Written by Anora
As the Metaverse and Web3 emerged so did the wide range of opportunities for the independent artist. Chinese-British vocalist, songwriter, and producer Fifi Rong, an accomplished multi-dimensional independent artist, found the emergence of Web3 to propel her creative expression even further; finding it a place to publish works and another avenue of artistic power and creativity.
Fifi has found her groove both within and outside of the Metaverse, reaching audiences of great magnitudes, sharing her story and amazing songs with the world.
She holds a distinctive sonic vision within her art and music, whilst subtly incorporating nuances of her Chinese heritage. Through her songs she blends Alt Pop, Alt R&B, Electronica, Trip hop, IDM, Soundscape and UK Bass Music with her unmistakable vocals, bringing her into an elite league of paradigm-pushing, Avant-Pop artists.
FiFi Rong has collaborated with the likes of Skepta, and beyond. Racking up a hefty amount of streams across platforms through solo and collaborative releases. She has been published in a number of prestigious press. We’re delighted to feature her in the Somnium Times, and have a chat with the amazing songstress to hear her ideas about the Metaverse, her projects, collaborations, and what she thinks about the new Web3 social media platform Aunthencity.
Here’s a glimpse into the mind of ingenuity, and our conversation with an incredible human who’s been pioneering their way to see their dreams made a reality.
Anora: What brought you and NiftySax to Web3?
Fifi: I began trading crypto in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and was drawn to the exciting potential of NFTs. In 2021, I immersed myself in the NFT community and had the opportunity to connect with NiftySax during his hosting of a Twitter space called ‘Space for introverts’. Together, we launched a weekly music NFT twitter space in September 2021, and have been running it ever since.
NiftySax, a seasoned live jazz musician, was hit by the pandemic as it disrupted his traditional gigs. However, he quickly found a new avenue for his passion in the blockchain world. In early 2021, he became one of the earliest music pioneers in the NFT space, successfully selling out his large music collection ‘Spheres’ with refined rarity structure in under 12 hours.
Anora: Tell us about your music NFTs?
In the autumn of 2021, I collaborated with artist Maryanne Chisholm on a series of 1/1 NFTs, which were my very first NFT sales. Around the same time, I decided to incorporate NFTs into my double album crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to get more of my web2 supporters involved and on-board some new web3 natives as well. That same year, I also sold a sizable crypto.com collection called ‘Satori Moon’, my first 1/1 music NFT EP, ‘Love Is A Lonely Thing’ on Opensea, and my genesis 1/1 Catalog drop called ‘Ready For This’.
In 2022, I teamed up with NiftySax for our chakra-inspired 7-drop series called ‘Harmony’, which were collected by many of our OG peers in the music NFT space. It had a unique drop mechanism that we are very proud of. We eventually came together as a couple during recording ‘Harmony’ live performance 1/1 videos for our holders.
Following the success of our collaboration, I celebrated my 10th year music career anniversary by selling out my ‘Forget EP’ collection.
In June 2021, NiftySax founded Nifty Music, with developer Robin (WeiZ) joining around September as co-founder. NiftySax’s knowledge and experience in the space led to the strategy for some of the biggest music NFT collections, like Violetta Zironi’s ‘Moonshot’, Josh Savage’s ‘Love Letters’, and Rae Isla’s ‘Rocks’.
Fast forward to 2023, Nifty Music launched a new wholesale model called ‘Floor Drops’. As the first artist to try out this new model, I released a 777 NFT collection ‘Genesis Floor Drop’ for my single ‘Other Side’. The collection sold out in over 1 hour, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome as a successful proof of concept.
Anora: Why Authencity? Why do you think it was the choice for you, and how will it make the difference?
My good friend Bobbi (Bobbi Bicker, red.) introduced me to Authencity through BlockMuse, and I have to say, my first-hand experience with this platform has been awesome! As an artist, I’ve often found myself feeling like I’m a slave to churning out social media content on a daily basis just to keep up with everyone else in the web2 world. But we all know that constantly posting online can feel like throwing stones into an ocean of content for free. So, over time, I began to post less and less.
This is where Authencity comes in – it changes the game completely! Rather than constantly trying to keep up, this platform encourages creators like me to focus on creating valuable and meaningful content that backers will truly appreciate and back us with instant rewards! I personally love this mechanism because it’s reignited my passion to share my art and creative process with the world.
This is where Authencity comes in – it changes the game completely!
Anora: Do you wish to perform in the Metaverse? If so, what’s the vision for your ideal performance?
Absolutely! In the physical world, I love creating shows that are mesmerizing and captivating, blending theatrical, art house, and performance art elements. As for the perfect Metaverse show, I would love to create an incredible immersive stage or hall that takes full advantage of advanced VR technology. Ideally, I’d want to incorporate a full-body sensor for movement tracking, as well as an advanced 3D model with a stage outfit that aligns with my signature style. Down the line, I believe facial sensors will be crucial to fully capture the performer’s emotive expressions. Most of all, I think the critical component would be top-of-the-line 360 surround sound to bring everything to life!
Anora: Future projects or anything you’d like us to promote to our readers?
I have several exciting new releases on the horizon, but my most anticipated one is my next EP titled ‘Hopium’. These songs are all my writing, recording, and production, with NiftySax providing the keyboard to jazz things up.
In addition, NiftySax will soon be dropping a collaboration with Genzo, the Grammy-winning producer. ‘Founder’s Edition (Floor Drop2)’ is set to drop on June 16, and a mint pass is required to secure a spot for minting.
The mint pass sale window is quickly closing, with only a limited number of passes remaining. To listen and sign up for the mint pass, please visit https://twitter.com/niftysax/status/1650555514592407581.
For those new to the concept of Floor Drops, it’s a wholesale model that requires a minimum of 5 NFTs at 0.01eth each. To secure a minting spot, a 0.02eth mint pass is required, and an additional 0.03eth is necessary for the 24-hour pre-sale mint period to receive a pack of 5 NFTs.
Links
Fifi Rong on Authencity: https://authencity.io/user/fifirongmusic
Fifi Rong on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fifirong
Fifi Rong website: https://fifirong.com/
Nifty Sax-Genzo Floor Drop: https://niftymusic.academy/niftysax-genzo/
What is Authencity?
Authencity is a new paradigm social media platform built on the blockchain. Users retain complete control over their content (all posts are NFTs) and can monetize it in a frictionless, peer-to-peer manner.
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