Lucky in all senses of the word, and no longer lingering on the past, Nicky Youre has got his head out the sunroof, his eyes turned towards the sky.
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Sometimes there are moments in life that stop us in our tracks and cause us to reevaluate our lives and choices, urging us to just go for it and take different paths. For one up-and-coming artist, there have been a few moments that define his career, but all he wants is to keep going and doing what he loves, constantly rediscovering who he is along the way.
You may know singer-songwriter Nicky Youre for his viral hit Sunroof, a song that’s made the rounds on social media across the globe. Not familiar? Play it. Trust us, you know it. Song of the summer realness. The rising indie-pop artist is back with a set of three new singles that signal a renewed commitment to an art form he never thought he’d end up pursuing as a dream. With his catchy melodies and uplifting vibe, Nicky Youre is figuring out who he is as an artist and making music that feels right to him, while navigating the unpredictable but exhilarating life of a singer who blew up basically overnight.
The 24-year old musician recently dropped his newest single Mile Away, an upbeat, high-energy glimpse into a relationship headed for disaster. It’s one of three songs on the single album of the same name, which also includes previous singles Part Time Lover and S.A.D. Currently on tour in North America, Nicky Youre sat down for a quick chat with NYLON Manila all about the journey this relatively new endeavor has taken him.
CHASING THE SUN
We’ve listened to our fair share of summer bops in our lifetime, Sunroof and now Mile Away among them, so it got us wondering—is there a formula to it? People can say that songs sound the same all they want, but when it hits, it hits. Just look at FIFTY FIFTY’s Cupid, Tate McRae’s Greedy, or Dua Lipa’s discography.
“I think all the summer anthems, they’re always catchy,” Nicky remarks. “They just gotta hit right. They gotta be vibey. They feel good, they make you want to dance. Those are the key things, but I think there’s a million ways to do it.”
“I wish I knew the actual formula,” he exclaims. “Then I’d just be spitting them out all day.” With his new releases, Nicky tries a few new things without veering away from what he loves to do—which makes for three new songs to add to a summer playlist, whether your summer consists of roadtrip vibes or abject yearning.
The eager Mile Away, the longing-filled Part Time Lover, and the heartbreaking S.A.D. each capture “different emotions and relationships,” drawn from personal feelings and experiences, but essentially all come together for another extremely valid reason we love to listen to music: the feelings. Like many of us, Nicky Youre loves the vibes.
“I just like making vibes and songs that make people feel good,” he says. Simple as that.
MOVING FAR TOO FAST
For the 24-year old artist, making follow-ups to the massive viral hit Sunroof took a whole lot of soul-searching. Though becoming an overnight viral sensation (it’s not really overnight, Nicky clarifies, but it feels like it) is a modern day gateway to fame and success (thank you, TikTok), there’s an expectation to constantly live up to the work that gets your name out there.
Nicky reveals that there was a ton of pressure on him after Sunroof blew up. “I had no clue how to handle it, I didn’t really have people or friends to talk to, because it was such a weird and unique case—having such a big song so early in my career.” Navigating the newness of it all had to be a solo flight, though his team did their best to support him.
But as with any success or achievement, you can’t let it get to your head. Holding on too tight on the past can deter you from moving forward with your best. For Nicky, trying to “recreate” the success of Sunroof was not an endeavor that panned out. “It just stressed me out and made my music worse, because I was just trying to recreate that song for so long.”
Eventually, he learned to let things be, and work on reigniting his love for the art of it all. “Right now,” he says. “I’m really focusing on myself and making music that I love—finding my love for the craft again.” He divulges that he recently wrote the first song that he’s truly loved in a long time, and he’s looking forward to cultivating his artistry more and figuring it all out.
GOING THE DISTANCE
Before picking up music full-time and touring from city to city, Nicky’s life trajectory led to meetings and spreadsheets instead of stages and soundboards—at least, that’s what his international business degree implies.
“I thought I was going to do sales for the rest of my life and just hang out,” he shares. Though not a terrible scenario, he had just always thought that while it would be amazing to be an artist, a music career wasn’t realistic for him. He did, however, try his hand at making music a couple times before going full speed ahead, releasing Sex & Lemonade in 2017 and a couple other songs before making waves with Sunroof.
“But I stumbled upon a manager who reached out to me and said, ‘hey, we should make music together.'” It took four months of convincing Nicky before he agreed, largely due to his apprehension of not being good enough—and not living up to his debut Sex & Lemonade, which he initially thought was the peak of his success.
But he couldn’t ignore the feeling in his gut, urging him to at least try and see it through. He didn’t want to wake up later in life regretting not taking the opportunity when someone was eager and willing to help him out with it. He now considers that manager to be one of his best friends.
“It’s like—you just gotta do it,” he says. “It might not actually [turn out to] be anything, but sometimes it’s something, and I think it’s important to give it a go.”
Well, look where giving it a go got him. Nicky is currently on tour, playing at venues across North America all summer, which he says is one of the best opportunities this entire experience has provided, along with getting to see how his music makes people feel great.
“It’s the craziest thing ever—to see that many people in an arena looking at me. There’s no other feeling like that,” he shares. While Nicky admits he was initially anxious and nervous about performing for people—who wouldn’t be—all he had to do was step out and do what he loves—sing. “I never realized that I could actually have an impact on people or make their days.”
Over six years ago, Nicky Youre would never have expected his life would lead to him being up on stage, hearing a crowd sing his songs back to him. Total dream-come-true moment. And the few billion streams, a growing library of music, a good support system, and a renewed love for the craft he has under his belt seems like a great formula for achieving his next ones. All he needs to do now is forge ahead.
Images from Nicky Youre on Instagram.
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