Nicole Nelson: Soul & Muse

Singer and songwriter Nicole Nelson recently returned to New York City after a long run in Boston, MA where I first saw her perform. Her voice and music are often compared to the artistry of Eva Cassidy, Donny Hathaway, Gladys Knight and Erykah Badu; and her style and poise are often compared to those of female greats well beyond her years.
I thankfully caught up with Nicole over email amidst her hectic schedule. Here’s Nicole…

Do you write your own lyrics and/or music? And what is that process like for you? Do your emotions often take the lead or does a particular beat or sound?
I do write my own music. I enjoy playing with different styles and influences and making them my own. Right now I am working on a duo project with my partner, Dwight Ritcher. He’s a very strong creative force and we write together all the time. Often, Dwight will be playing chords and melodies on the guitar, and I will hear melodies and lyrics above what he’s playing.

Your mother and grandmother were both pianists in Trinidad & Tobago? What did their musicianship mean to you growing up? Did they each have particular musical styles and do their styles affect your own musical style?
It’s hard for me to gage how much, exactly, their personal styles affect my own…My style, or taste, musically, was often very different from my mother’s and grandmother’s growing up. They both played classical piano. I think their biggest influence on me is reflected through the dignity with which they played–especially my mother–the way that she cherished playing and would lose herself for hours was what I took from her.
Did you have an “Aha!” moment when you realized that music must play a big role in your life? Or was it because music was already a big part of your everyday life that you didn’t think twice about it and knew already where you were headed?
Music has always been and will always be a huge part of my life. Always. But, honestly, so is drawing, and dancing, and writing…I still don’t know exactly where my creativity will lead me in life. We’ll see!
So, THE Maya Angelou heard you sing? Did she give you her compliments in person or did she relay them to you after the show? How was that experience like?
She was speaking at Boston’s Symphony Hall, and I opened the show. We met briefly right before I went on… it was pretty surreal. She has always been super human to me… more of an icon than flesh and blood, you know? So, hugging her and looking into her eyes…all I really remember about those moments is that I was beaming, and she beamed back at me. She had incredible presence.
During my set I saw her at the side of the stage. She came out of her dressing room and set up a chair and sat there watching and cheering me on. I felt like I couldn’t get any higher.
I didn’t get to speak with her after the show, I had a family emergency and spent the rest of that night in a local ER (everything turned out fine), but she did ask for an autographed CD. How crazy is that? I had no idea what to write on it: “Dear Maya… hope you like the tunes…”
You encountered your artistic crossroads in Boston. What do you want to make sure you get done artistically in New York?
I wanted to be unlimited.
In retrospect, I suppose personal or creative limits have more to do with the individual than the city in which they live. But I felt that I had hit some boundaries, and needed a change. I wanted the muse of NYC. I grew up in Brooklyn. My family moved upstate when I was a teenager, and I never felt that same charge anywhere else. I love this place.
Would you ever be an “American Idol” contestant? And what do you think about the competition?
Absolutely not. I think that it’s an entertaining TV show, but I don’t even own a TV. That’s what I think of entertaining TV shows. I feel that the fact that most people in this country view “American Idol’ as a true vehicle for an artist to express themselves is sort of sad. It has nothing to do with art. It has to do with $$.
What advice do you have for young women who think they can sing and want to make it big with their voice?
First, and most importantly, unplug from all of the noise around you and figure out who you are.
Our society celebrates frivolity. Too much of that can kill your soul before you even know that you’ve got one. It also celebrates youth, which can put a lot of pressure on girls to pretend to be a grownup when they’re not, and to pretend that they’ve got it all together when they don’t. The focus can too easily be on all of the wrong things.
Find your strength in knowing who you are, and not judging yourself too harshly. Learn to love and nurture yourself and your talent–be thankful for it. Respect it. Sing what makes you feel alive and the right path will find you.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I would like to remind all young women, whatever it is that you want to do with your life, music or otherwise; the most important thing is to learn to trust yourself and have faith in your own power. There is that light inside of all of us that sometimes we feel connected to and sometimes we don’t. What you must do is find something that gives you that connected feeling, and DO IT. Make it your own, and don’t let anyone ever derail you!