Q: I really admire your raw lyricism in 'Always Almost'. Can you tell us what the story behind the song is?
Nicolette: 'Always Almost' is about feeling like you can never catch a break with things going wrong in your life. It's always one thing after the other. I feel like this is always happening in my life, just a nonstop cycle. Nothing can just stay consistently okay. I think this is something a lot of people can relate to where they are always almost there but never quite make it. You feel like you have to constantly fix who you are because something is always going wrong.
Q: What would you say is your personal favorite part of 'Always Almost'?
Nicolette: My favorite part of 'Always Almost' is the chorus because I love how I start singing the lyrics in a sarcastic way, such as when I say "Guess I gotta be dishonest, maybe make my body flawless, for everybody to believe, it's always almost stopping me." These lyrics are saying well if you can't accept me for who I am I guess I have to be untrue to who I am and change myself because just being me isn't enough apparently.
Q: What is your songwriting process like?
Nicolette: Before I start writing any song I always like to write down specific concepts that I have experiences in so I am able to be authentic and original in my lyrics. I then either create a melody off the top of my head or pull up a type beat of YouTube and create melodies based off that beat. I write to the beat and then sit down with my producer to make a new beat to the lyrics and melodies I created. And then it's time to record ;)
Q: How do you think growing up in New York has influenced you and your music?
Nicolette: I think growing up in New York has influenced me and my music a lot because of the wide diversity of sounds New York provides . Traveling from Staten Island to NYC everyday and experiencing different genres of music at my old high school (Professional Performing Arts Highschool) has really inspired me to add different elements in my own music and expand on my vocals in my recordings. New York is the best place to be as an artist because there's so many opportunities right in front of you to go out and show the world what you have to offer. Just bringing in New York gives you the extra push to chase your dreams because of all the hustle and hard working people there are here.
Q: When did you know you wanted to become an artist?
Nicolette: I knew when I was 9 years old that singing was my passion in life and that I needed to start taking it seriously because I truly enjoyed it and I wanted to just sing all the time for everyone. It's always just been music for me. I started taking professional vocal lessons at age 10 and never stopped from there on. I started singing classical music with my vocal coach because "classical vocal training is the best training for singing any genre of music." I then went on to singing in a church choir for a few years then went on to singing pop music and recording my original songs at Etstudioprodictions. I auditioned for PPAS where I studied vocal as well and now I am at NJCU majoring in Music Business. Being an independent female artist has always been what I aspired to be and I'm so grateful that I'm able to write, record, and perform my music in New York City.
Q: If you were a song, what song would you be and why?
Nicolette: If I was a song I'd be 'Fix You' by Coldplay. I have always loved this song because I feel like it represents my life. The song deals with wanting to always help someone, learning from your mistakes and being in love but not knowing how to express it. I feel like I'm always trying to help others instead of focusing on my problems and dealing with it myself. A line in the song says "stuck in reverse" like you're doing the best you can but at the end of the day you're not successful. Although there's always someone there wanting to help you even if you don't see it.
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
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