Nicole Haber from Ontario, Canada discovered her passion for playing and creating music at a very young age and has been singing her heart out ever since. She is self-taught on piano and guitar and is heavily involved in the writing and production of her songs. Her love for music has allowed her to venture into the world of collaboration, where she works with other artists and DJ’s on filming and editing, mixing, and production. Her live performances are raw and engaging, which has allowed her to travel and perform for her fans. She is constantly looking to better herself and her artistic skills, which has gained her a platform that will no doubt bring her career to new heights.
Nicole’s new song ‘Happy Pill’ is beautifully portrayed in the music video directed by Natasha Hermann. The lyrics allude to a battle with mental illness, which is mirrored in the music video. It features Nicole going about her daily life, simultaneously being followed by a distorted version of herself, which she is struggling to accept. The song begins softly, with the focus on Nicole’s voice and acoustics. She then makes a transition to a much darker tone, using drums and electronic sounds to fit with the mood of the song. ‘Happy Pill’ is authentic and hard-hitting, and a fantastic new release from Nicole Haber. Listen to "Happy Pill" here.
It’s a pleasure to be chatting with you today Nicole! ‘Happy Pill’ is a wonderfully written song, can you tell us more about the inspiration behind it?
Happy Pill was written from a very vulnerable place. One thing I was told over and over in school was "you are enough", that has always stuck with me, but now I find it hard to feel like your enough when you not doing the things you want to be doing. Every day I see people hitting their goals and achieving their dreams and though I am so proud of them, I can't help but think, why not me. Am I not good enough? Is it just that social media makes everyone look good? All I knew was that the demon in my head was ripping me to shreds... I mean it still does I just know how to shut it up when it's not pushing me in the right direction. So when I wrote Happy Pill it was coming from a place of acceptance. I don't know what I'm doing all the time, I don't know if I'm gonna ever get what I want or feel the way I want, but I don't have to know. I just have to live every day, accepting all the situations that come my way and try to be my happiest. Life is not made to be easy or good for that matter, we are confronted with problems 24/7 and it's how you handle them and turn them into a positive that makes your life better.
I enjoyed watching your music video as well, how did the idea come together? What does ‘Happy Pill’ represent?
Originally, I wanted the video to represent the effects of youth taking Adderall and Ritalin and how it tampered with the mind. I was a child that had to go through that and it really sucked. I remember I was 13 telling my mom I was addicted to the drug and needed it to help me sleep, so I told her I wanted to stop taking it. But I knew it would be hard to get my point across without being insensitive. So instead, I wanted to make something a bit more satirical, with a bit of humor in it all. The video explains a human being forced to mask their mind with pills. You wake up feeling sad...take a pill, You feel uncomfortable...take a pill, life isn't what it seems...you get the idea...take a pill. These pills just further us from reality, we take them and it hides what we feel and makes us black out parts of our world. We are so quick to say something is wrong with us and all we do is say "take this it will numb the pain", but really it just confuses us and fogs up the facts even more. I wanted this to be a serious PSA, that no one is alone. A lot of people feel like this and it may not always get seen, but it's there.
You mentioned you wrote your first song at age 6, that’s quite impressive! What did you write your first song about, and how have your writing sessions changed as you’ve grown up?
This is always fun to talk about. I was born and raised Catholic, more agnostic now, but the first song I wrote was called "Angel" (written as Angle in my songbook. I always get a laugh outta that.) I was being bullied in school and I wrote the song as a screw you to all my haters. I told them I was gonna be an angel and I would help God (by not letting any of them into heaven.) Kids, am I right? But, my writing has changed a lot over the years. Although I keep the same intention, that my songs are my diary, they will always be my inner thoughts and feelings and I draw them often from my life experiences. What has changed is the style in which I write, I write every song as a poem or story, with a clear beginning, middle and end. I try to use words that aren't often used, play with the structures of the typical songwriting, and make something unique. I'm always trying to switch it up and make something different.
You have such a passion for all areas of music, do you think you’ll ever stray from recording to focus more on writing and production?
Writing may be, production not so much. I'm not the greatest with technology, I try my best. I do love every aspect of the arts though. I've done acting, dancing, modeling, singing, songwriting, playing instruments, and try my best with the mix and production side, but I always come back to singing and songwriting. There is a part of me that will never let go of that. I have really gotten into teaching vocals lately, I have been teaching a few friends of mine and I really like inspiring them and giving them the knowledge that I have with it.
Thank you so much for talking with us at BuzzMusic! Are you planning any live shows in the near future to promote your new music?
No, thank you so much for having me. So amazing that you provide opportunities like this. But yes, actually I have 2 shows coming up in December that people can keep their eyes out for. The first one is on December 12th at The Canoe and Paddle, in Lake Field Ontario, I am playing from 7 to 10 pm. The second one is at Today/Tonight Bar, in Toronto Ontario, from 8 to 9 pm. I will have tons of shows and new music coming out in the near future and if anyone wants to keep up to date with what they can check out my website at www.nicolehabermusic.com.