Fully immersed in the “Nick Vivid Business,” electronic lo-fi funk artist Nick Vivid creates art on his own terms. He spent years playing in multiple bands, creating demos and learning multiple instruments, finding that all of the opinions and demands of others were restrictive and uninspiring. Deciding that it was best to take all that he has learned and use it towards music that makes him happy, Nick went solo and started releasing albums that enabled him to grow as his own artist. As he gears up to release his fourth studio album on November 12, Nick took the time to talk to us about the upcoming project, his musical upbringing, and what fans can expect at future shows.
Melodic Mag: Hi there! Thanks for taking the time out to chat with me. Is it starting to feel like fall where you are?
Nick Vivid: Hey Hey! Yeah, this is my favorite time of year. I’m trying to get out of the studio more often during the day and go for walks. New York in the fall is an inspiring place to be.
Your fourth studio album, No More Secrets, is coming out next month – are you ready for it to finally be out in the world?
For sure! I remember when I was putting out my first solo album, Watch it Fly, and the day of release I thought to myself, “No one knows I’ve been working on new music, and I’m putting out an album TODAY.” That was fun, but, to be honest, this kind of methodical approach to releasing music is fun, too. To pass the time, I’m rehearsing four days a week for the release party, and I’ve already started writing the next album. So, it’s all good.
I read that No More Secrets stemmed from “intensive meditative pandemic soul searching.” How long did it take you to tap into the sound and themes for the album during this time?
I kinda started on the sound before the pandemic. It was probably late February 2020. Creatively, I was feeling excited about the possibilities. Personally, I was feeling a little stuck. When the pandemic hit, I saw it as a chance to journal my way through my obstacles and see what discoveries I could make about myself. I was able to take a pretty crummy situation and make a positive out of it. What I learned and how I was able to grow was put into the album. I think maybe somewhere around September 2020 I was firing on all cylinders, creatively and spiritually.
Which song was written first for the project and which was written last? How many tracks did you originally make?
“Trainers” was first, and again, that was around late February 2020. The last song to get figured out was probably “The Sky is Falling.” I wrote three songs called “The Sky is Falling” – kept starting it over and over and not liking any of the results. Then, I smashed all three together into one song and I ended up really liking that. I did somewhere between 100-150 song ideas for the album. That’s pretty normal for me.
Do you have a favorite track on the album or a track that means the most to you?
“Blackmail” is probably my favorite. I really dig the vibe and how the lyrics came out on that.
Your newest single “Trainers” is a reference to “cheat mode” for video games. Are you a big gamer? If so, which games do you like to play?
I was when I was a kid. But, I was more into the pirates who took the copy protection off of the software and spread it all over the globe with their cool intro screens – “Nick Was Here” – that kind of graffiti vibe. Those groups would always add trainers into the games for unlimited lives and all that. I thought it was a great metaphor for second chances. As many second chances as you want. That’s what the song’s about.
No More Secrets revolves around themes relating to the passing of your parents in recent years. They were also music fans, with your dad being a DJ for WBLK and your mom loving bands like Queen and artists like Bowie. Do you think your interest in music would be different if not for them?
In many ways, it was an oppressive upbringing, but as far as music was concerned, they were really liberal and let me listen to whatever I wanted for the most part. My mom and I really had the same fondness for “weird” music – glam rock, artsy stuff. Anything that was a little otherworldly and different. So, she really encouraged me to pursue any artistic vision I had. My dad, however, would force-feed me on soul music when I was a kid, so I rebelled against that at first. He would randomly stop me and my brother from whatever we were doing and make us sit on the living room couch while he DJ’d for an hour. Captive audience we were not. It was more like a hostage situation! “If we wanna keep the peace here, we better humor dad while he ‘talks up’ his Little Richard records.” There would have been hell to pay otherwise. Took me a while to appreciate James Brown because of that. Even so, I liked the 70s stuff better. My dad was more into the 60s stuff.
You wrote your first album when you were only 10, which is so incredible! Do you remember the songs on it?
I definitely remember a few. I had one called “Audio Video.” I had one called “Heather” – cause I always wrote a song for the girl in class who I had a crush on. I had a song about life on the road called “Coming Home.” [Laughs] I was 10 and writing a song about the rigors of the road. Every good band had one of those songs, so I just assumed it was what you were supposed to do. That’s actually a pretty good song. It still holds up.
What can fans expect from your album release party on November 13 at All Night Skate?
I’m gonna give everything I got on that stage for 35-40 minutes. It’s gonna be high energy. As I said earlier, I’m rehearsing four days a week to get in shape for just that one show. It has to be done. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to give the best show I could. That’s not to say it will go according to plan. It never does. But, rehearsal makes it so you can be ready for everything you plan to do, as well as everything that you don’t plan for. KRT_ (aka Kurt Underscore) will be opening. She does chiptunes – Gameboy music and all that. We’ve done a couple gigs together, and our audiences really mix well.
I saw that you love being able to tour and connect with fans at different venues. Which venues do you enjoy going to as a performer? Which do you enjoy going to as an attendee?
I’m a big fan of house shows – both as a performer and as a fan. I like weird, underground environments. The less organized it looks, the better. The only caveat is the sound has to be good. All Night Skate has that non-traditional vibe but great sound, so I’m excited to see what happens there.
Thanks again for your time. Do you have any final words of wisdom or comments?
Not other than thank you for the interview. I really appreciate it!
Tickets for Nick’s album release party at All Night Skate can be purchased here.
Keep up with Nick Vivid: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // Website
