Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole De La Cruz
Hi Nicole, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a household of music. My mother is a musician, her main instrument being the violin. From a young age, she taught me the basics of violin, piano and music theory. When I was seven or eight years old, I absolutely loved the show Hannah Montana. I went to my mom and told her that singing was what I wanted to do. I started private vocal lessons soon after and went to different arts middle school and high schools in South FL and Los Angeles, where I grew up. From the moment I started singing, performing and acting, I haven’t stopped and neither has my passion and joy for the art form.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. In this day and age of social media and an abundance of content and music available for people to consume, it is harder to stand out. And like many, that was a big struggle. I was not attracting the attention for my music and acting that I wanted. I decided in 2021 to start my TikTok account @nicolemariedlc to see if I could gain any traction there. What I have always liked about TikTok is that there are no expectations of perfection. The platform and its users thrive off of the authenticity of its content. So, I began my TikTok journey posting anything and everything, whether it was a mini vlog, my thoughts of the day, singing covers or original music, etc. I found my niche in character acting skits and my platform took off.
The second struggle I had was when I finally posted music stuff on my page again after about a year of not doing so. I had always kept my other music links my bio, so I assumed people knew I was a singer. However, when I posted that singing video, I saw a lot of comments indicating that people didn’t know I was a singer. It wasn’t necessarily a negative response, but it was a shock on both my end and my audiences. So, I spent the next few months to a year slowly integrating more music into my TikTok platform and directing people to my YouTube and Instagram which contains more music content, as well as Spotify of course. This transition was a bit of a struggle, because I had an accidentally hidden my music from my TikTok audience. It almost felt like I had to start from scratch again. I struggled internally, because I have always wanted to be known for my music and my traditional acting. Seeing that many people thought all I was, were my skits on TikTok…I don’t know, it made me a little sad, almost like I had failed. But, in truth, I wasn’t posting music on there as much as I used to in the beginning, so of course not a lot of people knew. That was a turning point for me. I started to post and speak more about my music, singing and my live shows.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker and TikTok/Youtube content creator. My style of music is pop/rock, similar to an early 2008 Kelly Clarkson or a modern Olivia Rodrigo. I am most known for my TikTok @nicolemariedlc in which I have over half a million followers and 400 million views to date and post character drama skits and my music. On Youtube, I am most known for my music video for my single, “Moonstruck,” (2021).
I am most proud of my work ethic and dedication to my career. I always want to be improving and innovating.
Music-wise, what sets me apart from others, I feel, is my poetic approach to the lyrics in my songs. I write my songs as if they were poetry and then later, I set them to melody which feeds the emotion. I also think that it’s possible that the rawness in my lyrics further attracts people and separates me from others. I only mention that, because it has been commented on quite a few times from strangers that my lyrics feel very authentic and stripped down.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Well, I started my platforms during the Covid-19 crisis. I also started my debut feature film project. Reflecting now, I guess I learned how to make the most of my time being alone. How to be creative and create different content, projects and ideas by myself. I also learned, that I really, really, really missed performing live, but that you can create that same kind of connection over livestreams. It’s not exactly the same of course, but it’s just enough that two people can share music from different corners of the world and feel something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nicoledelacruz.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/nicolemariedlc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/nicolemariedlc
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/nicoledelacruz
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@nicolemariedlc
Image Credits
Ron Fontenant
Jason Joseffer
Christina Bernes
