Nina Nesbitt’s stripped-down cover of Britney Spears’ classic ‘Toxic’ shines a completely new, distinct light on the original composition, invoking an aching sense of pain, desire and sorrow into the arrangement.

This aspect of muted tenderness and frustration is conveyed with minimal production, with just soft but powerful, repeated piano chords supporting Nesbitt’s smooth, silky vocal work. None of the original lyrics have been changed, which is a testament to Britney Spears’ mastery over ‘Toxic’s themes; the ideas can be universally felt, shared and performed, and none of the sensual madness of the original is removed as a result. 

Nesbitt is no stranger to belting out tremendous covers of pop music; she began her career on Youtube, as many contemporary performances have in this day and age. She was inspired by Taylor Swift’s Fearless album, and her covers began generating quite a bit of buzz through the interwebs. Before releasing her first album, she actually sought advice from her fellow Brit Ed Sheeran, who was so impressed with her talent that he offered a spot on his European tour. Then Nesbitt’s career began to take off, and she got the opportunity to prove her goods through a series of albums and EPs. She has two studio albums to her credit thus far: Peroxide (2014) and The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change (2019), with the latter offering up some fantastic opportunities for her to get out there and make her presence known. 

Speaking on her songwriting process, her growing fame and her love of music, Nesbitt says:

When I’m not writing a lot I just switch off. I can go three months without writing songs. But I think genuinely the best way to write a song is to write every day, because the chances of you writing a good one are obviously quite high if you write every day. It’s something that I think you get better at the more you do it.”

With such a solid head on her shoulders and a delightful humbleness that can help her maintain her charisma, her fans will be waiting to see what she comes out with next. She is set to join Jess Glynne on her Always in Between tour through the US. 

Nina Nesbitt has three upcoming gigs in December; Monday 2nd in Glasgow, Tuesday 3rd in Belfast, and Tuesday 10th in London.

 pop     Singer-songwriter