Nectar Woode releases her new single ‘Stick Fight’, to close what has been a momentous year for the rising British-Ghanaian soul star. Following her biggest sold-out headline show to date at Village Underground earlier this week, today Nectar also joins Joy Crookes on tour, supporting her on 15 dates across the UK and EU, including the Ancienne Belgique in Brussel on November 24th. Nectar was also invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall alongside Matt Berninger and Bastille for Streets of London’s Starry Night Charity Concert, on 10 December.
“Stick Fight is a fun, upbeat song about our inner voice and how negative self-talk can make us lose sight of what truly matters: being kind to ourselves”, Nectar explains. “It’s a personal narrative on overthinking and the often pointless battles we fight (the ‘stick fight’) in our own minds; I wanted to show how it can be silenced quite easily and I hope you can sing, dance and let your hair down with this one.”
The soulful and reflective ‘Stick Fight’ was produced and written with Dom Valentino and Jay Flew on a writing retreat in Suffolk. The single follows Nectar’s remarkable July EP it’s like i never left, exploring heritage, identity, and self-love, inspired by a transformative first trip to Ghana at the top of 2025 with her father. The project includes songs inspired by her homeland, alongside collaborations with musicians she met there - the hypnotic ‘LOSE’ features mighty Ghanaian collective SuperJazzClub, whilst Jordan Rakei collaboration ‘Only Happen’ (which she performed for her debut on Later… with Jools Holland in June) is a product of a conversation between the two artists on heritage and identity. The uplifting ‘Ama Said’, an ode to her younger sister, also features saxophone played by her father.
Known for her captivating live performances, the release of the EP was followed by a summer of festival appearances, including multiple memorable sets at Glastonbury Festival, having been selected as a BBC Introducing artist and also playing sessions for Dermot O’Leary and The Treehouse. She additionally performed at The Great Escape, Jazz Café Festival, Love Supreme and Kendal Calling. Nectar has played over 50 shows this year, including opening for Nao and Norah Jones and global shows in Japan, Ghana, France, Réunion Islands and more.
In June, Nectar also made her TV debut on Later… with Jools Holland, where she performed ‘Only Happen’ - watch here. ‘Only Happen’ has made entries into UK Airplay, Shazam and iTunes Top 60 charts. It’s no wonder she’s picked up new fans in Jack Saunders, Mahalia and Elton John - who praised Nectar as “reminding him of Nina Simone” on his Rocket Hour show. And while comparisons to greats like Lauryn Hill and Lianne La Havas continue to follow her, Nectar’s voice — in both tone and intention — is unmistakably her own.
Since her debut EP “Nothing To Lose”, Nectar has surpassed 1M listeners on Spotify, earned a viral breakthrough with “Good Vibrations”, and last year released critically acclaimed second EP ‘Head Above Water’, featuring BBC Radio 2 playlisted ‘How It’s Gotta Be’ and the title track was BBC Radio 1’s Track Of The Week. Described as “one of the best new British voices'' and “blossoming” - a word which encapsulates her distinctive name - Nectar’s songwriting is influenced by the musical roots of her Ghanaian heritage and raw storytelling.
Now 25-years-old, Nectar has already headlined a sold-out Omeara and supported the likes of Leon Bridges, The Teskey Brothers, NAO, Jordan Mckampa and Jalen Ngonda. Her reputation as a live performer is growing at pace, whether commanding an intimate stage or captivating festival audiences, Nectar’s shows brim with emotional precision and natural charisma. Alongside her own artistry, Nectar is also a presenter on Soho Radio for the acclaimed platform Women in Jazz, spotlighting female and non-binary voices across the jazz and soul spectrum. “It’s about building community through music,” she says. “That’s what I love the most.”
Nectar Woode is performing at the AB in Brussels on the 24th of November, supporting Joy Crookes.