Singer/songwriter Nicolette has always been searching for something more profound; writing her first song elegantly named “Birds & Butterflies” at the age of 7, it was clear that she was destined to pursue a new path and arrive at something bigger than herself.
Nicolette Began her journey born and raised in Florida until December of 2021 when she moved to Charlotte, NC. Still, it wasn't until a fateful day in January of 2022, after enduring the breakup of a 4-year relationship, that she would decide to fully embark on the road to destiny, turning her daydreams into reality and leaving her past in the rear-view: Enter “Arrived” a haunting reminder of how vulnerable and helpless love can make us when it’s real.
Nicolette delivers what can only be described as a beautifully ghostly performance and gives us what feels like a backseat view of a deep heartbreak which plays out during a somber car ride. With lyrics like “But you're driving slower than you usually do / The GPS says 5 minutes, is that it? Is that all that's left of our forever?” “Arrived” paints a pure and raw portrait of what it feels like to hold on till the last goodbye of love and asks us the question, “where do we go from here?”.
“Arrived” begins, and we are greeted with a bar of melancholic chords tucked under a lonely feeling piano riff which guides us to the song's opening statement, “How did it come to this?” Nicolette’s calm melodic vocals, delayed in the background, are accented by a deep kick that seems to pulse like a skipping heart washed out by a dark and drowning reverb.
When the chorus hits, a harmony of strings crescendos into a hopeful symphony and almost makes you forget the sad story being told as if there is still a chance at finding what was lost, only to be reminded that the ride was destined to end from the start—a genuinely moving song from an emerging artist who is not afraid to tell it like it is.
Listen to “Arrived” today on all major streaming platforms…and bring a tissue.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Nicolette! We loved “Arrived;" we truly wanted the ride and this song to last forever. How did it feel the first time you wrote a song about heartbreak?
It felt very freeing to find the words to describe what I was going through and turn something painful into something beautiful. It made me feel I had control over the pain by choosing what I wanted to do with it and what I wanted to turn it into.
Your sound is very personal and intimate, and recording can be very emotional. Do you tend to record yourself in your own space or prefer working with a studio/engineer?
I prefer working with a producer/engineer because I love bouncing creative ideas back and forth with someone and having someone who's able to add on pieces that I would have never thought of adding; however, I must find a producer/engineer that I feel comfortable with where I can allow myself to be in a vulnerable state. I'm lucky the producer I worked with (Tim Campbell) is very open and encouraging.
Your lyrics are very raw and unapologetic; how long did it take for you to feel comfortable with taking a more unfiltered approach to songwriting?
I've been songwriting for many years, and I've always written very raw lyrics for as long as I can remember. I used to be very private with my songs and only used songwriting as therapy for whatever I was going through. So it was very easy to write honest lyrics, but I still struggled publicly sharing those songs. I try not to focus on what someone could say about my lyrics but on who they might help, even if they only support me.
If you had to describe your music in 3 colors, what would they be? and why?
I love this question because I have synesthesia and associate much of my work with colors.
I would say the three colors would be yellow, orange, and purple. Yellow is a color of comfort to me, and I find comfort in vulnerability. Much of what I write comes from a vulnerable state, and I like to keep it as unfiltered as possible.
Purple is like a border color between dark and light (moreover leaning towards dark). I feel my lyrics and style come across as darker in meaning with a bit of hope. Lastly, I would say white. I like to think that my style reflects parts of the shadowself, the parts we're taught and told to hide, be ashamed of, and change. But I see the shadowself as the purest, most authentic part of who we are. And, of course, white is associated with being the purest color.
What's next for you?
I will be releasing 1 or 2 more singles before releasing a larger project, as well as some music videos and some shows, and I have a few more projects in the works.
