Neffy

Mecca Russell, known professionally as Neffy, is a singer-songwriter from Arlington, Virginia.

In 2021, she won the NPR Tiny Desk Contest.^[1]

Neffy was a musical child who sang frequently.^[2] She has described her father as the “epitome of a music encyclopedia" who taught her about R&B and soul. At age 12, Neffy's mother gave her her first guitar, which she taught herself to play.^[3] At age 13, she wrote her first song.^[2] She sang in a choir in high school which was called, "Magicals".^[4]

From 2015 to 2020, she attended the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School.^[4][3]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Neffy performed over 100 concerts on the East Coast.^[4]

In 2020, she won a grant from Emergent Seed, a DC arts organization, to support her music.^[5]

In 2021, Neffy submitted a video of her playing her original song "Wait Up," to the NPR Tiny Desk Contest.^[6] Tiny Desk creator, Bob Boilen, said, “Neffy’s song stood out amongst the thousands of 2021 Tiny Desk Contest entries as a universal cry to break free of constraints and celebrate nature's beauty. With an acoustic guitar and that uplifting voice, Neffy wowed our judges.”^[7] The judging panel consisted of Boilen, Tobe Nwigwe, Phoebe Bridgers, and four other judges.^[7] Neffy previously entered the Tiny Desk Contest in 2018 and 2020.^[4]

Neffy faced unique challenges winning the contest during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was able to film an NPR Tiny Desk set, but with only the All Songs Considered production team present as an audience.^[8] She has shared that the pandemic has been difficult for independent artists. In 2022, she released the song, “I Lost My Nerve” about these struggles.^[9]