Nicola Harris is a charismatic singer-songwriter whose passion has always laid within ‘modern’ country music. Whilst career highs have included performing alongside a host of industry stars from UB40 to Elkie Brooks, & Jason Donovan to James Arthur. Attending The Long Road Festival in 2019 inspired Nicola to put ‘pen to paper’, writing a number of songs inspired by her own life experiences.
Since then, Nicola has been interviewed by Una Healy on her country hits radio show, where Una made Nicola her ‘Champion homemade artist’ with “I Wanna, I Gotta Dance”, and her single “Notice Me”, was aired on BBC Introducing which gave Nicola the confidence to keep writing. ‘Notice Me’ was also nominated for a UK Country Music Awards Song of the Year in 2021.
Now, Nicola is set to embark on the next stage of an exciting musical journey with the upcoming release of the country-rock anthem “You”, which was produced by Tim Prottey-Jones. & features Sonic Boom Recording artist Preston D. Barnes.
Nicola has kindly taken the time to speak with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the forthcoming single & you can find the full interview below.
Hey Nicola, thank you so much for this interview. Can you start by telling readers a little bit about yourself?
Nicola: I started singing very young in the school band at 6 years old, singing the ‘Teddy Bear Song’ by Barbara Fairchild. I had been in various theatre shows throughout my school years. joined a rock band aged 14 performing in nightclubs. Left school and went to Notts college to do a b-tec in performing arts. I received a £32,000 grant I had to audition for so I could train at Laine Theatre Arts stage school in London. After leaving stage school I worked professionally as a singer/dancer and to this day I still do. It’s been my life.
When did you first discover your passion for music?
Nicola: As soon as I heard music I started dancing aged 4.
Have you always known that you wanted to pursue a career within the music industry?
Nicola: I always knew I could write, but it’s always been on the back burner as I’ve spent my life performing all over the world in various shows which left little time for anything else.
How would you currently describe your musical style?
Nicola: I write mostly from life experiences, a few are based on others around me. I love modern country but adore old classics, such as Dr Hook / The Bellamy Brothers, anything slightly romantic and seductive. I also love 80’s Def Leppard • so I would say I like to blend a mix of modern country music with a twist of 80’s rock.
You are about to release the new single “You”, on November 2nd, alongside Preston D Barnes. How did the idea for this song come together?
Nicola: I was annoyed with my partner one night over something he said, it made me extremely angry and hurt, so I wrote ‘YOU’ that night to explain how I felt about him cause I struggle to say it face to face. He gets upset that I’ve told everyone the song is personal, but I just say ‘well you shouldn’t have upset me’ lol. 😂
Did you always plan to release “You” as a single?
Nicola: Yes, I needed it to be about two people feeling the exact same way, but not knowing how to express their feelings verbally. I’ve always been someone who can express my feelings written down, I struggle to be the one to take the lead in case of rejection, I’m old fashioned and always wait to be asked.
How did the idea to collaborate alongside Preston emerge?
Nicola: Well, I first got in contact with Tim and he suggested Preston. I listened to some of Preston’s songs and loved his voice straight away, so I contacted him and within about 10min of sending the demo Preston was on board and loved the song.
The song was also produced by Tim Prottey-Jones. How did the notion of Tim joining as a producer come together?
Nicola: I host a radio show called ‘My Kind of Country’ and have played many of Tim’s songs, I love his structure and sound. He’s my kind of style lol. So I messaged Tim and asked him if he would listen to my demo and possibly produce the music. I was a little nervous sending it as I can’t play a musical instrument. I have an app on my iPad which plays chords, so basically I recorded myself playing the chords into garage band, then I sang over the top.
What does this song personally mean to you?
Nicola: Basically, it’s a way of slapping my partner around the face and saying, of course, I love you, you div and I’ve just written a song to prove it heeee!
If listeners could take anything away from this song, what would you like it to be?
Nicola: I think it’s just to play the song to their partner. I know I’m not the only one who struggles with face-to-face feelings. So I’ve written this to make it easier for everyone. I found it a lot easier writing ‘YOU’ and playing it to my partner than ever speaking the words. It might just reignite the flame you both have burning under the surface.
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Nicola: I’m thankful for meeting Tim & Preston who helped ‘YOU’ come to life. ‘YOU’ is the only thing I’ve ever been truly proud of. I’ve also been working with Tim on another song which will be released just before New Year. It’s a country dance track and its title is the name of a famous country singer.
You can pre-save “You” by clicking the link here.
Nicola Harris: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram.
Preston D Barnes: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram.
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