Rising singer-songwriter Nick de la Hoyde visited “Jake’s Take” for “A Conversation.” (Cover art property of Gatcome Music Party Ltd.)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Last week, I introduced you to Nick de la Hoyde.
This rising singer-songwriter-rapper from Sydney, Australia blends elements of hip-hop, rock, alternative, R&B and spoken word into spectacular songs.
His first single, “Changing,” not only caught the attention of Australian radio stations, but it spent eight weeks on the Billboard Top 40 Indicator Chart and peaked at number 33. Also, ‘Changing’ landed at number six on Shazam’s ‘Future Hits’ chart. His music video of ‘Changing’ premiered on Australia’s Channel Five and his music video for another single “By My Side” won a mtvU Freshman competition against fellow Aussie Troye Sivan. Both videos were played on 5,000 retail stores in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nick’s work has also been profiled on numerous media outlets such as The Source, Just Jared, PopCrush and All Access Magazine.
He is also building up a substantial social media following. Nick has over 26,400 Facebook fans and over 162,000 followers on Instagram.
Nick took time out of his United States touring schedule to have A Conversation with Jake’s Take. In this edition, Nick opened up about the challenges he faced breaking into the international music market, shared some insight on his latest single: “Never Gonna Beg For It” and revealed which artists are on his short list for possible collaborations.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you get into music? How did that passion evolve into the desire of having a career in the recording industry?
Nick de la Hoyde: The music all started for me when I was 15 after I moved to Barcelona, Spain to play football (soccer). After being there some time on my own, things started to get to me as I was struggling to live away from my family and friends, and also trying to make the grade as a player. So as a way to help, I would write down my thoughts into a diary, and one thing led to another, and I was turning them into raps. The whole vibe started to take over; it’s hard to explain. It began as an outlet and after a while I realized this what was I meant to do!
JE: Could you please describe your songwriting process to my readers?
NDLH: The whole writing process for me has evolved so much. From writing journal entries to putting together mash-up covers of my favorite songs and now to writing my material. Fast tracking to now, I work pretty exclusively with my brothers John and Joseph (Zuzu). We are so lucky that we have a home studio and so can get in there and put something down anytime we have the urge. Typically, Joe or John might write a demo, hand me the music and tell me to vibe it out… If there is something there, we get together and piece it all together. It is a fluid process.
JE: What are some of the challenges that you face breaking into the International music industry? How did you overcome them?
NDLH: There are so many challenges and every day we are working on overcoming them; one by one. The industry has always been this complex, ever-changing thing, and your audience needs to understand and connect with you all the time – so as an artist it’s so important to know absolutely who/what you are and play to your strengths. You just have to make your own way and navigate the Indie world first, so you have to be an artist, record yourself in your bedroom, become a social media expert, a communications genius, a booking agent and finally a great manager of yourself – hah, did I leave anything out? Basically you gotta be everything and at the end of the day there is no such thing an an overnight success.
JE: Let’s talk about “Never Gonna Beg For It.” What is the overall message behind the song?
NDLH: “Never Gonna Beg For It” was written to express a few things – partly about a girl, partly about making it in music. At the end of the day, it is open to interpretation and I hope the listener resonates with the song and has their own personal take on what it means.
JE: If you had the opportunity to work with a dream group of songwriters, recording artists and producers? Who is on your short list and why?
NDLH: If I had to narrow it down then people like Ed Sheeran, Skrillex, and DJ Mustard. I would love to collaborate with so many but these guys are people I like a lot and have great admiration for.
JE: If you had the chance to meet aspiring artists who were interested in pursuing a career in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
NDLH: Work, work, work…never stop improving, never stop believing and get used to rejection – it comes at you in spades. You gotta totally want this, so be honest with yourself and always stay true to your art!
To learn more information about Nick, visit his website!
Want to connect with Nick on social media? Head over to his Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube channels.
