Tucker Nichol
Interview conducted on September 19, 2022
By Dan Locke
Former Miss Tennessee and R&B artist Tucker Nichol new album Too Close To Home is out now!
What was your up bring like?
I was born in Kirkland, Washington… moved to Southfield, Michigan when I was about 2 years o/d… and then have lived in the middle Tennessee area since I was 12!
How did you discover music?
I honestly don’t remember a time where music wasn’t an incredibly large piece of who I am. I was always humming or singing along to everything.
How did you start to write music?
My grandma suggested that I put my love of storytelling and singing together and start writing my own songs, but I didn’t think I was capable of doing it. It wasn’t until I heard Taylor Swift’s first album that it really clicked for me. She and I are the same age, so seeing her write all of her own songs really gave me that extra push to give it a shot. I was always a singer first, but I quickly grew to love songwriting.
What was your first guitar? Do you still have it?
A beginner level Yamaha and yes I still have it! My kids like to play it!
What is your guitar of choice now? year, make and model? And does it have a name?
I’m actually in the market for a new guitar. I need to go test drive a few to see what I end up landing on, though! I have yet to name a guitar, but I’m sure when I meet the perfect one, I will. I mostly play my Baby Taylor guitar since it’s easy to just carry around.
What was your first performance at like?
During my freshman year, I sang at an open mic night at my high school. I was so scared to perform in front of my classmates, I probably looked absolutely terrified up there. Being the new kid (I moved the summer before freshman year), I still didn’t have many friends yet…and was still adjusting to not only being in a new school with all new people, but an entirely different state…so it was a lot of change for me. I was painfully shy, but the only thing I knew is that I loved to sing…so I auditioned to be in the Open Mic, sang along with a track, and somehow made my way through the song. I think I sang “Only Hope” by Mandy Moore. My first non-school-related show was at a coffee shop. I sang all covers. I remember it being so loud in there. People talking, blenders going off every few minutes … but I still had a lot of fun.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve.
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the international singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
I’ve been with ASCAP since around 2010
What makes a good songwriter?
An honest observer
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
“Tonight” and yes I recorded it with friends at Belmont University as a class project. Every now and then, it pops up on my music library and I get a good laugh from it. I wrote the song about my best guy friend at the time and then I asked him to sing background on it. ..which he did. A bold move.
What is the process of writing your music?
It varies. When I’m writing alone, I almost always start with lyrics. I have countless notebooks and endless notes on my phone of concepts, lyrics, and half sketched out songs. I try to build the storyline first and then I decide what I think those words look like they sound like… if that makes sense. For co-writes, I like to come in with a concept that I’m really vibing with. I love hearing a track and then catching a melody, then filling it in from there. Like musical Tetris.
How was it to see your video to hit both MTV and BET?
That was nuts. I got a couple emails about it and I had to read them back a few times. Didn’t feel real at all. I was like wait…like… THE MTV and BET?? The actual ones??
Played MY video???? Unreal. Especially being an independent artist who grew up watching both channels religiously. I still have a long way to go, but that little bit of recognition really meant a lot to me!
Tell me about your single 11This Is Why11?
I kept getting calls from people asking why I was no longer associating with certain people. Mutual friends would tell me how they (I’ll call them “The Subject” for anonymity’s sake) were telling everyone that they missed me, and I was so exhausted of hearing about it all. They didn’t miss me… they could’ve reached out to me to genuinely apologize or to attempt to move forward in a healthy, respectful manner, but instead they chose violence, gaslighting, and dishonesty ….so it was apparent that 1. they’d never change 2. they were simply frustrated about the fact that they’d lost “control” over me 3. they were more concerned with how people might perceive them (damage control) than they were about actually making things right with me. The Subject would call anyone that would listen in attempt to tarnish (and even sever) my relationships with friends and family members. They went to incredibly great lengths to isolate me from everyone else, desperately trying to bleed me out so that I could go back to their poisonous well. They were omitting big truths that would’ve filled in more of the puzzle for people trying to figure out why I parted ways with The Subject. I had countless conversations with The Subject and they knew exactly what the deal was, but they still wanted to play the victim to anyone who’d listen in order to gain sympathy.
They would do something so incredibly over-the-top and toxic but then would revert back to “I don’t understand why she talk to me anymore??” So, after years of silence, and writing countless letters I’ll never send, I finally wrote this song in a way to say: you no longer have personal access to me, so you will not hear from me directly anymore, but I know you’re calling everyone and lying about the entire situation … / know you’re finding ways to keep tabs on me even though you’ve since been blocked… I see you for who you are, and I’m much better off over here without you. And, since you’ve seemingly lost your memory about the deplorable things you’ve done and said: here’s a a littler reminder that THIS IS WHY you’re on your own. I think I went very easy on them, all things considered.
How was it to work with Mary Weitz?
Mary is awesome. The first day writing together, we wrote “Not My Business”. We work really quickly together which is awesome. She’s so easy and fun to work with and I look forward to writing with her again later this year!
How was it to work with Logen Christopher as a director?
Logen (and his entire team) is a dream! He’s another person who is very easy and fun to work with. He’s got such a great eye and I trust him entirely with my videos. I recently had to shoot another video for a different song from the album, and I knew immediately that I wanted to work with him again since the experience on “This Is Why” was so great.
Tell me about your debut album? 11Too Close to Home11?
I actually had another entirely different album that I had been writing and recording prior to this one….then the pandemic happened, so I put that project on hold in order to tackle this one first. I had a lot of time to start processing a lot of things that had been simmering for years… things that I had tried to ignore or push deep down. One summer, I decided I was ready to start facing my childhood trauma head-on and to start actually verbalizing things that occurred. I felt like, in order for me to heal and sort through all of these things, I needed to communicate in the best way I know: writing and singing. I live full time in Nashville, but I primarily work out of Los Angeles, so I planned some studio sessions out in LA. I started thinking about what I wanted this album to be and I decided to make the entire body of work circulate around one singular topic: the rollercoaster of being in a toxic situation… the initial stages of recognition, finally addressing the aggressor head on and telling them “I finally see you for who you are and I’m done”, the healing stage, the mourning stage, being optimistic about a healthier future… then ending with the reflection. Adam, JL, and Mary (who co wrote this entire album with me) were so awesome. / would go in for the day and say “/ have this title” or “I have this line I keep singing and I think it might be something”, “so this is my concept”, etc and then we’d completely build everything from the ground up there. I felt like we had all been working together for years. They’re all so great at what they do and I’m really honored to have had them help me create this album. We wrote and recorded all 10 of these songs in 10 days.
With over 1.3 million streams on Spotify for 11That Ain •t Gonna Work11 128K followers on Instagram and 14.8 million collective views on TikTok for 11Not My Business11 What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I love how much more accessible music is, especially for independent artists, thanks to streaming. While it’s still a long, uphill battle as an independent artist, streaming and social media definitely allows for great opportunities to get your name and music out there. If only the streaming numbers translated over better monetarily ….
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as 11hashtags11 and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
I assume that most anyone without a music background likely sees the # and their brain. goes straight to “hashtag” at this point.
Digital vs. vinyl?
I have a really great vinyl collection. However, I listen to mostly digital since I’m always moving around and always wanting to have quick access to my music library.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
“The Beautiful Ones” by Prince
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It seems like live music will be fine, but I think Covid-19 has already impacted the music business immensely.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
I have not really thought about it in that light, but I wouldn’t consider it a plus.
How did you stay healthy during the lockdown?
I worked out at home with my husband and kids, used our infrared sauna, went on walks, and tried to take breaks from my phone to protect my mental health.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
I mostly just zeroed in on the hobbies I already had. I organized a lot (which I love to do), baked a ton, made lots of guacamole, did lots of cardio, rediscovered my love of Monopoly, etc. OH!! Speaking of games! The one new thing I picked up during the lockdown was the game Animal Crossing. I’ve always loved video games (I’m an N64 girl mainly), but I ended up ordering a Nintendo Switch right before Easter 2020 and I played for 13 hours straight on the first day it arrived. I had already cleaned the house from top to bottom, changed all the sheets, washed all the clothes, binge watched more shows, did multiple arts and crafts projects… so the Nintendo Switch was a very fun, welcomed distraction from everything else going on. Plus, my kids and husband loved playing that with me!!
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
I guess that’s one of the big perks of social media: you can engage with fans from all over the world at any time of day! You can create interest for your music and merchandise via social media pretty easily!
Pay to play has been a thing since the 1950s. It was called Payola. It was the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio stations to play a song. This has been stopped. But in the during the same time music venues took it to the next level. Many venues started to ask bands to pay for a spot on a bill and this is still going today with large tours having a unknown band paying.money to open up for the tour in exchange for the band to get a bigger audience for their music. Is pay to play still a thing?
It’s, for sure, still a thing.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
No thanks.
In the past if a musician stop doing music they find a new career. For example David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants .. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
I’d be a professional organizer. And maybe even going back to school to study interior design.
Is your happy place Disney?
Yes!!! Disney World specifically. I think that’s my favorite place to reset. I’m able to shake off everything else and soak in the magic. I love getting to share my love of Disney World with my kids and just be a kid myself while I’m there!
IT should be noted, that there is a huge differences between royalties for songwriting and performance. So if you made a deal
to sell off your back catalog you can setup it so you can still perform your own songs. And that anything thing new you create you would still be yours.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million) , Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor wift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young song 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative then the mechanical royalties paid to artist based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late B0’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
IT should be noted, that there is a huge differences between royalties for songwriting and performance. So if you made a deal to sell off your back catalog you can setup it so you can still perform your own songs. And that anything thing new you create you would still be yours.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. Do you think you would be willing to sale your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. Do you think you would be willing to sale your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
As long as the deal made sense for wherever I’m at career-wise at the time, then I would think so, yes.
What is you’re feeling about TikTok? With Sony Music and Warner Music strucking an 11expanded11 global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
Social media overall has been something I’ve had to really work to embrace. I consider myself to be an extroverted introvert and the current social media template of post post-post-post can be stressful for me. It can feel a lot like an energy vampire… but I’ve been trying to have more fun with it since it does come with the territory nowadays.
Also, TikTok has launching TikTok Radio (ch. 4), a full-time SiriusXM music channel. The station will be available is vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.
The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary, Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could became a force in the future of streaming music?
I need to do more reading on this subject, but I’m sure it’ll have a great impact!
They say create content content content. How does pre-save help with content
It really helps gain excitement and traction for whatever upcoming release you may have. I had a lot of fun asking people to presave my album. If I saw a funny meme, I’d repurpose it to make it apply to my album dropping. The pre-save stage is a really fun way to countdown to a release.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thanks for having me!!
