Nicki Nicole’s Rebirth: Unveiling ‘ALMA,’ Her Intimate Journey of Self-Discovery

Nicki Nicole’s latest album ‘ALMA’ reflects an artist at a turning point: a courageous dive into the soul, heart, and mind, encapsulating an intimate journey of self-discovery and love.

A true tale of healing, ‘ALMA’ is a deeply personal exploration of the artist’s inner landscape, offering fans a raw and real version of the Argentine singer. “I wanted to be transparent, pouring my soul into it,” says Nicole. “The songs tell a story from beginning to end – it’s all connected.”

The album’s cover, featuring Nicole forming a triangle with her hands with her eye in the middle, embodies the idea that eyes are the mirror of the soul. Each track in ‘ALMA’ reflects stages of Nicole’s journey, from letting go to returning to familiar emotions, and finally escaping them to live in the moment.

Nicole’s creative process is spontaneous and emotional. She often freestyles in the studio, capturing the raw essence of her feelings. “I express things I’m feeling subconsciously,” she shares. To help evoke the intended feelings, she listens to music that resonates with her current mood before recording.

The standout track “8AM,” featuring Young Miko, was an almost instant creation when Miko visited Argentina for Lollapalooza. “It’s very rare for two artists to meet and instantly create a song together without knowing each other, but we connected right away,” Nicole recalls. Among other intriguing tracks, the album includes a cover of Rodrigo Amarante’s “Tuyo,” a song that holds a nostalgic charm for Nicole, reminding her of her high school days and her dreams of becoming a singer.

Nicole’s self-reflective journey finds a voice in “Caen Las Estrellas,” originally a ballad, transformed into an electronic remix that Nicole loved instantly. She also included Argentine artist YSY A in the song, to bring a unique flavor to the track.

“ALMA” also represents Nicole’s growth and self-realization. She admits she struggled with low self-esteem, crediting self-care and introspection with helping her connect with herself. The process of creating ‘ALMA’ was a kind of rebirth for her.

Tracks like “Ya No” and “Tienes Mi Alma” articulate her journey towards self-love and the release of emotional dependency. She hopes her fans can find similar healing through her music. “If it heals me, it can heal many people,” she muses. Her message to fans is clear: “What I want my fans to find with this album is healing…this is the beginning of something completely different, much more mature and professional from me.”

‘ALMA’ stands as a testament to Nicole’s maturing artistry, a beacon for all those navigating their journeys of self-discovery. It’s a brave unveiling of her soul, wrapped in melodious ballads and stirring beats, marking the beginning of a transformative era for Nicole. As she puts it, her fans “better be ready.

What is the concept behind your new album “ALMA?” The concept of “ALMA” was born from the point of convergence where the soul, brain, and heart connect. The songs tell a story from beginning to end and everything is connected. I wanted to be transparent when creating these songs, truly pouring my soul into it, even if it may sound cliché. I feel that when people listen to this record, they will be able to get to know a side of me that I have never revealed before. 

What’s the significance of the album cover? On the album cover I create a triangle with my hands and my eye is in the middle because it’s said that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, where everything happens.

How did you determine the tracklist? The tracklist has its own concept as well. It begins with letting go, then going through moments where you return to those emotions and places, and finally ending with wanting to escape from them and live in the moment.

What is your writing process like? In the studio I usually just throw out freestyles and go with them. I feel like that’s the right moment for me to express how I feel and truly say what I want to. It allows me to express things I’m feeling subconsciously. If you ask me how I’m doing I’ll say fine, but then I go into the studio and realize that I was actually feeling something different when I get out my thoughts. Afterwards I’ll go back and write if I wasn’t able to come up with much or if there are melodies that are missing, but I really try to make everything happen in the moment.

Why did you choose to include a cover of Rodrigo Amarante’s song “Tuyo?” When I was in high school I always used to sing that song with a friend of mine who played it on the guitar. I would sing it in the hallways and people would watch me. It made me feel like a star. The song always reminds me of my dreams of becoming a singer and of my beginnings. Every time I listen to it, I feel that sensation, like when you smell the scent of flowers that you remember from your childhood. I included the cover because I feel it’s a very important, child-like part of my soul.

How did a track like “Caen Las Estrellas” come about? “Caen Las Estrellas” started as a ballad that we made before “Ya No,” which is the ballad of the album. One of my producers, without asking me anything, said to me, “Hey, listen to what I did with this song. I remixed it.” He didn’t tell me exactly what he did, he just asked me what I thought, and when I listened to it, it blew my mind. I loved it. It was like the electronic remixes I used to listen to when I was 16. I immediately thought it was a hit. YSY A, an Argentine artist who takes all genres to another level, came to my mind when I first heard it and I knew he had to be on the song.

How did you learn to connect with yourself? It was a very long process. There were days when I felt like I wasn’t present, like I couldn’t enjoy the things that came my way. It was as if I felt I didn’t deserve them, and that stemmed from, what I realized, was my low self-esteem and how little I loved myself. It was like everything that happened to me, I justified it like “oh, maybe this happened to me because of coincidence, or my team…” I could never put myself in that place where I was the reason this was all happening. What really helped me a lot in finding myself was starting to have moments dedicated to myself.

What I started doing was treating myself the way I treat the people I love. Sometimes we treat others really well and forget about ourselves. I started thinking in perspective. Like, okay, this day is for me. So, I reflected on perspective and realized that many times we are our own worst enemies. I realized the importance of treating oneself the way you treat those you love, which really helped me to connect with myself and learn to be alone. In the past, I tried not to spend time alone because I felt like my thoughts would overwhelm me. I always wanted to be surrounded by people to escape from myself. I realized I couldn’t not be able to be with myself. Being alone is where you get to know yourself and understand things, both the negative and positive.

Is there something you do to get into the right headspace before going in the studio? When I’m on my way to the studio, I listen to music that conveys the feelings I want to portray in the song I’m recording that day. If I’m feeling down and want to talk about sad things I’ll listen to really sad songs that help to bring back various memories. If I want to go in and make a reggaeton song, I listen to Jowell & Randy, artists like that, old school, to get me in the mood.

How did the track 8AM with Young Miko come to be? Miko happened to come to Argentina for Lollapalooza Argentina and I really wanted to meet her because I love her music. She only had one day here and it’s almost impossible to make a song in one day. But we met, went to the studio, and you know what? The song came out in, like, three hours. It was almost instant, the vibe just flowed. It’s very rare for two artists to meet and instantly create a song together without knowing each other, but we connected right away. Her vibe inspired me to make a song—it’s a genre that I always listen to but don’t often make myself. I had already completed the album before our session together, but the song was so incredible that I said it had to be included. She’s truly so talented and deserves everything that’s happening to her.

Did you go through the process of finding yourself before you started writing the album or during? It was during the process of writing the album that I was able to find myself. I started this album with the belief that music would save me. I was in a really dark time in my life, feeling very dull, things weren’t exciting me. I truly had a rebirth with this album. That’s why I felt it was so important to bring it to light, because if it heals me, it can heal many people.

Are there any particular songs on this album that you believe represent your journey of self-discovery? There’s one song in particular called “Ya No” that talks a lot about learning to be alone. To let go of that dependency and really focus on oneself. I feel like this album has a bit of everything in terms of genres and lyrics. It talks a lot about love and self-love. There’s a song called “Tienes Mi Alma” that speaks a bit about when emotional dependency grabs hold of your soul and takes possession of it and then escaping from that.

What do you want your fans to take away from this album? What I want my fans to find with this album is healing. I hope they can heal the personal things that they can let go of with this album, that they can leave their problems behind and focus on the music. I believe that music heals people. I want them to know that this is the beginning of something completely different, much more mature and professional from me. Things have happened very quickly in my career, and I feel that now is the time when I’m maturing a lot, understanding things, and becoming more conceptual. I have much more to offer to people now, so they better be ready.