nika jane
Art Direction & Photography : Ida Lou
Hair and Make Up : Angela Duncan
Discovering nika jane’s music was a beautiful surprise and it is probably one of the most exciting projects of the year.
She recently released her debut single “empire” and it was entirely written/produced/mixed by nika jane herself. I’m almost losing my words so much this song is incredible. It is so well-written and produced. I’m absolutely blown away by this debut single. I know it’s only her first song but I believe she could be one of the greatest female artists/producers in the game.
Despite her young age, nika jane is introducing herself as a unique artist with a true musical identity. I cannot wait to hear more music from her :)
“empire” is available now :)
Art Direction & Photography : Ida Lou
Hair and Make Up : Angela Duncan
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hi! My name is Nika Jane. I’m a 16 year old singer, producer, songwriter, and composer from New Zealand who moved to Nashville when I was 7. My dad was in a band so we traveled all around the USA for 3 years before settling down. I started composing in middle school, and naturally caught the music bug. I’ve been developing my style ever since!
What did you grow up listening to?
I was exposed to a huge variety of music as a kid, but the main thing I listened to was a LOT of film scores, especially when we were touring. Hans Zimmer was my absolute idol. I actually saw him in concert when I was 12 and I was waving my arms around pretending to conduct the whole time!! So mainly film scores.
When did you realize you could sing?
Haha funny story with this one! So I never really sang properly around anyone so I didn’t think I was good or anything. For my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary, (I was 13) we couldn’t make it back to New Zealand to celebrate with them, so our family decided to make a song for them instead. We wrote the whole thing and my dad produced it, and we were all just gonna sing it together. I just got up to the mic and started singing my part, and basically my parents both freaked out and I ended up singing the whole song!! After that singing just kinda became a more prevalent thing for me.
When did you start producing your own music?
I started officially learning how to produce at the start of quarantine here in Nashville. I spent a lot of time over the summer doing it and I still have HEAPS to learn!
How would you define nika jane, the artist?
I would say that I as nika jane am a blend of genres (Hans Zimmer’s scores, FINNEAS’ genius productions, orchestral classics etc.) and inspirations to make songs that tell stories. It’s like I’m a messenger meant to romanticize everything from the regular things of everyday life to history’s hectic storylines.
"empire" is your debut single - how's it like to release music for the first time?
Honestly it’s been pretty chill! I really didn’t have many expectations for how it would go, so the fact that it’s done quite well has been pretty shocking! I think the coolest part is just putting music on shuffle and having my song come on it’s pretty crazy.
What's the story/inspiration behind this single?
Well believe it or not “empire” actually came out of an assignment from my Spanish class! We were told to pick a Hispanic artist and make a presentation about one of their works. I chose Francisco Goya who painted the “Third of May” because I’d learned about it in my AP European History class. The other part of the presentation was an original art piece that we had to create with the same message as the famous work, but it could be in any medium. The idea of Goya’s work was to spread awareness of the dangers of Napoleon Bonaparte’s misguided nationalism, and since I draw like a third grader (worse than some third graders), I decided to write a song! It actually was pretty easy to write because I knew about Napoleon from my Euro class. I presented it and my class loved it, so I decided to release it as my first single!
What's your favorite thing about this song?
My favorite part is probably the lyrics for this one. I like that it changes perspective in the chorus and I was kinda proud of myself for using actual terms from my class!
What made you want to release "empire" as your debut single?
It was mainly the fact that the people in my Spanish class were asking for it, but also that I genuinely like the song and am happy that it’s the first thing representing nika jane.
You wrote, produced and mixed this debut single by yourself - what do you like the most about doing all these things yourself? Is there any challenge?
Honestly I like all parts of creating the music! Obviously it can get a little hard if I get into a creative jam, but that can happen at any point in the process. I love writing because it’s so fun to find clever ways to string together a story, but I love producing/mixing too because it’s amazing to actually create what I hear in my head.
What is your goal for this debut single?
I really just wanted this single to be something I feel represents me well and something I know I’m going to love no matter what happens... The fact that other people are liking it is just a bonus!
What does it mean for you to be an artist?
Being an artist is an outlet for all of the crazy stuff in my head really. I’m a creative person, so I relinquish my ideas and thoughts into music. My project is my way of storytelling, whether it be mine or Napoleon’s.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
I LOVE English. Reading and writing are some of my absolute favorite things to do (as well as finding typos in other peoples work lol - I’m a bit of a perfectionist)
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Well I’m still young and have a lot to try and learn, so I think the main thing I’ve somehow managed to figure out is that I’m really not going to be able to know everything. As a kid I always thought that when I grow up I would reach some kind of enlightened state when I became an adult, but I’ve realized that the growing never stops. Even as a “grown up” we never stop learning and failing because if we did, we would all just be stuck and never make any progress.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I’ve always wondered why people can’t just say what they feel. Honesty could be one of the most freeing and connecting things if we let it because it would just save us a LOT of trouble.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
I think the main thing I want to communicate to the world is that everyone’s stories deserve to be told.
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