Antwoinardo Dixon, a junior at MTSU, shares his truth on his newest R&B track, “Inner Thoughts,” a tribute to his late aunt, which will be released on Oct. 19.

Dixon, who performs under the alias ‘Nardo,’ is majoring in Music Business and is an aspiring artist who has always loved music and performing. At one point, he had given it up, but the death of his aunt Dorothy Bain-Seymour led him to dive into writing and rediscover his passion.

“We always had a great relationship,” Dixon said. “It didn’t matter about the time and distance or that we weren’t in each other’s faces because it was always natural.”

“Inner Thoughts” is one of the tracks off his upcoming album “Dorothy’s Letter.” The album is a heartfelt letter describing the six stages of grief, unveiling his feelings about her battle with breast cancer.

Dixon’s aunt lived in the Bahamas, which meant they didn’t get to see each other often, but they remained close. Dixon reunited with his aunt in 2019 when she came to give birth to her baby. That same year, she discovered a lump in her breast, but doctors thought it was from lactation.

She later found out it was breast cancer.

After a year of treatment, she was cancer-free. Despite taking all the necessary precautions, including a double mastectomy, she only spent two years in remission before the cancer returned.

It started with complaints of back pain. Her doctors in the Bahamas concluded her pain was from old age, even though she was only 33 at the time.

Scared to come to the U.S. because she was already dealing with previous medical debt, Dixon’s aunt did not return to the U.S. until his graduation in 2023. She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer two days after he walked across the graduation stage.

Doctors found bone cancer and a tumor growing rapidly over her heart. They were told she wouldn’t make it through the weekend.

“It went from me celebrating the happiest day of my life to two days later, my aunt was gonna die,” Dixon said.

Miraculously, she survived for six more months, even celebrating a birthday before passing away on Nov.19, 2023. To cope with the grief, Dixon began writing out his feelings, eventually transforming them into a song. He opened his heart out over a smooth beat, recounting the tight-knit relationship they had, wishing he could’ve done more.

“At this point, this is no longer Nardo the artist,” Dixon said, “This is a nephew wishing he could say something to his aunt, but he knows he can’t, so I’m gonna describe the way I’m feeling the best way I can.”

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, he hopes to share her story and connect with others who may have lost a loved one to cancer. He encouraged others to find their own outlet to channel their emotions, just as he had with music.

“You need to find something to put yourself in,” Dixon said, “don’t forget about the death, but find something to channel your energy in because you don’t wanna be depressed and you don’t wanna put yourself in a position where you hate the world.”

As a student, being an up-and-coming artist presents its own challenges, but managing it through grief adds an additional layer. Dixon said the song and the album were supposed to come out last year, but the delay was worth it because of the connections, respect and opportunities he gained from the experience.

Dixon’s mother, Antonia Bain-Pride, expressed her support for his music. Although she had her initial reservations about his career choice, she valued his dream and believed in him to make it possible.

“I know that he’s gonna sing his heart out, number one,” Bain-Pride said. “And number two, I know it’s probably gonna make me tear up because he tells a lot of truth when it comes to his aunt, and we went through a hard time with losing her— me especially, because she was my younger sister, and I felt guilty she was leaving before I left.”

For Dixon, taking satisfaction in touching others’ hearts with his music is a priority, even if it’s just one or two people.

“I want you to really sit down and hear my heart,” Dixon said. “I didn’t make this album to make money, I made this album out of love.”

This story was originally published on MTSU Sidelines on October 9, 2025.