Nick Antonelli is a Michigan-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter. Having played music since he was 9, Nick has found a home in the Americana/Folk community, where he now shares his stories of struggle, love, political reckoning, and hope. He hopes others find a voice of comfort and shared experiences in his work. 'Time In The Sun' is a 2nd single and lead song off of Nick Antonelli's upcoming debut album, To Get To Here, due out July 8th. An up-tempo, stomp-and-holler folk/americana song with lyrics about growing and moving on from chaos.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What is life like in Nashville? Would you change this place for another?
Life in Nashville has been busy. Between all the musical opportunities, day jobs, and side gigs, there’s been very little downtime, and sleep has been going at a premium hahaha. I do miss Michigan sometimes, since that’s where I grew up and that’s where my family and such are. But I wouldn’t be doing half of what I’m doing here if I were there, and there are enough similarities to make Nashville a pretty good place to be in that regard.
What made you take up music at the age of 9?
I always heard music growing up as a kid. Motown, classic rock, metal, jazz, country, Celtic music. It was always around. I had a music teacher in elementary school named Mr. O’Sullivan. He’d play guitar for us, and I remember how I felt hearing him play, and seeing what happened when he played for us kids. I thought it was cool, and I asked him where I could get a guitar. From there, I started playing, and by 13 or 14 I decided that I could see myself seriously pursuing music.
Your latest track is 'Time In The Sun'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Yeah! That song came about after connecting with a few other songwriters and writing together during Covid as a way to keep creative juices flowing. I had bits and pieces of those lyrics already in my phone and in some journals I keep. The actual music didn’t take long. Maybe a week. While we were recording the song, I took some time to go to Nashville and look for a place to stay, and while I was down there, I stayed on a houseboat. That’s where I wrote the solo for that song. On a houseboat floating in the Cumberland River hahaha. Another funny story, the stomps and claps you hear on the song were recorded at Berklee College of Music. They have recording studios that my producers had access to. I got a laugh out of the fact that we had millions of dollars in studio technology, and my request was that my friends stomp on a box and record that.
Why did you join the Americana/Folk community?
My dad always listened to country music, especially Johnny Cash. His music got into me pretty early on. As I grew, I played a bunch of different genres, but when I started to write, I was listening to a lot of folk and country again after years of not doing so. It felt like a good fit for setting my thoughts and feelings to music at that point. Still does, thankfully haha.
How do you spend your time?
I work a lot. Day jobs and side gigs to make money until I can get some cash from playing and writing music. When I’m not doing that, I’m normally out at shows either playing or hanging out, reading, writing, hiking, exercising, or with friends.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the record and what it represents. To me, it represents everything I’ve done to get to here, which is why my upcoming record is called ‘To Get To Here’. I’m proud of this being me throwing my hat in the ring, so to speak. I’m proud of the work I’ve done in my life that got me to the point where I could write and play the songs I have on my record, and the record is a tangible representation of all that that I can have for myself and share with folks.
What advice do you have for beginning artists?
I’ve found that being honest with yourself about who you are and what matters to you is incredibly helpful. Taking care of yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, all these things work together and help to make the best version of yourself as a person and artist. Also, come prepared to things as much as possible. Have a few songs ready to go if you go out to see a friend’s show. Now, I don’t go to other people’s shows expecting to play, but I want to make sure I’m ready to go if the opportunity comes up.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
I’m going out and playing and trying different things as much as I can. I work on stuff in my apartment, in the studio and such, but there’s no real substitute for getting up on a stage in front of people and going for it. Whether that’s a new song, a different version of a song you’ve already played, any aspect of your live show that you’re curious about tweaking or changing. I think I have a lot to give in that department, and it’s been fun figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
Do you think that technology is improving lives?
In the case of the internet and social media, it can be an incredibly effective tool for education and reaching people you may have otherwise never crossed paths with. That being said, I have to be very deliberate and limited in my time spent online. I think otherwise we risk being confused by everything we see, and assuming that what we see is an accurate representation of folks we see in real life. I don’t really think it is. My buddy has a great quote, “get off Twitter and touch grass.”
What are your plans for the future?
My record, To Get To Here, comes out July 8th on all major streaming platforms. In support of that, I’m going to be playing as much as I can for the rest of the year. I’m going to a few folk music conferences in Texas and Illinois later this year that I’m excited to play at. But for the most part, it’s going to be a lot of hitting it hard when it comes to live shows. I’m planning on putting out a few singles during that time, and at some point next year, start working on another record. I already have some songs and song ideas that I’m excited to put together and put out.