead of just being tacked on at the end. This way, the message of the song continues to be displayed as strongly as possible and it showcases the range of the group in an effective way too.
“With spoken word and rap, you can get more information and emotion across in a quicker way.” said Kenny.
“Come My Way” is the second single from N2K this year and their previous release, “You’re Gonna Need Him,” is right at home in the house music genre. N2K has plans to continue releasing music and performing live shows all over the country and spreading the message of God’s love simultaneously though it all.
“Come My Way” is available on streaming services now.
You can experience even more of God’s love through music by connecting with N2K on the following platforms:
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
