Kiera Nicole
Nominated for a South Australian music award in 2017 and signed to Sony Music Distribution for the release of her first EP Forever Roam, Kiera Nicole’s brand of country music is the real deal. With honest, poignant songwriting, not afraid to explore the flaws of the human condition, her second EP Speak Up explores some of the darker sides to life not always spoken out loud. Kiera answers a few questions for Hi Fi Way: The Pop Chronicles.
Are you excited by what lies ahead for Kiera Nicole in 2019?
I am absolutely excited for 2019. There will be lots of travel and interstate gigs, lots of writing and a potential album and a lot of personal milestones for myself this year also, plenty to keep me busy!
Is it hard to comprehend how much work goes in to making an EP?
You can never predict the work involved in making an EP until you get into the studio. I have recorded a few times now and each experience was completely different. With Speak Up I had a lot more to do with each individual decision that was made and I learned a lot more about the behind the scenes process. Hearing your songs start to come to life with the studio quality production made me have so many ideas on what I wanted to add to the songs vocally and instrumentation wise, so it ended up being a lot more complex than I initially thought.
How would you describe your music?
My music would be contemporary country music. I was raised singing and playing country music and I believe I will always have that sound.
Do you think your sound has changed much between EP’s?
I think my sound has changed from my first EP to Speak Up. I have grown so much as an artist and matured also personally that I think it really shows in my music. My stories are more real and vulnerable.
Did you feel the need to delve in to the “darker sides of life” on Speak Up?
I did and do feel the need to delve into those areas. Everyone has a story to tell and naturally every one would have bad times that go with the good. I was always scared to talk about my own negative experiences out of embarrassment or because I thought I was the only one going through hard times. I believe it is important to raise awareness to issues like domestic violence or anyone suffering in general so that people can have support through any hard time. I was fortunate enough to turn my bad situation around to get the best quality out of my life and I hope that others can too.
How passionate are you about the work of Zahra Foundation and what important role do they play in the community?
The Zahra foundation is such a close foundation to my heart. As a victim of domestic violence I wanted to raise awareness for others out there that ay be struggling. The Zahra foundation is a non for profit organisation here in Adelaide and they help women in domestic violence get their lives on track after leaving a violent home/situation. They offer many things from clothing, food, education, financial counselling and have just created such an amazing support base.
Do you think the message is getting through?
I do think the message is getting through, and every little bit we can do to raise awareness would certainly help that.
Who is your biggest musical influence and why?
My biggest musical influence would be my mum. She was a country music singer and recording artist in her own right and taught me to sing, play guitar since I was the age of three. I spent most of my childhood travelling around country Australia singing on stage with my mum and she is one of the reasons for why I do what I do.
What’s the plan from here for Kiera Nicole?
From here I will continue to make music and travel around Australia and Internationally. I will continue to make music for a living and write many songs from my life experiences.
I hope to record a new album and tour with that also, and most importantly simply making music which is what I am so passionate about, and grateful for.
Interview by Rob Lyon
For more info on Kiera Nicole head to https://www.kieramusic.com/ and for Zahra Foundation head to http://zahrafoundation.org.au/
