Hailing from North London is Rhett Nicholl with his first single of 2021. He is a soul singer and his lyrics are raw, honest and brave. ‘Hold On’ is no exception as he has used his music as a healing mechanism. As he puts it today, with a total lack of self pity, “I’ve lived a very dangerous and extreme life, but my story isn't special.”

The track has minimal instrumentation which works perfectly, making you focus on the lyrics and the imagery he is trying to portray, this hard-hitting emotional track could have various meaning. But one thing is for sure it was birthed from real struggle and I believe many people that are in difficult places will be able to relate.

‘Hold On’ produced by Felix Joseph (Jorja Smith, Mahalia, Kwabs) and the video is by Melody Maker (Mahalia, Green Tea Peng.)

Rhett Nicholl sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer some of out infamous questions:

1. So tell me how did it all begin, what sparked your passion for music?
I grew up in in London in the late 90’s /2000’s, street culture was much more potent and diverse than it is now, I was lucky to experience a generation where you had to participate and earn your stripes, whether that was music, graffiti or getting money and that’s what I did; If you did music you had to be able to perform your own material without autotune or a backing track, If you did graffiti you had to risk your life and your freedom and if you wanted to get money you had to be able to stop that getting taken from you. I always wanted to be legit and make a living from my creativity and music felt like the right choice for me. Whether I realized it or not all the phases of bands I played in or other less legal pursuits shaped my story and my work ethic. It sounds contrived but I just have to create, I fall apart otherwise. There was no spark or point of origin

2. How would you describe your sound?
My sound is in essence just the lineage of soul music filtered through the various other stuff I’m into, be it garage, jungle or rap and poetry. It’s not a case of actively saying “Right I’m gonna mix this with this”, it’s just what comes out organically.

3. What are some of the problems you have faced making and releasing the music during the coronavirus pandemic?
Face to face sessions were a no-go for about a year in my case so I consciously decided to focus on my physical and mental health to be in the best position possible when things became more manageable from a creative aspect. Luckily I had just about finished my EP so there were only a few things that we were able to deal with via zoom but it wasn't practical or natural to release this stuff until people had enough space in their heads to take it in, so I’ve been sitting on this music for about a year.

4. Who/what do you consider to be the biggest influence on your music?
Terry Reid is my favorite singer/artist. I want to make music that does for others what his music does for me. That or Jim Carroll’s writing.

5. What’s the proudest moment to date for you as an artist?
Pride is a difficult emotion to be in touch with for me. I’m the type of person that is constantly critiquing my work and knowing I can do better so i guess the proudest moments are the rare days where I listen to my body of work, recognise it’s shortcomings and still enjoy it. Im most proud of the things I’m writing now- I guess because they aren’t finished so they still have that infinite potential.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?
Don’t think music is going to save you from your problems. I’ve met a lot of people over the years that think if they could just do music their lives would be sweet but it just isn’t the case in my experience, it can be a catalyst for growth and healing but it can also take you places you aren’t prepared for. A lot of people want the job title but don’t want to do the work, even being an industry plant where everything is handled for you is hard work, let alone actually making something of substance. I guess my advice would be to make sure you really want this because it’s not for everyone.

7. Name 3 people you would love to work with and why?
I’m already working with them so unfortunately I can’t say - more to come.

8. What have you got planned for the not so distant future?
I’m in the midst of a hyper-creative period so I’m just taking advantage of that and writing and recording my next project.

9. What’s the album you’ve played more than any other?
Terry Reid - "Seed of Memory"

10. What’s the best concert you’ve been to and where was it?
Ozzy Osbourne at Ozzfest 2001 at Donington or Charles Bradley at The Forum, both incredibly talented and humble artists that put most of us to shame on a lot of different levels.

11. Name three things you can’t live without?
Music, art and love.

Be sure to follow Rhett Nicholl for the latest. His music - including Hold On available to stream now.