By: Karen Steinberg
Q) How would you describe your sound?
A) Pop/Funk Rock with a lot of lyrical storytelling. I also rap, so, naturally, there’s the hip-hop element and I definitely have a musical theatre vibe to my music.
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
A) Prince, Lady Gaga, Mac Miller, Mary J. Bridge, Janis Joplin, Jessie Reyez, Gwen Stefani, Jon Bellion
(I know, it’s quite the spectrum [laughs])
Q) What are some of the themes you explore on your debut solo album ty, places?
A) Breaking free from the binds of a rough childhood, past relationships, the chaos of the world and just stepping into my light and turning pain into silly, fun, escapism. But also honoring the duality of light and dark.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
A) Some of the songs on the album I wrote on my piano and then brought it to Teddy [Kumpel] to build from there. “voices” was a song I wrote on my ukulele and then we turned it into this dark rock vibe. With “psycho gf” Teddy started playing a riff and I started improving lyrics like jam style then we built it from there.
I actually wrote “REBELS” when I was very young, without any instruments. Then, Teddy added exactly what I was hearing in my head for it. I guess it’s always a little different, but the thing with the whole album is that Teddy and I really write these songs together, like every step on the way, we become one mind.
Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?
A) I was very hands-on with this album. Teddy handled all of the instrument playing and came up with most of the bass lines and drum parts. He was the engineer for all of the songs. The bells and whistles of the music we came up with together. Just Nikki and Teddy in a Brooklyn apartment making these songs from the ground up – besides “Maintenance Man,” which was how Teddy and I got connected. My friend Yuda, who is one of Teddy’s guitar students, came up with the maintenance man riff and sent it to me and I put demo vocals on it in my apartment. Then, we all linked at Teddy’s and it became one of the most fun collaborations of my life.
Q) Is there a particular song off the album that holds a special place in your heart and why is it so dear to you?
A) Every song on the album is special to me. This album is my life. It’s like REALLY me at my most authentic self. “Whatever’s Left Of Me” s probably the one that may be the most near and dear. I wrote it at a time when one of my good friends, Matt Maloney, who was also my drummer passed away. I was dealing with so much heavy emotion before/during/after those sessions. My friend, Katt Rardi, had been staying with me from California. She came to the studio and helped co-write the lyrics of that song as well.
Q) Which tracks have you been receiving the most fan feedback from as their favorites?
A) “manic episode,” “voices,” “REBELS” and “Whatever’s Left Of Me” seem to be the fan favorites. Although every now and then someone will surprise me with a, “I LOVE Cleaning Lady!” “Cleaning Lady” has some unique chords that musicians have eargasms over. [laughs] “Maintenance Man” is always a hit live because it’s so fun to perform.
Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new album as a whole – either as an emotion or message?
A) Inspiration. The message is don’t give up, man. It’s just the beginning. Keep pedaling, keep pedaling, run as fast as you can right towards your dreams, use whatever’s left to carry out your personal mission in this life. Forgive, let go, have fun and don’t let the voices in your head prevent you from living.
Q) Which songs off ty, places have you been playing live or are looking forward to starting to play live?
A) I’ve been playing the whole album live. September 25th, I’ll be doing my full show, which includes all of the songs on the album, and I am incorporating acting skits, dancers, wrestlers – it’s a whole Cirque du Soleil. I’m anticipating some moshing and crowd surfing with manic episodes, some lap dances with “Maintenance Man,” and Shannee hanging upside down on silks from the ceiling during “Whatever’s Left Of Me.”
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
A) The Slipper Room is my little home at the moment. I did my album release party there and it was the best night of my life. I had burlesque, rap, silks, lyra, magicians, wrestlers, strippers – and the next show, we are going to kick it up a notch.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
A) Jon Bellion. I’d love to get in a session with that man. He’s my favorite producer and modern songwriter.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
A) Harry Styles’ album Harry’s House will ALWAYS put me in a good mood and make me feel loved. I’m really looking forward to some albums about to come out, J.I.D. who is one of my favorite rappers of all time is coming out with an album, Sabrina Carpenter is coming out with an album that I’m excited about. I’ll definitely be listening to both of those albums – maybe by the time this article comes out lol. I did have a very Jessie Reyez summer – I saw her live at the Brooklyn Paramount and replayed her new album over and over again all summer long.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) THANK YOU!! I am so blessed and lucky to have such a strong support system of people who really understand me. I feel like being misunderstood is the most frustrating feeling in the world. So, being able to have people hear my music and just get me and relate to me is the ultimate connection. When someone tells me that a song of mine inspired them, it makes me feel like this whole thing is really worth it.