Christian rapper NF looks ahead to 'Therapy Session'

Hip-hop/alternative artist NF (Nate Feuerstein) will release his new album, "Therapy Session," Friday on Capitol Music Group.

"Therapy Session" is the follow-up to the Michigan native's debut album, "Mansion," which entered the Top 10 of Billboard's Rap Album chart after its March 2015 release.

The album resonated with fans; sales have surpassed 117,000, streams exceed 53 million, and his videos have racked up more than 20 million views.

The songs of "Mansion" were widely licensed, with "Intro" featured in the season finale promotional campaign for Fox's "Empire" and EA's "Madden NFL 16" video game and soundtrack; "Mansion" heard in CBS' "Shades of Blue"; and "Wake Up" licensed by ESPN's "Monday Night Football," NBC's "Chicago PD" and VH1's "Love and Hip Hop," among others.

I caught up with NF to talk about his music, working odd jobs and his upcoming performance at the Spring Festival.

Q: What part of Michigan are you from?

A: Born in Saginaw, then moved to a little town called Gladwin, northwest of Saginaw, and lived there pretty much my whole life.

Q: You started rapping at a fairly early age.

A: I was rapping at about age 12, then started writing my own music at 15. I started just by listening to it. Back then, I thought dcTalk was rap! Then somebody told me about T-Bone, G.R.I.T.S. and Gospel Gangstaz. Rap was all I listened to for a long time. Now I listen to all kinds of music and find inspiration in different art forms.

Q: What other jobs have you worked?

A: I've done electrical work off and on since I was about 18. That knowledge will always be useful. You used to be able to just log hours, take your test and get a license, but now they make you go to school for it in addition to the hours. Before that, I was working at an apple orchard. I never worked at a restaurant or retail or some of those typical first jobs. Of course, I mowed lawns when I was a kid, too. Trying to do music, you will have those times in life when you still work when you're home for a couple weeks. It's tough to save money and really make a living out of this. I learned over the years that you can watch a band on stage one night and they are working at Starbucks the next morning.

Q: Let's talk about your first hit as a solo artist, "All I Have."

A: That's one of my favorite songs I've ever written. I feel like not only was it written for the few fans I had at the time but also for aspiring artists that don't yet realize how tough it is to make it. I know, sometimes, fans of an artist won't understand when they retire from music and always wish they were still at it. There are so many things behind the scenes that have an effect on those decisions, from finances to relationships and everything else. I talk about this stuff in the song. You don't sign to a label and immediately become rich. I used to think that. Just because you have a song on the radio doesn't mean you have it made.

Q: Tell me about your song "Only One."

A: I write a lot of love songs. I feel like a lot of Christian hip-hop artists don't approach the topic. A lot of Christian music fans get upset when a Christian artist writes love songs, but it's not like Christians aren't in romantic relationships, too, right? We shouldn't shy away from that. I don't have a problem talking about it. I've had relationship problems like everybody else. I know people are relating to it.

Q: What should we expect from your live show?

A: As you know, I can get a little intense. It's going to be a lot of fun to see everybody in Texas, though. I love playing these new songs at my show.