Nebula & the Cosmos is a musical act that features Neb, a singer and multi-hyphenate from San Diego, California. For Nebula, music goes beyond a solitary pursuit. Her love for performance blossomed in ensembles and choirs, so collaboration is at the root of how she approaches all creative endeavors. In addition to her journey in the cosmos, she is part of RIVA’s 6-piece band as a songwriter and vocalist and a founding member of TWYN (Take What You Need), a San Diego-based artist collective. In the past year, she’s performed with some of San Diego’s most talented musicians at events such as Future is Color: Studio Sessions, Soul Sunday, and more. You can find her music on Instagram: @nebulawade.
For Nebula, music is not simply a form of performance, but a space for becoming. Influenced by artists such as Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, and most profoundly Solange, their work centers on self acceptance, emotional honesty, and the ongoing process of growth. Solange’s “A Seat at the Table,” released around the time Nebula graduated high school, arrived during a period of creative pause and reignited her desire to express herself. In particular, the song “Cranes in the Sky” continues to shape her artistic language, offering a blueprint for understanding oneself as a work in progress and embracing the beauty of imperfection.
At the core of Nebula’s practice is a deeply personal mission to inspire others to love and accept themselves, and to do
the internal work that self awareness requires. She states,
”Just being present with the self and being able to accept myself and love myself is something that is really important to me and something that I want to impart and inspire in other people.”
She is open about how difficult it can be to accept not being exactly where you want to be, or realizing that your goals may feel distant and hard to reach. Through music, she aims to create a space where people can hear someone be raw and honest about that journey without avoiding the fear, uncertainty, or discomfort that often accompanies growth. By naming both the good and the difficult parts, Nebula hopes listeners will feel less alone and less inclined to hold themselves back.
That honesty comes from lived experience. Once painfully shy and terrified of being seen, Nebula struggled with public expression, even breaking down in tears at the thought of speaking in front of others. Learning to share her voice was challenging and uncomfortable, but those moments of fear became the most transformative. Today, she embraces the idea of being a lifelong student of creativity, believing that the most intimidating opportunities often yield the greatest rewards. She says,
“Be accepting of the scary that comes your way because the biggest opportunities that I’ve had were the most frightening.”
For her, art is communication, a practice that demands vulnerability and presence in order to truly connect.
Beyond individual expression, Nebula is deeply committed to building community. As part of the vocal collective The Living Arrangement, she prioritizes inclusive spaces where people of all experience levels create together. Singing in harmony whether in a spiritual, secular, or communal setting becomes a reminder that the voice is an instrument meant to be shared. In these moments, a room full of people can feel like a single body, creating something larger than any individual. Through music, Nebula seeks not only to express herself, but to cultivate belonging, courage, and connection.
