The Journey of Speedrun: An Interview with Rising Indie Rock Artist Nina Lüders

Photo by PETER SUSKI

Nina Lüders is the creative mastermind and dedicated musician behind Speedrun. With her debut EP, Love’s Latest News, releasing back in February, and her work with rising band Monobloc, Lüders has had a wildly successful year. However, it wasn’t too long ago that she was studying for the LSATs and playing guitar simply as a hobby during quarantine. In the past 4 years, Lüders life has changed completely. 

Born to German and Cameroonian immigrant parents in the busy city of New York, Nina Lüders is a shining example of the American Dream. As a child, she constantly felt different from her peers and turned to alternative rock and indie bands as an escape. Combining her collective joy from video games and music, she created Speedrun in an attempt to break into the music scene. 

Her debut EP follows an overarching theme of love and the hero’s journey through the lens of indie rock. Mixing contemporary music with medieval imagery, Love’s Latest News is an invigorating EP with a lasting impression. With enchanting guitar riffs and infectious melodies, Speedrun is not an act you want to miss out on. I had the honor of speaking with Lüders to discuss her year and what’s to come in the near future. 

UPTIGHT: Where does your stage name “Speedrun” come from?

NINA: So, Speedrun basically is a few things. Number one–I love video games, so I figured it’s a cool reference to that hobby. I also wanted to pick something that wasn’t actually my name. I have immigrant parents, so I wasn’t trying to have them find my stuff. Also, if it like flops or does really bad, I could still live a double life. I wanted it to be gender neutral as well because I kind of liked the idea of people being like, “Is it a person? Is it a band?” So, yeah it comes from that and then speed running in video games is doing something as fast as you can or for a certain amount of rewards for completing like 100%. That’s kind of how I see my music. I’m really just trying to speed run this shit, get all my rewards, get all my achievements.

UPTIGHT: I just wanted to congratulate you on your busy year with Speedrun and Monobloc. How has this year felt artistically for you, and how have you grown through the course of 2024?

NINA: I feel like I have grown a lot. Thank you so much. It’s definitely been a really intense, deep learning curve, but not something that is unwelcome. I enjoy the challenge of it. It’s been crazy. With Speedrun, I released my first EP in February, and that was a really great release. It went better than I thought it would. It was nice to just be able to have a rolodex, like a catalogue basically. It was all really interesting because I’ve never had a manager and I don’t have a publicist. It’s literally just a one woman show, so the logistical side of it was a lot for me to learn in real time. That’s why I haven’t had a release since. Even though I have been recording music, I want to be more intentional with spacing out my releases. I want to have a mini campaign for each one. But yeah, it was still great, and I am excited to apply what I learned to the next phase of Speedrun. 

With Monobloc too it’s been a steep learning curve in terms of the industry side of things. Things like touring and just being entrenched with actual industry practice, which also helps me now with Speedrun because I have new connections here and there. It’s also cool to have fans. This was just me being silly like, “Ah! I want to put out music. I want to be a rock star!” So, to have such a positive reception on both projects has been really heart-warming. 

UPTIGHT: How long was the process of making Love’s Latest News, and did you have any help from labels or a production standpoint?

NINA: It was all in-house. I paid for it all by myself. I did not have any industry backing at all. I know Monobloc, for example, we’re signed with Red Light Management, so Monobloc is way more industry comfortable. Speedrun is literally just DIY and smacking shit together. My producer Frank and I sat down and recorded the EP for the majority of November to early December last year. I wrote 80-90% of the music myself, and then he chipped in. I had a couple friends like my drummer Zack–also in Monobloc–who drummed on the recordings, and then I had another friend write a couple lyrical melodies. So, besides the four of us, that was pretty much it. 

When it came to press, I basically just cold emailed a bunch of people. It was people I connected with in New York and people I connected with through TikTok. I had a really cool artist feature in this magazine called G.URL Magazine. It’s a gaming and lifestyle magazine, so I just messaged them and was like, “Hey! I love video games. My name is Speedrun. Can I be in this?” But that is basically how Love’s Latest News came to fruition. 

Also, Gordon Raphael, who is The Strokes’ original producer, found me on TikTok through my covers of The Strokes and I asked him if he wanted to mix the EP. I thought it would be cool for press because someone who worked with The Strokes worked on this, so yeah that was that.

UPTIGHT: You have such a knack for creating infectious guitar riffs and basslines–is there a secret behind that?

NINA: I wish there was more lore behind it. Maybe I should start saying I smoke a cigar before writing and sit on my New York City rooftop. But no, I honestly don’t have a method. It really just comes to me. I think I am very blessed and privileged that I grew up in a house where I listened to a lot of different music. My mom is Cameroonian, so a lot of the music is very melodic, and then I played piano as a child because I have a German dad. Every German kid has to know how to do that. I just think from that exposure, it’s a little easier for me to try and think of a melody. When writing, I start with the guitar riff and then I build everything around it. 

UPTIGHT: How do you think your Cameroonian/German background affects your musicianship today? Does your upbringing in both cultures influence how you write and choose sounds for your own music?

NINA: Definitely. I think from an artist standpoint, it motivates me because having immigrant parents they’re like, “We came here with nothing! You’ve got to make it!” I feel like I am always working hard to try to make it and be successful. The cooler artists will say, “I don’t care if one person streams my music or 5 million, I’m just in it for the art,” but I also do think I want to produce something good. I want to make good on this ancestral promise of being a first generation American. American dream let’s go! In that respect, my upbringing makes me very hungry for this. 

From a creative standpoint with music, it definitely influences me a lot. I have a song I wrote recently that I’m going to record later this month, and I really want a melodic West-African riff on it. You know, the landscape 20 years ago with indie rock was very homogenous and mostly white guys in suits doing their thing with millionaire parents. Now it’s cool because we have all these different beacons of people in this world. 

The only African interpolation people have heard in indie rock is from Vampire Weekend, and that cannot be it. And I fuck with Vampire Weekend, but I think there’s really cool opportunities that we have to make shit even more fusion focused with new sounds. I definitely want to add even more African flair to the melodies where I already try to incorporate it. 

UPTIGHT: In a household where you played classical piano with your father and listened to Cameroonian music with your mother, how did you discover alternative rock music? 

NINA: My brother was showing me stuff like Fall Out Boy. I delved deeper on my own. I feel like I can pinpoint literally playing “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” in 2008. We were in a great recession you know what I’m saying? We were looking anywhere for a distraction. I remember listening to “Reptilia” for the first time when I was like 9 years old and being like, “What is this!?” 

Another thing that kind of contributes to that is being different, and I feel like I have had this conversation with other indie kids of color because we’re not the poster children for “indie.” You don’t necessarily think of a Black woman or a Hispanic woman there. Also, I went to predominantly white schools growing up, so I was constantly aware that I was different. Different in a capacity that I had a different culture, I had a different appearance, and I think that kind of facilitates going online and trying to find some kind of community in something–at least in our generation. I feel like I was just chronically online as a kid. A lot of other indie kids from marginalized backgrounds have the same thing where you realize you’re alternative in your school, in the sense that you’re different and alternative music is for different people. So yeah, I’d say the internet and “Guitar Hero.”

UPTIGHT: Outside of piano at home, did you play music in school growing up?

NINA: It was mostly home. In elementary school, I had a brief time in orchestra. I think I played the viola for like two years. I would always forget to bring it though, so my music teacher was like, “Bruh. Just quit.” Any music that I really did play growing up was in the house. I never performed in a concert or recital. 

UPTIGHT: I read you got your first guitar in 2020, was that the final push towards pursuing music for you?

NINA: Honestly, yeah that was it. I was Class of 2020 in college, so I was home for COVID-19. I had a virtual graduation, and I was like, “Damn. I’m living at home.” I was originally planning to be a lawyer. I had no concept or inclination to be a professional musician. 

UPTIGHT: Wow! Going to school to become a lawyer is crazy. I applaud you, that must’ve been hard.

NINA: Yeah! I was studying for my LSAT’s. She’s not a lawyer now but thank you! My parents are like, “NO!” I was in a law frat. I was really not planning to do music. So, in 2020, I got my first electric guitar. The reason why I wanted it was because I realized I needed a hobby. I’m home, I’m depressed, and I’m not going to law school because this shit is expensive and the world is ending, so I basically healed myself through that. I healed the crisis of existentialism by listening to my favorite bands and then going, “I’m just going to learn how to play some of their songs. I just want to be able to shred.” Then, I started making TikToks, and then after that I basically got enough traction where people thought this was something I could do, and I was like, “Maybe I can.” This was totally not planned at all. Let the record show, I am not an industry plant. 

UPTIGHT: When did Monobloc come along in all of this?

NINA: This was before I even had Speedrun. My friend Tim, the lead singer of Monobloc, him, and the bassist Mop (Michael) had a previous project called Courier Club, which was based in Philly. I remember finding it because Tim followed me on TikTok. I really vibe with Courier Club, still to this day I’m like, “Let’s just cover one song! Let’s throw it in the set. Nobody is going to know.” I think I went to their last show, well they didn’t know it was their last show, but their last show they had at Elsewhere in Brooklyn. It was Zone One, and I went because I kind of fucked with this guy on TikTok and I wanted to ask them how they got started. I knew I wanted to make my own music. Fast forward, we chat and exchange numbers and info and then later they move to New York. They hit me up like, “Hey. I know you were interested in making music, and you’re probably going to need a band. If we play guitar and bass for you, would you be down to play guitar in our new band that we’re going to call Monobloc?” At the time it was just the two of them, so they were doing the like Avengers recruitment. So yeah, that was the trade. They played a couple Speedrun shows with me, and then we had our first Monobloc show and that was that. I got them our drummer Zack, because he was originally playing with me in Speedrun. I brought him in as my referral. I was like let me get my points. 

UPTIGHT:  You guys have had a really successful year as Monobloc, how has it been travelling to different countries while touring?

NINA: So cool. Honestly, exactly what I would want to be doing. It’s super great. Again, going back to having fans, I was expecting these people in these countries to be like, “Who are these randos from New York?” But we go there, and these people know my name and they’ll come up to me like, “Hi Nina! Nice to meet you.” It is so humbling, and I feel so blessed. It’s awesome. It’s like the best part. 

UPTIGHT: You guys just opened for Interpol on Dec. 4 in NYC, what was that experience like? 

NINA: That was crazy. It is actually surreal because again with the TikTok thing, I would do Interpol covers. I learned how to play guitar through bands like Interpol, so to just see Paul Banks 10 feet away from me I was like, “Oh my God!” It’s unreal. It was really great. The venue took care of us. The crowd, again you’re looking at a crowd of people there to see Interpol, and they’re thinking, “Who are these bozos?” But then the response is really great! People are like, “Wow! I didn’t know who you guys were, but I’m going to check your music out.” It’s really humbling to literally be falling in [Interpol’s] footsteps because they’re such icons. 

UPTIGHT: Do you currently play in any other projects or bands outside of Speedrun and Monobloc?

NINA: It’s just Speedrun and Monobloc. A few months ago, I played a show with my good friend Ash Tuesday, another Black female indie artist. It’s like every once in a while, I’ll be happy to help a friend at a gig, but in terms of actual legit schedule all I have time for is Monobloc and Speedrun. 

Photo by PETER SUSKI

UPTIGHT: Something I really admire about you, outside of your musicianship and music, you have such an attention to detail with fashion and imagery. It clearly plays a significant role in your artistry; how does that translate to the cover of your EP where we see you dressed as a knight with a bright blue background? 

NINA: Thank you so much. That means so much because sometimes I feel like that’s all I have. Just kidding. I’m glad other people pick up on it. Tim and Mop are always like, “We need to do monochrome. Black and white,” for Monobloc, and I’m like, “Guys…where is the color?” Especially now that we are in this whole indie-sleaze revival, this is the time to be mixing prints like let’s go. I love to be detailed about that stuff though so it’s nice to see it resonates. 

When I think of Speedrun, I think of lore and world building like video games. For me, a lot of that is inspiration from fashion. I think the artists I appreciate the most are the ones who are constantly referential without being derivative. It shows intention behind the artistry, it shows research, it shows care, and it shows promise of thought. I love fashion, I love the 60s aesthetics, and the 00s aesthetics, and indie rock tends to be more stripped down. It’s like, “We’re wearing Converse in the street and looking moody! Here’s this photo in black and white!” There isn’t anything wrong with that in any capacity, but I wanted to invoke and incorporate these visual motifs that are more unlikely to be associated with indie rock. Also from a demographic standpoint, someone might not like indie rock typically but could be intrigued by the fashion they see. 

So, back to the EP cover, I wanted to show a thematic reference in regard to the music while still having a cool aesthetic. Understandably, I think a lot of artists will just put a headshot and make it their cover, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to say something without saying anything at all, which is why there’s no text on it either. Someone told me, “You should put your name, so people know,” but I was like, “No.” I just wanted it to be a woman, me, with red box braids in a Joan of Arc referential style because the music is written in the style of traditional medieval romance, virtuous love, and the hero’s journey. 

I honestly really wanted to wear a medieval suit. My friend and I contacted this medieval armory upstate, and they let us rent an Elizabethan style armor set for a week. We shot the cover, looked through a few of the proofs, and I saw the one with the sword and went, “That’s the one.” It says everything that needs to be said. 

UPTIGHT: It does! It’s a great cover. Any person dressed in a suit of armor is going to be good. 

NINA: Well then, I saw Chappell Roan do it at the VMA’s and I was like, “Well, well, well.”

UPTIGHT: It reminded me of Fiona Apple dressed as a knight on the Subway as well. 

NINA: Yes! The references. I wanted people to think of that as well. Another iconic female artist from New York. Let’s keep the light motifs going. 

UPTIGHT: For this EP, what were some of your biggest influences in and out of music? What was the sort of “mood-board” when creating this EP?

NINA: That’s a great question. I wanted to start with the idea of love. All of the songs off that EP are the first songs I wrote, so I was like, “Hm. What do I write about?” You know, everyone is always like, “Love.” So then, I realized there was this unintentional thread of love being in every song, but it was being talked about in a different way. 

My mood-board and vibe were like understanding I needed to put the songs into one cohesive story. Longer form releases are a great opportunity to take an audience somewhere. If you’re going to be sitting with me, let me entertain you. 

So, I was like, “Okay. I have songs about love. I want them to connect.” I love to read and was really inspired by Arthurian romance and courtly or knightly love, and our ideas of what that looks like. How do you love with virtue? How do you do it the right way? My mood-board was just a knight’s tale, “Sir Gawain and The Green Knight” and all of these really cool medieval tapestries. For my three singles I released first, I commissioned an artist and said, “If you can make these look like a medieval story book, I will love you forever.” His name is Piotr Lapinski, and he did! He is a very talented artist. I was doing the hero’s journey in the indie rock format. 

I’m already working on concepts for the next EP. I think it would be sick for every long release to be a self-contained moment. Similar to how Beyoncé will be like, “Here’s a disco album! Here’s a country album!” I think doing that with indie rock is cool. 

UPTIGHT: I agree. Even though there will always be a string of similarities between each release, I love it when artists don’t confine themselves and venture into different things. 

NINA: Yeah! The EP was a trial for that idea, and I’m glad it paid off. It’s all world building and lore. 

UPTIGHT: Do you have any news on new music under Speedrun that you can share?

NINA: Absolutely. After the EP, I haven’t dropped anything. Which was for two main reasons: I was broke, and Monobloc has been touring so often. I have recuperated my funds and have money again, so I’m ready to record. But also, my producer and I both had crazy touring schedules because he tours with The Drums as a guitarist. So, we knew that we could record in December, and I was like, “Okay Frank, I’m going to have the songs ready and written for you when we both get back.” 

So yes, good news, this month we are recording. I have about three songs that I’ve fully and completely written on my own. I’m planning a release for late Q1 to Q2, just making sure everything is spaced out. I’m excited because I’ve never done singles promo before. Previously, it was just one or two songs and then the EP. I’m excited to have self-contained lore for each one. Whether that be music videos or a cool event that I do. 

There’s one song based on chess, because I love playing chess, and I’m like, “Do I host a chess tournament?”

UPTIGHT: You should! I love it when artists do events like that because it’s interactive and you’re appealing to fans of multiple specific things. 

NINA: Stuff like that is what I really want to do with Speedrun. It’s just me and I don’t have to approve a team. I can do whatever I want. There is no label like, “Girl. We are not putting money towards this.” 

UPTIGHT: Are you planning on gearing your next singles towards an album or another EP?

NINA: I definitely want to. I’ve started working on the concepts for a new one now. Maybe one of those singles would appear on that EP, it’s too soon to say because I feel like I need to write it first. I will say, these three songs are upbeat, fun, and interesting while still having the same Speedrun vibe. Still very indie rock and melodic and Strokes-y, but something that you can really dance to. The singles all have their own collective idea as well. It’s going to be like 2000s euro-chic. After that, I will probably shift to writing an EP with a new concept. Let’s say Q2, and then maybe even bleeding into Q3. We’ll see. 

UPTIGHT: Do you have any upcoming shows as Speedrun or with Monobloc that you want to share?

NINA: Yes. Monobloc is exciting because we’re going to Japan in January, and then we’re doing the West Coast like L.A. and San Fran. It’s exciting because I’ve never been, you know, I’m from New York. I’ve never even seen the Pacific Ocean from that side, so that will be fun. Then, we’re going back to Europe in March and April. New cities this time like Zurich, and then we are probably going to be back in Europe next summer. So, any time I’m here in New York, I’m going to try and schedule a Speedrun show. It’s such a crazy schedule we’re going off, so it’s nice to attune to the homebase and capture new international fans abroad. And those who do check me out in Europe really vibe with Speedrun too. I think, in terms of streaming, my biggest country after the US is France and then the UK. So, they definitely vibe with the Speedrun aesthetic. Yeah, as far as early 2025 that is what’s going on. It’ll be really exciting. 

Be sure to check out Speedrun and Monobloc on social media and all streaming platforms! Both her solo career and work with Monobloc are making huge strides in the indie rock community. You don’t want to miss out on this rising artist!