Live@Dox: Nina Bailey

When professional worrier Nina Bailey started singing and writing, she did so in secret. In the countryside of Drenthe, she would hide in her bedroom and sing only when no one was home. But her love for music grew too strong to keep hidden. Although she didn’t yet dare to say it out loud, Nina dreamed of becoming a professional songwriter and musician. At first, she mostly wrote songs that sounded beautiful but didn’t reveal anything about herself. That was still too scary.

Fast forward to today: Nina’s music is anything but a secret. She completed a songwriting program at the conservatory, participated in Drentsch Peil 2025 and Hit The North 2026, and performed at festivals such as Drentsonic, Bevrijdingsfestival, and SPY Festival. During her studies, she wrote an EP set to be released later this year—and for the first time, the songs are truly about her. With warm, calm sounds, Nina’s music feels like a gentle embrace, but her lyrics are anything but. She sings with painful honesty about her thoughts, feelings, and experiences, sharing the things she finds most scary to say out loud. Nothing is left unsaid. One moment she fantasizes about her ex’s car veering off the road, and the next she sings a small, loving, and comforting song addressed to her younger self, telling her that it’s okay to take her time growing up.

Inspired by artists like Lizzy McAlpine, Gracie Abrams, and Ella Jane, Nina hopes people will find a home in her debut EP,“One Step Forward.” Written over a period of four years, Nina explores movement in various forms: growing up, chasing after someone you know isn’t good for you, staying when you know you really should leave, and feeling like life is passing by way too fast! That last point is the main motivation for her to set her fears aside and release an EP that takes you into Nina’s world through seven songs. In this first major project, Nina tells it like it is and takes one big step forward.