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

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.