Nick Wilson FAULT Magazine Covershoot and Interview
Nick Wilson infuses emotion into every release and his work is all the more stronger for it. His debut album ‘Now I’m Falling’ is further proof of how he builds on lived experiences, lessons and hardships to give us a view of life from his perspective. To learn more about his process, new music and journey, we sat down with Nick Wilson to meet the artist and his FAULTs.
You pour so much emotion into your writing and performances, do you ever become emotionally fatigued after forever leaving so much on the page or stage?
I don’t think I’ve ever felt drained from it no! I find it hard to write about things that I haven’t experienced in some way, and my favourite songs to write are those songs that just lay it all bare, but for me songwriting is like therapy. I find it more therapeutic than fatiguing haha!
What was different about the writing process for‘ Now I’m Falling’ compared to previous projects?
In terms of writing, it hasn’t actually been too different. These are 10 songs that I never actually wrote with an album in mind, they came from different places over the last 3 years. But compiling them into one project was super different, thinking about them as more of a cohesive whole.
How did the lockdown influence your writing process?
For a few months I didn’t write a single thing. It kind of stopped me in my tracks a little, I didn’t feel like I wanted to write anything when the world world was going through it. But slowly it came back and I feel like being locked away from people meant that when I got back into writing, it was slightly easier to open up.
What would you say was the hardest song to write on the album?
Good question. I really don’t know if any of the songs were too hard to write haha! I find usually that if a song is impossible to write it’s probably just not worth writing. But if I had to choose? Maybe Cold. Took us a while to land on the right chorus lyric on that one.
Your previous EP saw you experimenting with diverse music choices, will this album be the same, or do you feel you’ve found the signature groove for yourself?
Oh for sure it feels like I’ve found my signature groove. This album was for me a chance to really nail in what I want to sound like, and I think it’s exactly that. I always love playing with new sounds but for now this is the most ‘nick wilson’ an album could be.
You stay close to the whole creative direction of your music videos, is there ever a fear that as you continue to grow in acclaim, you’ll be forced to take a step back from the hands-on approach?
I think there’s always that fear in some way, but I like to think I’m stubborn enough to put my foot down if I need to haha. In all honesty I think that so much of music is about trust, and who you put your trust in. And for me with visuals, I’ve found an incredible team who I trust with everything, so I don’t really feel forced in anything I do.
What’s been the most challenging hurdle you’ve had to overcome on your musical journey?
Damn. It sounds cheesy but I’d say learning to trust in myself and my own music. It’s so easy to get distracted by everything else that’s happening in music, and for me, learning to have faith in yourself and patience in music is the most important thing. It’s tough though, I still have days where I don’t get it one bit.
What’s something you’ve done recently to benefit your mental health?
Talk to people! It’s the best way to overcome certain emotions or at least to acknlowedge them.
During the writing process, do you tend to withdraw from outside influence or do you prefer to soak up as much influence as possible?
I don’t think I’ve ever consciously thought about it, I think usually I write from quite a personal place and emotionally I find it easier to write from within, but equally I write a lot with other people who draw things out of me, and bring their own experiences to the table and I love that. So probably a bit of both (if that isn’t a cop out answer)
If you could go back to the beginning of your musical journey and leave yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
No one really knows what they’re doing and a lot of people will claim they do, you’re doing fine just keep doing what you want to do and don’t listen to the noise.
What is your FAULT? (Personal flaw)
Cutting deep here. I’m a perfectionist to a fault. Or the fact I can’t swallow tablets. Whichever is better…