SPEAKIN’
EASY
NICKNAMES

WHO ARE YOU?

I am Nicknames. I'm an artist and a producer from Washington, DC. Currently based in New York.


HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC? YOU PREVIOUSLY WERE IN A BAND CALLED JUSTSIDEKICKS?

When I was a little kid, I dreamed of being in a rock band, and then I got into DJs in middle school. I wanted to be a DJ like Calvin Harris or Martin Garrix type. And then, um, I realized that all those guys make music, so I started making music because of that, and I wanted to make EDM at first. But then I realized that it was a little played out, and I was like, I kind of like look the same as all these guys like how am I gonna be any different? So then I got more into pop music.


WHY NICKNAMES?

I didn't want to go by my own name. I wanted to go by a band name and choose a one-word name that is already like a common word that everybody knows, so it's easy to spell and pronounce and doesn't mean anything. I just honestly couldn't think of a name for myself, and then I was just saying shit. I really liked how the word sounds and nicknames. It's catchy. So that's it.


HOW HAS NEW YORK INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?

So actually, I grew up in Germany for a bit, which is where I kind of got into electronic music just because it's Europe and shit. But yeah, just coming to New York made me take it more seriously. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many creatives from all walks of life and from all over the place. So, rather than seeing it as intimidating, I saw it as inspiring and a way to collaborate with and meet people. It just pushed me harder and made me really devote my all to it, whereas before, it was a bit more of a hobby.



WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE MUSIC?

I barely remember a time before I wanted to do music, but I do recall a couple of years in middle school and high school when I didn't think that a career in music was a viable option. At the time I didn’t accept that music was really what I wanted to do. Even though during that time I secretly dreamed of being a DJ or rockstar, I kept telling myself that I was gonna be a businessman or historian or something more that would be "respectable" in the eyes of my family (even though they're supportive of my music), or just society as a whole. One of the reasons I started producing music was because I wanted to be a computer programmer in middle school and do something that made me look really smart. This was before I accepted that I'm just bad at math and programming and really only like computers.  music production was a good way to continue to use computer software and program something, while creating music at the same time. I allowed myself to be creative and focus on what I really enjoy, without the math.


HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU THAT YOU ARE DIFFERENT?

Yeah, I think I've thought about that a lot. For a while, I was like, "Oh, I want to be really unique and different?" And then I realized I can't really try to be something I'm not. I got to be myself and let the music speak for itself. So, I try to make music more representative of who I am. Even though it's pop music, I want to make it seem more unique yet familiar to people at the same time. I still try to make it feel distinctive, like a unique brand, but it's not my priority. At this point, I care less about myself and being different and more about the music and how it affects people.



IN THAT CASE, WHAT IS THE "NICKNAMES SOUND"?

So, I want to make pop music heavily influenced by dance music and electronic music because of my background, but I try to incorporate elements of indie pop, R&B, and hip hop because I'm a big rap fan. I pull a lot of inspiration from different scenes and sounds that have already occurred. I'm inspired by early 2010s pop music and the indie sleaze New York scene. And then I'm really interested in the Atlanta trap scene, and just the way they make music is also inspiring. But yeah, I would say I try to just create a sound that feels familiar but can't be pinpointed to anybody specifically. I would hate for someone to hear my stuff and be like, "Oh, dude, this sounds just like whoever."


POP HAS BEEN ALMOST "TAINTED" AS A GENRE; HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

I'm fully aware that pop is kind of corny, and honestly, I hate a lot of pop music. I don't even listen to that much pop. I mostly listen to a lot of alternative indie, trap stuff, and electronic music. I try to stay tapped in with mainstream pop but not listen to just that and only that. Because I'm trying to be aware of what's happening but not make records that sound just like everything else in the pop world. I don't want to pull too much inspiration from my contemporaries. Like everyone else, I just want to give Pop a little bit of edge. I feel like people try to force that alternative edge so much, and I just wanted to come a little bit more naturally. But really, you know, pop music should be music that everybody loves. I think it's just like in a weird spot right now, and I want to change its perception among music fans.

E: Is pop being arguably the most accessible genre of music a good thing to you?

I think it's a good thing because, if anything, my goal is to make music that many people can relate to and enjoy and have fun with. It's kind of like finding comfort in it, regardless of age and background. And I think the beauty of pop music is that pretty much everybody knows the same couple of songs, whether they love it or hate it, but it still has a place in people's hearts. So I love how pop music can bring people together in that way more than other genres might be able to.

C: Yeah, it's universal.



TALK ABOUT YOUR SINGLE "SECOND HONEYMOON"

So I originally wrote that guitar part & bassline with a simple drum pattern, and then I usually freestyle lyric ideas and then write it that way, kind of like punch in. So, I came to the other producer on the song mTwenty with a demo, and I really wanted him to add an interesting flair to it because his background is more in the underground rap scene and in hyper-pop. I brought him on because I knew he could do things I couldn't, and he delivered. The breakdown part of that song towards the end and then a lot of the synth work that he added is just something I couldn't do. So, I love to rely on other musicians and creatives in general to add things that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise or create something that's more complete than I could have done on my own.


HOW IMPORTANT IS COLLABORATION TO YOU? DO YOU EVER MISS BEING IN A BAND?

Um, no. It's nice to have a solo project, but I'm generally very collaborative. I love to work on music for different people, like producing for people, writing with them, and featuring their songs. I love to have features, but I enjoy being kind of like a one-man band thing so I can have a bit more say over the creative process. But at the same time, my goal was always to be a producer. I want to produce people's records the way they want so they can fulfill their vision, but I feel it's essential for me to have my own thing. So I can still have that creative outlet that doesn't depend on anyone else.

C: So, do you ever struggle to give up control of your music when collaborating?



I think probably more than I'd like to admit 'cause I produce all my own stuff. Actually, the Second Honeymoon was the first co-production done. I really do love to do it myself, but I'm never closed off to people's ideas; I try to stay open-minded. I generally like my own records as Nicknames, and then I'll collaborate with people and other stuff. But I'm trying to do more collaborative work production-wise for Nicknames.

C: Another big thing you've been doing recently is performing live. But I was looking at the prices of tickets, like $8, $12. How is that? Do you feel like you are being fairly compensated for your art?

Man, yo, so it's crazy because even though tickets are pretty low prices, it's still tough to get people to come out. Like, I'm always putting as many friends as I can on the list, and then it's just tough to get people to wanna spend their own money on your music, especially when it's just like friends, I guess. But it's starting to shift a little bit. At my last show, I had my first two fans there whom I did not know, which was really cool. It is tough, but I feel like, if anything, I'm lucky to be starting out now while I'm younger. And I see it more as a chance to practice and get ready for those bigger stages that do compensate you more fairly and help you really earn a living for yourself. But I just see it as motivation to work towards getting to that point where I can really do this as a career, like independently.



WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT MUSIC TO YOU?

The most rewarding part for me is to have my songs mean something in the lives of people I don't even know. To have them enjoy the song, share it with people. Just like, for me, music is so important as a fan. I admire so many artists, and so many songs are so important to me that it's really rewarding for me when someone tells me that they really love one of my songs. I want to know how my music makes people feel, like if it excites them or whatever. So I just love that people can share it, and it's like a unifying force, I guess.


HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH CRITICISM?

E: Because, as you said earlier, there's a bunch of guys who look like you. As just another white man making music, how do you deal with the inevitable hate?

So on the one side of that, you know, I got some hate on like TikTok and stuff, but that just comes with putting yourself out there. And the way I try to see that is that what I've always heard is that when you start getting hate and haters, that's how you know that you're making it. You're doing something right. Only If it's balanced, if it's all hate, then you're not doing something right. But, if it's like a little bit of a balance, like, you know, people are starting to get mad or whatever. I think it generally is not a bad thing. I try to just ignore it and look past it. I know I eventually have to get used to it 'cause it'll just keep coming in higher frequencies.

But in terms of me being a white male, basically, what I'll say is I just try to be aware of the fact that I'm like a white guy in music, and most producers are white guys in music. Not always white, obviously not white, but a lot of, I feel like production specifically is kind of male-dominated. I never try to be somebody that I'm not. Like, I know a lot of white artists will try to hide the fact that they're white or try to look different or whatever, but I can't. I can't be doing that out here. I just got to be myself.



GOALS FOR THE FUTURE?

Yeah, so my goal for the next year is really just to start doing music full-time as a career. It would be such a crazy blessing to be able to do that. Like just to be able to go to studios every day to work on stuff with people. Being creative is just like such an amazing opportunity that I am privileged to have. So I'm trying to get to the point where I can be making enough income off that to be doing it full-time, and I would say kind of as a segue the way I feel I could do that would be through I'm working towards getting a publishing deal or a record deal. But more on the side of a publishing deal since I see myself primarily as a producer.

But yeah, I'm just trying to start getting more production cuts and getting more recognized by editorial playlists on Spotify or Apple Music. Then, I'm just trying to break into the industry & music scene as far as I can. I'm trying to get to know everybody I can and just work with everybody because I've learned that this industry is all about who you know. Even though I'm lucky enough to have a privileged upbringing, I still don't have any like nepo-baby connections. I really can't complain about my life, you know. But at the same time, I'm still building it from the ground up with the people I know. I want to keep meeting new people to put myself in a position to keep growing and learning.



C: You said you're looking to get a public publishing deal. Can you go more in-depth about what that is for people who don't know? What would that entail?

So, a publishing deal is kind of like a label deal but for a producer and a writer. The company would just put you in sessions with artists they're helping to develop and artists they work with otherwise to help you get production cuts, and then they get a portion of those royalties and the advance producer fee. But yeah, I really think I also value being independent, especially as an artist. Still, as a producer, I can see it being beneficial to have a publisher or a manager on that side who could just put me in the room of people. Because I think that's all I need. Like, I feel like I'm a people's person. I love talking to people and making connections, I just need the opportunity. So I'm just trying to get to that point where I'm like, I provide enough value to be put in those situations.

C: Are you currently in school for music?

No, I'm not in school for music making, songwriting, or production, but I am for music business.

C: Then, do you ever have any doubts about your skill when it comes to producing or anything of that nature?

No, honestly, no, I learned off of YouTube, just practicing by myself. The only way I learned how to make music was by listening to music and just studying it. Even though I go to NYU for the music business, I never took classes in production, which I actually appreciate 'cause I think there's value in not learning the rules. After all, then it limits your creativity in some ways. But no, I haven't doubted it. I don't wanna sound cocky, but shit.

E: I mean, if you can back it up, that's all that matters.



IS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO ADVERTISE YOURSELF?

It's not difficult. It took me a while to get out of my shell, but at this point, I just try to ensure that everybody knows I do music. I'm aware that most people don't really know my music or haven't even listened to anything yet, but as long as they know and they're aware, that's all that matters to me for now. And I just try to ask everybody as well, people that I meet, like, "Yo, do you make music? It's a good conversation starter. It's a good way to network. And I just try to be very tapped in with what everybody else is doing, just so I can have something to talk to them about or something to relate to. But at the end of the day, I really just want to show appreciation for other people's work. It's important to not just focus on myself necessarily 'cause there's so much art in the world otherwise that I want to just be aware of.

E: How do you deal with sharing your art and not receiving the reception you want?

Honestly, okay. I would say the way I do it is just by always moving on to the next. If I have a song flop, which has been a lot of songs, I just keep going. I still think they're great. I still love them, and that's what matters, but if the song doesn't work, just put out the next one. If the video flops, put out the next one. You can't get hung up on that. So I feel like you just gotta keep going until you get the one that works, and then things start going up. The way I see success in music and in a lot of things, but especially in music, is that everything you do, like every show, every song, every TikTok, is like a lottery ticket. You never really know what will work, and sometimes you'll be surprised by what works. But that's the thing: if you don't put yourself out there, you'll never have that luck. You have to create luck for yourself just by being prolific.


MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

So, right now, a couple are Kate Bollinger. She's a really good indie singer. Lucki, the rapper, I'm a big fan of his.

C: Shoutout Lucki

Shoutout, Lucki, for real. Sam Gellaitry.

E: We get high, we get fat.

Also, I'm a big Yeat fan. I love his work. I think he's really creative. Otherwise, I really love Doja Cat. I think Doja Cat is an amazing artist all around. And then, otherwise, I would say I'm really influenced by a ton of smaller artists that I know, like a lot of friends from school, and just like acquaintances, or just ones that I know about. I get really influenced by their music and what they're doing, 'cause probably like a quarter of what I listen to is other like local smaller artists just to know their shit and know what they're doing.

E: Shout some of them out!

Yeah, okay. My Friend Shawn and my roommate Royce Fisherman. I'm gonna say Vrdnyn V-R-D-N-Y-N. He's one of my producer friends who just did two of my songs.



DO YOU WANT TO BREAK INTO OTHER MEDIUMS BESIDES MUSIC?

Yeah, so I would say I'm focusing on music for now 'cause I just think you need to give it your all to make that work. But I love graphic design; I love art. I've been getting into fashion, thanks to my roommate, honestly. He's like a fashion guy. But definitely, I wanna get more into the art world. When I was younger, I used to like painting and drawing. So, I'd like to get back into that at some point. Graphic design, too.


HOW IMPORTANT IS GOOD COVER/ALBUM ART TO YOU?

Good cover art is super important to me, at least something that just looks good on streaming platforms and catches people's eyes. It's all about visuals today. We do judge a book by its cover; at least, I do. Even though I feel like a lot of my cover art is not incredible artwork that could be hung up in a museum or something, 95% of it is artwork that I made myself in Photoshop, which I'm really proud of. I love to work on the visual aspect of my music; I'm super passionate about it. But yes, someday I want to have an album cover that really just blows people away that they'll hang up in the MOMA or something.



TOP THREE POP ARTISTS?

Okay, I'm gonna put Dominic Fike on there. I know he's more of a little alternative, but I really like him. Bakar, I like that as well. Like 2010s pop, I really enjoyed it. Honestly, the early Katy Perry and Kesha shit is hard. Oh, Coldplay, yo, I fuck with Coldplay heavy.

E: White boys love Coldplay. We should make a shirt that says that.

Yo would I would wear that.


FAVORITE MUSIC-RELATED MEMORY SINCE BECOMING NICKNAMES?

There have been so many good memories of playing shows, making music with friends, making music by myself, and just being so excited by a song and playing it over and over again. But I think my favorite memory so far was when I met the two fans at my last show at the Mercury Lounge. They were a young couple from Shanghai that was in New York for a couple weeks, and they saw on Spotify that I had a show and they bought tickets and came. It blew my mind. I met them before the show and dedicated a song to them, and it was so crazy seeing them singing the lyrics back to me at the show. It was just such a rewarding experience; all the years of hard work have just been so worth it for moments like that. I would have never crossed paths with them, most likely, if it hadn't been for my music, and the same with any other fans out there of my work. It's so cool that I can connect with strangers over my music and have a small impact on their lives.




DESCRIBE YOUR WORK IN ONE WORD

Alright. It's not quite there yet, but I'm gonna choose timeless. Timeless... It sounds mad cocky saying that. But I'm trying to make timeless music. I'm not there yet, but eventually. Yeah, I'll just say timeless. I don't give a fuck.


WHAT'S NEXT FOR NICKNAMES?

Man, I have a single coming out in December and an EP in January. Some songs I produced will be dropped real soon.

E: Any music videos?

Yeah, two music videos for the EP songs. Two music videos. Get ready for it!


HOW WOULD YOU SHOW SOMEONE YOUR WORK IF THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT YOU?

I would perform a song for them, just for the one person.

E: Right in front of them?

Yup, just right in front of them. Just be like, yeah. ♪ I don't know, da, da, da. ♪

C: Any shoutouts you wanna do before we wrap up?

Thank you to my family for supporting me! Shout out to all my friends doing this music shit or just doing creative shit at the same time. I'm super excited to see where we are in a couple years.

Oh, also, can I change my one-word to classic?

E: Sure, but we're leaving in the fact that you tried to make it timeless at first.



THANK YOU TO ELLISON FOR PUTTING NICKNAMES & US IN CONTACT! ALSO SHOUT OUT TO NICKNAMES! HE HAS LOTS OF COOL THINGS COMIN’ UP SO MAKE SURE TO GIVE HIM A LISTEN!

CREDITS

SUBJECT/BRAND : NICKNAMES @youknownicknames

PHOTOGRAPHER : LAURA SONG @gh0stpimp 

MODEL : NICKNAMES @youknownicknames

EDITOR: E&C* @acediastudios

TEXT : E&C* @acediastudios