Today we’d like to introduce you to Nia Nicholls.
Hi Nia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I knew I wanted to be a performer when I was 4 years old. I started writing songs when I was 8, but I didn’t learn to play the guitar until I was 10 because my hands were too small to fit around the neck of the guitar! Once I began learning, that’s when I started performing in public. I performed every weekend at village fetes, school talent shows, old people’s homes, pubs, restaurants, supermarket car parks, churches, village halls, social clubs, and more. I was desperate for people to hear my songs!
The first time I came to Memphis I was 13, my parents knew how much I wanted to visit music city (Nashville) and we thought “Hey, while we’re here we should check out Graceland in Memphis!”. My parents and I are really big Elvis fans. We all loved Memphis so much that we made a point to keep coming back every year. It wasn’t until I was 15 and I played an open mic night at Earnestine & Hazels that Mark Parsell approached me. Mark owns a songwriting venue across the road called South Main Sounds and he told me that he had a cancellation and needed to replace the artist on the lineup.
Of course, I was so excited to take part in my first-ever songwriting round in Memphis. That’s when things started to shift for me as a songwriter and as a young girl in a different country. I started filming music videos on Beale Street and the banks of the Mississippi River and doing mini “tours” around town at the Rockhouse Live, Tin Roof, Silky O’Sullivans, South Main Sounds, Westy’s, the Farmers Market, and more. Memphis became a second home to me.
This last year, I have spent quite a bit of time going back and forth from America to the UK and I’ve been lucky enough to have recorded my last two singles (Attached and Exes) in Nashville. Back home in the UK, I have been playing shows and festivals and I was invited to open up for American Singer/Songwriter Dean Friedman on his UK tour. My latest single “Exes” was also named BBC’s “Track of the Week”, which is the first time that’s ever happened!!
I’m coming back to Tennessee in the Autumn and I can’t wait to see all of my friends again and do some more shows. The support and encouragement I’ve received in Memphis has been unlike anything I’ve ever had before and it means a lot to me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve been very lucky to have worked with nice people the majority of the time! Whether it be kind producers, thoughtful managers, determined band members, or just lovely people who like my music! However, I will say this past year has had its fair share of ups and downs. One “up” is that I opened up for Dean Friedman, and one “down” was being told by a manager that my accent is “very off-putting” and I sound like a wannabe English Taylor Swift! Yeah, it’s been a tumultuous year.
No matter how many unkind industry people I meet, I always remind myself that the loveliest and most supportive industry people I’ve met have been the ones who have nothing to prove. The ones that have made their money, worked with huge artists and now they just want to sit back and help the upcoming songwriters along. The meanest people have been the ones who have a chip on their shoulder because they never quite got to where they wanted. No matter where I end up in life, I will never be the latter.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a songwriter first and foremost and I’m a singer second. I was never a “cool kid” in school I got teased a lot for liking country music. Songwriting was something I leaned into because it meant I could escape from the lonesome feeling I experienced during my school days. Ever since then it just stuck!
I like to think what sets me apart from others is the fact I write 99% of my songs by myself. Recently, however, I had a co-writing session with Fred Wilhelm and Pavel Dovgalyuk in Nashville. Fred co-wrote “Back to Life” by Rascal Flatts and Pavel has worked closely with Justin Moore. It was such a cool experience working with them.
I’m most proud of the songs I’ve written recently. “Attached” is a song I love and in my opinion, it took me from my teenage, fantastical era into my thoughtful, mature era… maybe. I’m also really proud of the friendships I’ve made and the strength I’ve had to stand up for myself.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
My integrity. I hope that doesn’t sound too pretentious!!
I hope I can continue to grow and try new things. I hope to meet more people who challenge me in good and bad ways. I hope to keep writing songs I love. With all of these things I hope to happen, I only hope I don’t change myself to please others.
Another thing that matters most to me is meeting Sam Hunt and telling him I love him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/nianicholls
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nianicholls/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nianicholls1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nianicholls
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCUHPXufFWMzfO4CtFPk08Mg?sub_confirmation=1
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/2PBOfZN0j1nqj8OOlKbzko?si=A4yFIZRoRweJq-1d_OjjEQ
Image Credits
Bart Matthews and Andrea Penna
