Nav Nice

Pranav Narayanan p/k/a “Nav Nice” is the youngest and first ever Indian-American Executive in the music industry!  He is Vice President of Operations for Divine Records which is an independent labeled partnered with SONY Distributions and Co-Founder of the creative agency Urban Rootz Media.  

I had the pleasure of meeting Nav through a mutual friend of ours Gary Jenkins a few short years ago.  As you will read in the interview, Nav and I met Gary in similar situations and we are both grateful for it. 

My chance meeting with Gary took place in April of 2016 when I was in New York for Gratitude New York and staying in Harlem.  I decided I’d go have lunch at Applebees.  When I walked into the restaurant the hostess asked if I’d like a table or to sit at the bar.  I thought for a moment and ask the hostess which she would prefer.  She said the bar had drink and food special that I could not get at the table.  I said I’d go to the bar.  There were very few people at the bar.  So I sat down a chair away from a fellow who was wearing a very nice suit and tie.  After a few minutes, we started talking.  I told him about why I was in town and we both shared gratitude for our lives.  I immediately liked him, he had an excited and genuine presence about him.  He looked me in the eyes and I could tell that he cared.  He shared with me about the importance of being present in the moment, how he never ran after a bus, always finished his beer and how it had directly saved his life!  As the hours went on I witnessed him act in a similar fashion to some other strangers he befriended at the bar.  Before departing he said he wanted to help protect my interest by assisting in getting our logo trademarked.  He gave me his number and said that an associate of his would help me with this, his name was Nav and that was the meeting that led to a great friendship and in turn, this interview, enjoy. 

What does being grateful mean to you?  

What being grateful means to me is that I am living my life in a compassionate manner; giving love and salutations from the biggest to the smallest things in my life that allow me to see another day and experience this lifetime to the absolute fullest. Furthermore choosing to not harp on the negatives which, 99.9% of the time, exist in the relative past. There are two ways to look at life, in gratitude or retrospect – I choose gratitude because that mindset focuses on the immediate present moment and therefore the future holds promise and hope, even in the darkest of times. Retrospect breeds animosity, stress, and depression – all of which are negative and cancerous.  

Right now, in this moment what are 3 things you are grateful for?  

I am grateful for the good health and well being of my family members and friends.

Speaking at Manhattanville College's Music Industry Panel

Speaking at Manhattanville College’s Music Industry Panel

I am grateful to have experienced the things I have in my 25 years of living, the great, the good, the bad and even the ugly! Although I have a lot more to experience in life, I am thankful to have gone through all these emotions and empirical points as I continue to grow and be the best man I can be.

I am grateful for the gift of art and music that the Universe has endowed on us, as mankind. Anyone who knows me can attest to my affinity for the arts, especially music because it is a form of expression that tells stories passed from one person to another, generation to generation – almost like roots to our culture(s) and personas, I am grateful for such a form existing.  

Who has helped you become the person you are today, and what would you’d thank them for? 

My Parents – They taught me the core values and ethics that I hold to this day, they exemplified everything that I wish to accomplish in my manhood – working hard, raising a wonderful family and giving back to others. Furthermore, they have always supported me in the pursuit of my passions while at the same time keeping me grounded. No matter what they love me wholeheartedly and that is a priceless sentiment.

My Brother – My best friend, he is someone who has always given me confidence and companionship no matter what. Much like parental love, brotherly love is a priceless feeling that everyone should have in their lives.

Screen Shot 2017-12-01 at 4.23.02 PMMy Friends – I grew up moving around from place to place, the most important years of my development being in Philly, Seattle, and New York, I have made some of the greatest friends, all of whom have helped me recognize something in myself which has helped me grow into being a better person and achieving the goals and dreams I have created for myself. There’s nothing cooler than having good people around you as you look for you self-determination as a young person.  

Gary Jenkins introduced us last year. Would you share how you met him and a quality you admire about him? 

Gary has been another individual who has had a hand in shaping who I am today. I met Gary in White Plains, NY my junior year while attending Manhattan College. We met in the most candid of situations, $2 Tequila & Tacos Night at one of the town’s prominent “watering holes”. We spontaneously struck up a conversation while standing next to each other at the bar. Since he was (and still is) a Entertainment Lawyer and me (at the time) a Political Science student with ambitions to attend law school and affinity for music, we hit it off and the rest is history – fast forward four years, I am now Vice President of Operations of his record label Divine Records with major distribution through SONY.

The quality I admire about Gary the most is how wise and altruistic he is. As my mentor in college, he guided and equipped me with certain skills that have helped me get to where I am now. Not everyone can say their mentor has two Ivy league degrees (B.A. Princeton & J.D. Columbia Law) and holds an Emeritus title from one of the highest grossing Urban Contemporary Labels (Uptown/MCA) in history. The knowledge and lessons he has bequeathed upon me is priceless.  

What is one suggestion you could give to our audience that can help them incorporate gratitude into their daily lives?

Wake up everyone morning and pick three things you are grateful for in this lifetime you are living. Try to make it three different things each morning. And finally, try to give a genuine compliment to at least one person each day – it sounds hard but, you never know how much gravity a compliment may hold to someone on a particular day and in turn you feel good doing it – I believe this can create a chain of gratitude as that person will feel so good, consciously or sub-consciously, and emote that same vibe to the next person. KEEP UP THE IRIE VIBRATIONS EVERYONE!!!! 😃

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      Pranav Narayanan p/k/a “Nav Nice” is a 25-year-old, Indian-American, A&R, Record Producer and Entrepreneur with a BA in Political Science from Manhattanville College. He is also the Co-Founder of Urban Rootz Media a creative agency specializing in business development, management and production services. 
Through the mechanisms of art, technology, and spirituality Nav looks to live a life filled with love, gratitude and self determination and in doing so, he wants to prove that there is a new paradigm in this day and age in which humans can live their life.
As of January 1st, 2018, Nav will be the youngest and first ever Indian-American Executive in the music industry as he assumes the role of Vice President of Operations at Divine Records, an independent label partnered with SONY Distribution. 

Connect with Nav on Instagram @nav.nice and email is nav@urbanrootz.net