Daily Inspiration: Meet Popstar Nima

Today we’d like to introduce you to Popstar Nima.

Hi Nima, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Mission Viejo, a city in Orange County. The area was more conservative then and I was bullied in school for being gay and overweight. I wasn’t “out” until after high school but I was very obsessed with Britney Spears and obviously gay. I was eager to become an adult and move to San Francisco, where my sister, Salumeh, lived. I tested out of high school at 15 and went to the local community college. The guys there were hotter and no one bullied me. I earned my Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology at 18 (SF State) and Master’s in Public Administration at 20 (Cal State East Bay). I moved to San Francisco when Barack Obama was first up for election and the Prop 8 measure was on the ballot. I joined the College Democrats to get involved and make friends. This led me to getting an internship working for Mayor Gavin Newsom. I thought he was hot and was hoping for a Monica Lewinsky situation.

That never happened, but I did get a job for Mayor Ed Lee when he took office in San Francisco. Working in City Hall was pleasant but a little too serious for a 20 years old. I started writing songs and began making music videos with my cousin, Arya, who studied film. I eventually left that job and moved to LA. I lived in a friend’s walk-in closet while studying improv at Groundlings and making music. I was taking jobs as a film/TV extra and trimming weed to pay for closet rent. I had a weird crush on my straight brother-in-law, Nick. He was looking for a business partner to start a cafe in Joshua Tree with our friend, Michael. I jumped at the opportunity mostly because it meant I could tell myself “Nick is my partner and we’re moving to Joshua Tree to live together.” We found a restaurant spot in Old Town Yucca Valley and started Frontier Cafe. The cafe became a success and I also stopped having incestual thoughts about Nick.

As the business and I became more stable, I started to pursue music again. One of my songs and music videos, “Palm Springs Bitch” became a hit in the desert and I was asked to do an interview with Arya on CBS Palm Springs. I started a queer performance night with some friends at Frontier. I made two songs a month for the show and eventually made my first album, “Popstar Nima”. After performing at Frontier and other desert shows regularly, I began performing in LA. My music videos and live performance clips got the attention of Tosh.0 and they had me on to do an interview and filmed segment. The pandemic hit shortly after and my upcoming shows were canceled. I shifted my focus to completing my second album, “Bops About Boys”. The album is all name songs, mostly about guys I’ve had crushes on. I guess that’s my theme in life. I’ve released music videos for “Phil Me Up”, “Jimmy Hurt Himself” and “Ryan Page Me”. I’m currently editing the next video, “Hunter Knows You”. I moved back to LA this year but love going back to the desert to see friends and checking in on Frontier.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
A major obstacle for me was having the courage to pursue what I’m passionate about. I love the people I met from working in politics and starting the cafe, but it wasn’t my dream. My dream was/is to be like Britney Spears in the “I’m a Slave 4 U” video.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a popstar! I perform under the name “Popstar Nima”. When I write songs, I try to make them as catchy and funny as possible. I’m known for my music videos, wearing a leotard and being hairy. My collection of music videos on YouTube is what I’m most proud of. I put 100% of who I am in those videos and I hope the bullies in high school get mad at their erections watching them.

Any big plans?
I’m currently editing the music video for “Hunter Knows You” and can’t wait to release it. It’s about my friend Hunter who is a hot professor. The video is inspired by Britney’s “…Baby One More Time”. I’ll release a couple more videos from this album and I’m writing songs for album 3. I’m getting requests for live performances again. Follow my Instagram @popstarnima for announcements!

Contact Info:

• Email: nima.eslamieh@gmail.com
• Website: popstarnima.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/popstarnima
• Youtube: YouTube.com/popstarnima
• Other: tiktok.com/@popstarnima

Image Credits:
Photos by Marina Fini