Not all artists are equal. Some find themselves attracted by vaporous, popular trends, or ruthlessly striving for popularity. Others are instead more focused on the musical product, breathing and living art every day in its purest form. Nicol River belongs to the latter category; a committed multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer, the talented London-based creative has recently unveiled her debut effort ‘River In The Rain’.
Packed with elegant, soulful tones and a wholesome blend of jazz, rock and pop, ‘River In The Rain’ partly confirms what we already knew about the project. Built on vibrant and eclectic influences, the single is the perfect point of entry into Nicol’s nuanced and relatable musical universe, a place that’s gentle and kind, yet also fiery and striking.
Boasting a long career in the performing arts – both as a commercial singer and original songwriter – River holds a unique perspective on the contemporary industry landscape, a vision further heightened by her forays into entrepreneurship and teaching. Intrigued by the London-based songstress, we caught up with her to learn more about the project as a whole… Interview below!
Hi Nicol, how is it going? After having a look at your overall public profiles, I am impressed by your dedication to music and entrepreneurial spirit. It’s particularly relevant because the two things don’t always go hand-in-hand. Just to get a complete picture, when did you first realise you wanted to pursue music full-time?
Hi Gabriel! Firstly, thank you very much for this opportunity. I’ve been following your work, and it’s a pleasure to chat with you. That’s very well spotted, hahaha. Yes indeed, I do find myself wandering between the two worlds of passion and reason. My passion for music really started when I was around 7 years old: according to my parents, I passed by my local church and heard an organ playing, and was mesmerised by the sound. I was encouraged to start with the piano, and I now see that I was truly blessed with encouraging parents.
Throughout my childhood, I also picked up the acoustic guitar, then started singing, and finally discovered the bass guitar around 17. My desire to express myself musically has always been innate, a basic instinct… I did initially decide to study Philosophy at King’s College, but soon dropped out and stuck to my guns: I then went to study Music at ACM London. My certificate states that I completed my studies in Vocal Performance, but I honestly ended up attending more bass guitar lectures than vocal lectures… (thank you eternally, Kevin Glasgow and Arran McSporran, for always letting me join in your classes!)
Though, unlike most of my classmates, I was not inclined towards the typical ‘university experience’. Maybe it’s because I left home and became independent at 19, so I was more conscious of my livelihood and fending for myself rather than partying and whatnot. Definitely not saying that any of that stuff is bad, I love a good party- my priorities were different, that’s all. I guess that’s where the ‘reason’ part kicked in! My first job at 16 was teaching piano privately, and as I grew and had different jobs, I would always return to teaching as it seemed incredibly natural to me (I am a third generation of educators after all).
So I continued to teach piano, bass, guitar and singing privately, and then when COVID happened, I thought I would lose all of my students. Surprisingly, they all stuck around, and I received an incomprehensible demand for music lessons: I guess people finally realised the importance of music when they were confined to their homes and needed to find a way to express themselves. I founded River Music School London (RMSL) to be able to accommodate the requests for music lessons by matching students with the best music tutors in London. Since then, we’ve extended to Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, creating more opportunities for local tutors. With a lot of hard work, both creatively and entrepreneurially, I have managed to surround myself with music on an almost constant basis.
‘River in the Rain’ is your debut effort, a first dive into a potent solo project. I love the wordplay in its title! Built over soulful and jazz sensibilities, the piece is rather eclectic and lush. Is this a truthful representation of where the project is headed, or do you plan something more eclectic?
Thank you, yes ‘River In The Rain’ is both metaphorical and literal for me as you have sussed out. From 18 years old, my main areas of interest as a vocalist were jazz and blues… After dropping out of King’s College, I toured Europe and had the privilege of singing alongside recognised international musicians in incredible venues. The raw, hands-on experience of performing at concerts taught me a lot about working in a band and approaching music from a collective standpoint. Though, after studying the greats for several years, I felt my voice had finally matured enough to explore its own sound and capabilities.
When I returned to London to continue my music studies and open RMSL, I started to unveil my own sound. It felt long overdue: since my introduction to music at 7 years old, I had only started discovering my own sound at 22, so I did struggle ‘existentially’ up till then. Once I sprang out of my cocoon and began to speak music in my own language, per se, I truly felt a spiritual relief. I really do love singing jazz and blues, but when I compose on the piano or bass, I tend to experiment with other genres: mainly folk music (Serbian and Macedonian, where I’m from ethnically, as well as Indian and Nordic influences) and contemporary sounds. To be completely frank, I’m not sure myself if I can truly pinpoint where this project is going. It’s definitely miscellaneous as you’ll discover soon!
From a lyrical standpoint, how is ‘River in the Rain’ meaningful to you?
‘River In The Rain’ is a song about individuals throughout time who fought hard against the close-mindedness of their generations. The Teslas, Nietzsches and Socrates of OUR time, too. I see people close to me who are so incredibly inspiring, so determined and relentless in their aims to better the world around them without losing their integrity and remaining true to others… I love these types of people, and this song is precisely for them. I feel like they are my people.
From what I can gather, you are a multi-instrumentalist. Is there an instrument that you favour? Do your songwriting efforts usually arise from a piano session?
I started with the piano, which is truly ‘guilty’ of inspiring me further into music, so I owe my biggest honours to this instrument. I used to own a beautiful Kawai piano, which I named ‘Mother’, as I truly believe that the piano is the mother of all instruments. Most of my compositions arise from late-night explorations dabbling on the keys, and then I work on arranging the song “from the piano up”. Though I must admit, when I picked up the bass at 17, I truly felt this instrument on a soulful level. I learnt the bass very quickly, from obsessive practice and sheer adoration. It came more naturally to me than any other instrument did. There are some songs I write that spring to life from a bass line. Some come from the acoustic guitar too. To put it simply: the piano represents my mind, the bass my spirit, the guitar my heart, and my voice follows them all.
The reader might not know that you have founded a music school in London, ‘River Music School London’, a rather successful endeavour that’s now fully blooming. What challenges did you face when developing the project?
Thank you very much for your kind words. I founded RMSL during my second year at university, so juggling a degree, managing a business, working on my own music and spending more time with family and friends was the biggest challenge. Though difficulties seem to be omnipresent, I don’t know what I’d do without them. Without them, I wouldn’t have a degree, a business, my own music or the people I love around me… So I always consider myself blessed when I am confronted with challenges- it means that the path I’m going down is the right one, because I care about overcoming them.
Do you have any favourite musicians or artists you look up to?
Oh wow, that is the most difficult question you’ve posed haha! I know I might sound cliché with the whole “I listen to everything” answer, but I really do. I’ll answer this question with who my listeners have associated my sound and project with: Sting, Sade, Radiohead, Tanita Tikaram… Sorry for dodging the question.
You are very young, yet very motivated and keen to build your artistic vision. What motivates you to keep going, and could you imagine a life without music?
Thank you, I am indeed very motivated and uncompromising with my vision. I’m really eager to continue composing and publishing my music: this is the result of my efforts and the reason for my existence. I do believe that without music, I would be an empty shell. Sure, I would live, but it wouldn’t really matter. Everybody is brought to this world with an intrinsic purpose, ability, desire, aim… That’s what makes the world beautiful, and I would love to see more people expressing their true selves. “Become who you are,” said Nietzsche.
What are the next steps for your solo project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
I’m in the middle of filming the next few music videos! It’s all very exciting to do, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with phenomenal musicians, engineers and videographers at The Premises Studios and Metropolis Studios, so if you don’t mind I would like to thank: Harpreet Bahra, James Doran, Benjamin Lunn, Neil Goody, Ula Wodarz, Mike Hillier, Freddie Hutton-Mills. There is so much yet to come, and it is happening one step at a time. I’m loving every step. Thank you once again, Gabriel! I’m looking forward to catching up on the next single.
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This article has been supported by Nicol River through a small donation, as we are proud to be working together to promote her recently released record.
