COFFEE WITH
NICKI NICOLE: “YOU CAN COME OUT OF CHAOS AND CREATE SOMETHING LIKE THIS”
Name: Nicki Nicole
Profession: Singer
Nationality: Argentina
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Instagram: @nicki.nicole
LATINNESS: Nicki, do you remember the moment you decided music was your thing?
NICKI: Yes, I was 16 years old and I was at a freestyle battle or de gallos—as they also call them—, watching two friends compete. They had lost the challenge the previous week, but reached the semifinal this time. I saw their evolution in eight days, and thought: “This works for me.”
LATINNESS: You represent a new generation of Argentine musicians, which includes María Becerra and Nathy Peluso, who have experienced a meteoric rise in recent years. To what do you attribute this phenomenon?
NICKI: I feel like what’s happening in Argentina today has a lot to do with the unity and support that exists between artists, and it’s that we back each other up.
It’s also the people who listen to the music that allow the artist to achieve anything. Argentina is consuming its musicians a lot, which takes them to another level. That’s the key.
LATINNESS: You often address social and political issues in your songs. What’s the role of the artist in today’s society, and how do you convey these messages through your music?
NICKI: I believe that the artist has many roles, but only one responsibility– that of giving a message with a good foundation. I like to make songs about love and heartbreak with messages that are born from personal experiences. Yet, when the guys from No Te Va Gustar called me to sing about violence against women and women who have disappeared, I also loved bringing to light that reality we all live, but that’s sometimes difficult to talk about because it’s a sad truth. However, as an artist, I feel you have to give those messages, even if they clash with reality, with what’s happening.
LATINNESS: Your new album Alma is inspired in healing. You said you started creating this album believing it would save you. Would you say you accomplished this?
NICKI: Yes. 100%. What I wanted to achieve with this album was to heal personal issues. I also learned about myself. I was really surprised by how you can come out of chaos and create something like this.
I really feel very relieved and very calm; that the time has come to release the album and for people to listen to and enjoy it.
LATINNESS: How would you describe your musical style?
NICKI: My musical style? Restless, because it varies a lot. I mean, there’s something in the essence that always shapes it– I can do a cumbia and an R&B, and you’ll find Nicki Nicole in both. But, I really like to try different styles… I never stay still.
LATINNESS: You’ve collaborated with several prominent artists in the industry, such as Christina Aguilera, Becky G, amongst many more… How do you choose who to collaborate with?
NICKI: When it comes to featuring, what moves me the most is if I like the song. When that’s the case, I give it my all… literally. It happened to me with Christina and Becky. I feel like that’s key— that it generates something in me. After that, you do it genuinely and for pure love.
LATINNESS: What was that experience like of working with them?
NICKI: If I think about Christina, it was crazy, because she’s one of the artists that I admire and love the most. I don’t know, I grew very fond of her since I was a girl, from seeing her on TV and how my sister sang her songs. It’s crazy.
Even though I was very young, and my sister was the one who lived through Christina’s era, she obviously reflected that on me, because I learned everything with her. When I met her and saw what a good person she is, how transparent and the beautiful opportunity she gave me, I said, “How cool to meet one of the artists you most admire and who is like that.”
It was really a very crazy process because it feels very unreal. When I saw her as a child, I didn’t think she was human because of what she does and how she sings. And seeing her, meeting her, I ended up loving it.
LATINNESS: What a beautiful reflection. Speaking of Latin artists, what do you like the most about Latin culture, or Argentina, specifically?
NICKI: What I like the most about my Argentina are the words we use. There are some that nobody understands, only us, and I love that. We also have humor and some jokes that are 100% Argentinean. And well, a bit of everything— food, mate, customs. I adore my country and knowing that this is my home. I love coming back.
Images courtesy of FRAZES CREATIVE.