NYIKO & The White Electric drops collaborative project "Crush"
NYIKO and The White Electric releases collaborative EP Crush.
Written by NYIKO and produced by The White Electric, the electronic-pop record touches on love, lust, desire and our relationships with technology.
Innovative and captivating, Crush is a project between two friends: one based in Los Angeles, NYIKO and the other one based in Boston, The White Electric. Blending their musical tastes and their strengths into one, the two artists painted a promising EP.
The 6 track EP includes their previous singles “9x16”, “Dominoes” and “Lemon”.
Crush is now available worldwide.
You’ve just dropped your collaborative project. How does it feel like?
NYIKO: Well, we started working on this EP in October 2017. We got the final masters back in October 2018. It feels like we’ve been sitting on these songs for a while. We’re definitely ready to share them with you and with the world.
Could you tell us more about this project? How did it all come about?
N: In the summer of 2017, Dan aka The White Electric, posted an instrumental on his Instagram story and I DM’d him. He replied asking if I wanted to sing on it. That song became “In The Middle.” That track went on to be featured by Heard Well and signed to Sony / ATV for publishing. As you might imagine, that got us energized to keep the collaborations going. After “In The Middle,” we wrote “Go To Bed.” For a bit we considered dropping it as single, but then decided to bundle it with a larger and more cohesive piece. That’s when we decided to write the full EP.
What made you want to work on a collaborative project?
N: Dan and I have been friends since we were kids. So that was a good start. For me, the instrumentals that he was making posed a new and exciting challenge. I had been writing in the new wave and post-punk realm for a long time, so this was a chance for me to try something new. To branch out and see how things lined up when I wrote for more electronic and dance-centric tracks. I couldn’t be happier with the result.
Could you describe us your work process for this particular project?
N: With Dan in Boston and me living in LA, everything was done through email, phone calls, and FaceTime. It was kind of wild to never be in the same room together. Dan would send me instrumentals he was working on. I would bring them up in Ableton, restructure them a bit, write and record vocals, then send it back to Dan to finesse transitions and bulk up the production. There were usually a few more rounds of tweaking back and forth, then we sent everything off to be mixed by Ben Rogers at Loud Sun in New Hampshire, a long-time mutual friend from our childhood. He’s a dream to work with. We were lucky enough to get “Crush” mastered by the legendary Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.
What are the different topics you are talking about on this EP?
N: Love. Lust. Desire. Our relationships with technology. The thoughts that cross our minds when we’re falling in love.
Photo credit: Niles Gregory
"Lemon" is your latest single. What's the story behind this song?
N: I wrote “Lemon” in March of 2018. I had been writing a lot of very literal lyrics at the time and wanted to do something more metaphorical. Keeping with the themes of the EP, “Lemon” focuses on the idea that the act of love is fragile, vulnerable, and unpredictable. In some cases, the types of relationships we are most drawn towards are the same ones that bring us the most suffering.
What was the hardest part about making this EP? And what was the best part?
N: Collaborating on a project from across the country and in different time zones has its pros and cons. The pros are that we each had the ability to create in the comfort of our own studios. I think because of that, we were really able to make creative decisions that felt genuine to us as individuals. The hard part is that it takes a heck of a lot longer to finish things.
The White Electric / Photo credit: Caleb Mayerson
What made you want to name your EP Crush?
N: The word was calling to me throughout the writing process. It’s a word we use when we’re falling in love - “I have a crush on them” - but also when we’re heartbroken as in “I feel crushed.” It’s also something we say when we’re feeling triumphant - “I crushed that!” There’s one more thing. My last name, Béguin, translates in French to “(informal) crush, a short-lived and unrequited love or infatuation.” Pretty neat.
N: Any upcoming solo projects?
Yes indeed! I’ve got a full length on the way! All written and produced by yours truly. Another EP and some exciting collaborations as well. In the meantime, I’m playing live shows with a full band.
What message do you want to deliver to the readers of this blog?
N: Relationships can be challenging. Respect your partner. Be grateful. Trust your instincts. Don’t ever stop having fun.
Connect with NYIKO:
Connect with The White Electric: