Meet Nicky Egan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicky Egan.

Nicky, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up outside of Philadelphia. My mom’s primarily a landscape painter but played guitar and sang to us when we were little. My grandpa played saxophone and flute in the army band so he introduced me to all the classic jazz and blues singers when I was a teenager who I became really influenced by early on. My parents worked really hard to support my sister and I and always encouraged my passion for music. I had an amazing voice teacher growing up. She was sort of your quintessential crazy Italian music teacher lady out of a book. She had 19 cats. I’d go to her house once a week and she’d give me tons of chocolate and Sunny D and teach me voice. We’d go to nursing homes around the area and perform for the residents. Those early experiences really ingrained in me the power music has in connecting people. I was also really fortunate to have access to an incredible music program at the public school I went to and was able to study AP music theory there. Having access to that program in a public school system really gave me invaluable tools to be able to even think about going to music school. As a junior in high school, I applied for a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and went on to study Contemporary Writing and Production in Boston.

After school, I lived in Brooklyn for seven years, sang in a nine piece funk band, Turkuaz, and toured the country with them for a few years, while working about a million odd jobs, my favorite being a millinery in soho, The Hat Shop. As Turkuaz started touring almost year-round (they’re probably the hardest working band I know), I left the band to focus on my solo work, and put out an EP with Ropeadope Records and was playing mostly around NYC for a few years, writing and recording a lot of material. After parting ways with a musical partner and taking a step back from what was a sort of toxic situation, I got a call to come out to LA and hop on a tour playing keyboards and singing for La based band, Chicano Batman.

I hadn’t planned on moving to LA but the timing was really crazy and it really felt like the universe responding with an open window at the time, so I sort of just packed a few suitcases, left my apartment and jobs and went to La, and a week later was playing Conan with them. Now here I am, two years later, still living in Los Angeles. I’ve traveled the country w Chicano Batman, who are now like family. We just finished a tour with Vampire Weekend, which was really fun. I’ve been going back to NYC between tours recording a new album with my writing partner and producer Joe Crispiano and have a bunch of new music that I’m extremely proud of and excited to get out into the world. Life’s been quite a journey so far!!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
‘Smooth’, would not be a word I’d include in terms of my path, haha. Generally speaking, and when I look at all that’s going on in the world, especially right now, I’ve been really fortunate in my life in terms of my experiences and the community of friends and family that I’m surrounded by. That said, being an artist and musician, especially as a woman, it’s a career path and I suppose by default, a lifestyle that’s unconventional and doesn’t exactly have clear ‘success’ measurements. It’s an industry where monetary success is often times not in line with the workload and the facade of ‘having made it’. So just trying to focus your time and energy in the right ways and being able to support yourself at the same time in itself is tough sometimes. I don’t remember the last time I had less than three jobs, to be honest.

I think for me, knowing who to surround myself with and doing so with clear intentions in mind has been one of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned, and am still learning! As women in music, we’re faced with having to sort of ‘prove ourselves’ on a more constant basis, and although the women’s movement is strong right now, and I see so much positive change happening on the daily, the ‘boys club’ feeling is still pretty present and its a constant challenge.

I come from a family full of pretty incredible women- artists, writers, and activists as well as truly supportive men, where I’ve been taught to be confident in trusting my choices and intuition. I’m really grateful for that and that’s something I try to keep in mind while navigating this path that I feel has chosen me as much as I’ve chosen it. As cliche as it sounds, I feel if we’re not being challenged, we aren’t growing into our full potential. For me as a creator, I try to take the obstacles and challenges that life throws out and offer something through my art, to the world, that connects with people in a positive way.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a musician and songwriter. I’m primarily a vocalist and keyboard player and dabble with other instruments. I suppose I specialize in vocal work, though I think one of my best assets is my adaptability, and eagerness to be as well rounded of a musician as possible. At the moment I’m really proud of the new music I’ve written and recorded and I’m hoping to start releasing all of it soon.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I try not to dwell on the ‘should of, could of’ sort of mindset. There are a definitely situations looking back where I would have told my younger self to be more confident and trusting of my gut, but sometimes the only way to learn what not to do is to go through it. I think I’m just starting to really understand the concept that life really is short and am simultaneously working on being more focused and intentional while being fearless in taking the risks that feel right.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://nicky-egan.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/nicky_egan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickyeganmusic/

Image Credit:
@BCphotovideo.tv, Paola Baltazar for Rolling Stone Mexico, Jocelyn Pierce, Austin James, John Kurc

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