Nico
Ten seconds into the chorus of his single ‘Sunny Day’ and you'll be nodding your head. With an infectious lyrical groove and sublime harmonies, the rock artist known as Nico seems poised to vault straight up the charts.
BLAKE: When did you first get that feeling that your music career was gaining momentum?
NICO: I’ve been making music for almost thirty years and I’ve been through small victories as well as disappointments. I was carrying these experiences inside me and they were constantly on my mind. They were many years of hope but also of never-ending stress. But about three years ago, a piece of mine was discovered on YouTube by the program director Rick Ellis and he referred me to an organization called The Akademia. Since then something has happened in my music career, and continues to happen. To this day, I still can’t quite describe it all but I think that I can call my affiliation with this organization the “momentum” in my music career. If you stop feeling the failure, your own haughtiness, nervousness from everything around you, then you’re getting there. On the other hand, you start feeling some kind of satisfaction that what you’ve been doing so far has been worth it and it makes sense to continue doing it. The organization I’ve mentioned can give you all this and can liberate you from all the extreme emotions. The organization calls itself unique, forward-looking and revolutionary. And they’re right. If we realize that the better part of the planet today uses the internet, then there’s no doubt that your career will gain momentum because the internet is the current and long-term trend in the world. Nor can I doubt that it’s all done professionally because they focus on you in a complex way and that includes all the necessary impulses to get your career going.
BLAKE: Is there an underlying theme to your latest single? ’Sunny Day’
NICO: First of all, let me introduce my latest EP album entitled Time Will Decide. This mini album came out in September 2018 and it contains three instrumentals, one of which is also arranged for the radios. And it is this one that I’ll write about below. Two of these compositions with the titles Time and Lucky link to the album’s title and are about 4 years old. I wasn’t able to create other similar pieces to go with them, so I turned it into a mini album, but it seemed to me that there should be another piece to go with them. I didn’t spend much time deciding and picked from my demos a composition that was about 11 years old. It was like an orphan among these old recordings. My original intention was to turn this piece into a pop-jazz composition. But it just seemed so dry to me, too simple, and not exactly persuasive. As time went on I couldn’t use this piece anywhere. I made two other albums in the meanwhile, in a style slightly different from this latest one. It irked me because I’ve always liked the tempo and the melody of this piece and thought they were a good idea. Finally I decided to find a place for this demo, so as to get rid of it for good. It fit right in in the selection of compositions for this latest album. I kept the introductory section, the underlying central melody, tempo, Latino rhythm, and finalized all the rest only recently. I used the sound settings from the other two compositions and only changed the sound of the guitar. And in comparison to the original melody it seemed to me rather more full-blooded, more distinct, more powerful. So it ended up as a pop-rock composition. When I completed the recording, mixing and mastering, I took quite a long time deciding over the title. I ended up calling it “Sunny Day”. So I’d sum up the answer to this question into two basic points. The underlying topic for this single is the repetitive melody giving an easy, cheerful, optimistic impression, and this motto which I’d like to attach to the composition: Every day is not the best day ... and not every day is ideal. This song wants to be a little bit of a hint how you can have on a regular day ... “sunny day”. I’d like to point out that to this particular composition also a video clip has been created. BAJTER studio participated in its making. The director of the clip, with four scenes that follow each other chronologically, expressed the above motto tastefully and sensitively.
BLAKE: Does this theme connect to all of your recent musical works?
NICO: No. I don’t think so. Each work stands alone and the only thing they have in common is their author. You can notice that all the three singles have a different tempo, they describe and evoke various emotions in the listener, giving a different and independent impression on the albums on which they’re issued. I don’t create music verbally through lyrics, but instrumentally. It’s not easy to express something only by means of instruments. And it’s all rather about ideas, moods, and only then do I ponder the topic. I think that to create art only on the basis of the given topic requires true experts.
BLAKE: What is the quirkiest thing about you as an artist?
NICO: Variety. It’s probably the variety. When creating art, I believe, I always put emphasis on originality and difference. I like listening to music, but don’t like copying it. I literally hate it. Personally I think that copying may teach you, help you improve, but on the other hand if you aren’t careful, it will kill your personal creativity, inventiveness, and will take a lot of precious time which you could use to discover and compose something new. Improvisation. In the bands I’ve played with, or had a guest appearance, I used this manner of expression quite often. In this way the real performances changed, became more varied and enriched. My co-players in the band only looked at each other in a state of complete shock and commented on this expression of mine as: “Going crazy again!” They never knew what I’d make up and play next. You need talent, intellect and imagination for that. In my free time I often simply turn on the radio and attempt to improvise into the particular music playing there. It’s something I enjoy doing and something that keeps me in shape. Another game I entertain myself with is that I cover my eyes during this improvisation and only use two senses: touch and hearing.
BLAKE: When do your musical ideas come to you?
NICO: Not a day passes that I wouldn’t remember or touch the quitar. This instrument is the first one that connects me to music and I also use it when creating music. Ideas flow in best when I practice fingering. In the moment when my attention’s caught by some riff, chord, melody, I usually write it down or record it. From this pile of sections of several bars I then choose and compose music. Either on a particular topic, or freely, emotionally, and then add the topic later. Namely in the composition Sunny Day I did the latter, which, from my point of view, is the easier way. An idea came; I only looked for the melody and topic when finalizing the composition. When composing the music itself I sometimes find some other new idea. Especially when I experiment with the sounds and arrange the instruments. Then I can very well involve my imagination in the process of composing. I also have one special source of hidden ideas which sometimes makes me laugh. It may be unusual but I make a number of decisions and get quite a lot of ideas in the shower under flowing water. The highest creative potential comes to me in the evening hours.
 |
 |
BLAKE: In addition to music, what are your other passions or interests?
NICO: When I was young I used to do a lot of sports and physical activities. I grew up on rock and metal music among some older friends. So you can imagine what kind of youth they were. Back in those times I didn’t pay much attention to lyrics and literally just devoured the music. Now it’s no longer much about sports and hard music for me. I do exercises such as Pilates and yoga to help maintain my balance. I discover and look for new passions and hobbies. I’m quite attracted to the intellectual world and I’d like to deepen my education so as to fit my interests and hobbies. I like traveling, finding new places, getting to know foreign countries about which I could only form an image from movies, books and magazines. I’m fascinated by psychology, physical cosmology, natural sciences, history and Oriental culture. From the mass media I like the TV best, and I like watching a good movie now and then. Every year I’m so excited for the start of the F1 season, I never miss a single start.
BLAKE: What change or changes would you like to see in the music industry?
NICO: It happens quite frequently that some partners, music publishers’ digital distributors, don’t use unique identifiers for their artists. The result is that if there appear two artists with the same name, which can very well happen, their individual albums often get mixed up. And it may also happen that your rock albums pop up somewhere among hip-hop works by an artist with an identical name. Here I’d like to see an improvement and some degree of order in these matters. Further I’ve noticed that various digital distributors, companies that sell music, lower the quality bar so much for the sake of price that it’s impossible to listen to and degrades the whole impression from the music composition. Here too I’d like to see a change for the better. And of course, don’t even get me started on the finances. It’s beyond belief how much money flows into the music industry, but the performers themselves, the artists, only get blood, sweat, glory and nothing to be too excited about. Here I’d like to see justice and not just profits for huge corporations. On the other hand I’m very grateful for the music streaming service Spotify. There’s nothing to criticize here and I’m so glad that something so cool exists in the modern world of the internet.
BLAKE: As you were growing up, what is one of your best memories associated with music?
NICO: Remembering it now, those were beautiful times. There was a big shopping mall where they were exhibiting a guitar of an American brand. This guitar cost an exorbitant sum of money for those times. Whenever I went shopping with my family, I always went to see if it was still hanging there. Once my father came to get me, saying that they were looking for me. I was standing under this guitar looking at it sadly. I remember I plucked up the courage – I came up to my father’s waist at that time – and I told him: “Father, buy me this guitar, I’ll share the cost with you.” From my pocket I took out the money which I’d got for ice cream and was handing it to my father. Father looked at me, smiled, and said honestly: “It’s too expensive, I can’t afford it, but when you grow up, you’ll get it yourself. I know because I believe in you. And now let’s go, because your mother’s waiting for us.” And what do you think, how did it end? I remember building my first percussions. They were strips of wood with round boxes nailed onto them. You know those huge round 10-liter boxes with a plastic top and paint in a plastic bag inside. I found them on the shelf where father kept them for when he was next going to paint the walls inside our house. I took out the paint and threw it under the shelf. I punched out the bottom, and my first percussions were born. I was thrilled about it but not for long. Some time later father was getting ready for the painting. He searched and searched, turning the whole house upside down. It was driving him crazy. When he found the wooden creature with his cardboard boxes hanging from it sadly, weathered and torn from the drumsticks, it dawned on him immediately and his eyes shone with anger. The investigation started. Both my brother and I were asked a complex question: “What’s that, who made it, and where’s the paint?” There was silence. My brother tried to get out of that heavy atmosphere and shouted: “I don’t know, nothing to do with me!” That’s it then, I thought. They sent my brother away after a while because father felt in his bones that he knew who the culprit was. He put his hands on his hips and it was then that I knew. He asked me: “Where’s the paint?!” Fearfully, I pointed to a place under the shelf. Father pulled out the dried, hardened paint packed in plastic. Well, let me tell you, I couldn’t sit down properly for a week and carried my father’s fingerprints on my aching face. And I received a second helping too because I’d played my first and last percussions in the room where he stored wine in glass demijohns. I have a lot of memories, but these are the very best ones, because there’re my parents in them.
BLAKE: What is your proudest moment in your music career to date?
NICO: I wouldn’t like to get disappointed, but I guess that’s my momentary, current state. But I also keep in mind that there’s “pride before fall”. Those small successes, victories which I’m experiencing right now, are making me feel so happy, they enrich me, but I know there’s still a lot of work to be done, a lot to learn, and a lot of battles I’ll have to fight, in order to have something to be proud of in my life. But I think it’s not worth talking about yet. I’d certainly like to achieve more than I have so far.
BLAKE: What new music do you like?
NICO: As I’ve said, I grew up on rock and metal music. Today I try to enrich my music range all the time with new genres and styles which could give me something for the future. As a matter of good manners, I’d listen to any music. Out of curiosity, I also follow any new commercial music trend which is hot worldwide in any given year. From among music bands, I’m quite enchanted by the great music made by 2 Steps from Hell. Of course I haven’t forgotten the old times and sometimes I also play the compositions on which I grew up. Just for sentimental reasons.
BLAKE: Which musician would you like to collaborate with most?
NICO: Right now, I don’t have any particular musician on my mind who I’d want to work with. I’m quite picky, but I can roughly imagine with what type I could probably get along well: independent, earnest, patient, creative. Somebody who wouldn’t mind jamming with any other musician. But I have strict criteria for joint projects and I’m demanding. And if something’s not quite right to my liking, I withdraw from the cooperation.
BLAKE: Are you working on new material now? If so, is it in a similar vein as your latest single or a radical departure?
NICO: Yes, I’ve already started working on new compositions. I’ll try for something new, but it won’t be a radical departure. I might not even be able to do that. And I think that breaking away from my own style could even destroy me. There’ll always be my taste, feel, and handwriting. I’ve thought about stepping things up a little, tuning down the guitar, but all that somehow doesn’t work for me spiritually. I may apply it in some particular composition which will require it, but I definitely won’t head in this direction. I’m listening to all the old demos again like I do every time I’m getting ready for a new album and I’m open to new ideas which could come. Of course I’ll be looking for a style similarity between the old recordings and the new ideas so that they fit in together well. As far as the guitar sound is concerned, the guitars will be different from what I’ve been using so far. Maybe the sound of my acoustic guitar will also appear there. But I’ll think it through in the arrangements. I’ll probably spend some more time on this following album. I guess it will all take a little longer than my album “Human vs. Robot”. I’ll do my best for it to contain another hit. So that’s something for us all to be excited about.
BLAKE: I look forward to hearing your new work! Thank you for letting us get to know you better as a musician and I wish you the best of luck and continued success.
https://www.theakademia.com/artistkit/Nico-SunnyDay.html
http://www.facebook.com/guitarist.nico/