Nikki ERA

WRITTEN BY ELLA AUDREY RAE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SKY RIZZO

You ever wonder who writes those catchy Jojo Siwa songs sometimes or maybe those awesome Disney Channel bops? Well one of young Hollywood?s secret weapons has come out with a song of her own! Meet Singer and songwriter, Nikki Era. She has written for entertainment powerhouse companies including Disney Channel, Universal, and MTV. Songwriting isn't all she's becoming known for. though. Nikki has a voice on her as well. She was a contestant on season 16 of American Idol, Katy Perry compared her to a modern-day Barbra Streisand and Lionel Richie thanked her for ?blessing?the judges with her stage performance. In February Nikki released her debut single 'Fantasy Boy' It showcases the singer's unique personal style and blends retro 80s elements with contemporary pop lyrics. Read below to learn more about young Hollywood secret songwriting weapon, Nikki Era.

EA: How did you get into songwriting? NE: I've been writing stuff forever like poems and quotes. Lyrics just kind of came out of that. When I started working with my production company received a bunch of really cool opportunities to write for film and TV, as well as other amazing artists and people started to consider me a songwriter. Being acknowledged by your peers means everything. One of my managers, Kas, is the ultimate hype man and he was like "you have one of the best pens in the game." So whenever he asked me to do a session I would be like OMG YES! I just kept saying yes and this year ended up being amazing and great music and relationships came out of it.

EA: Do you remember the first song you wrote?

NE: Yes! It was called "Eternity". Me and my cousin who was a dancer made our families sit down and watch our performance. We spent a week one summer practicing and making up choreography. It was super emotional like R& B record so I don't know if our choreography was needed haha. But the song wasn't actually that bad! I can still remember the words to the chorus. They're like burned into my mind!

" Only you know what's right for you. Everyone has an opinion so create your world and don't apologize. " - Nikki Era

EA: What's your songwriting process usually like? NE: I'm always writing something down when I think of it so my phone is filled with ideas, melodies, and concepts. Anytime I watch a movie or listen to other music I usually pick up on some sort of inspiration. Then depending on whether it's for my own music or for another project I go back and look through it. It's like organized chaos. If it's for a project I'm working on for my own music I usually start a notebook. I like to physically write things down and draw stuff in the corners.

She has also penned titles such as Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa's current hit single, D.R.E.A.M., Meg Donnelly's 'Smile, and Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson?s song, Break This Down for this summer's highly anticipated Disney Channel Original Movie, Descendants 3 EA: How was it working with the likes of Dove Cameron & JoJo Siwa? NE: OMG writing in Descendants 3 was amazing to be a part of because so many people love and adore those movies and they're filled with so much talent. Working with JoJo is insane! She is a literal bolt of lightning. She's super focused and knows exactly who she is so when we wrote D.R.E.A.M. it was a lot of fun and just came from a place of passion and determination. Everyone, no matter what they do, can relate to following their dreams.

EA: What has been your favorite song to write? NE: My favorite song I ever wrote was a song called 'Wild'. It was the first song I ever wrote all by myself on the piano. Usually, I'll collaborate with a producer or a musician because I'm not necessarily the best piano player ha! I've been practicing more now! But I kind of just put aside my insecurities and sat down and vibed out and this amazing, true, raw record came out. We're reproducing it and re-releasing it for this new EP I'm working on and I'm super excited.

EA: What is your advice to new songwriters? NE: Follow your gut and try to think about it from the listeners perspective. Not every idea you have will be your best idea and it's ok to kill off some of them. The best way to get better is to try and not attach to the art too much. Just keep creating and then step back and say, would I want to listen to this? Could I relate to this? I listen to some things I wrote a few years back and I'm like WHAT WAS I THINKING! But that's part of the process of getting better.

EA: How did you discover your desire to sing instead of just writing? NE: I always sang! I just could never figure out how I wanted to sing. I grew up doing musical theater and it was so amazing because it taught me basically everything I know about performing. It also taught me how to be different people which helps in songwriting but not always in artistry. A lot of artists struggle to find their sound and it's because creativity is hard to control sometimes. I knew after working with so many amazing artists exactly how I wanted to sound.

EA: Which is easier, writing songs for other artists or yourself? NE: They're definitely slightly different processes for me. When I write for another artist I feel like my sole purpose is to get their idea out in the best way. It's almost easier for me to judge the song itself in that scenario. I trust myself more. When I write for me the process is a little more back and forth and I literally change my mind every 5 seconds so I have to take more time to be sure I love it.

EA: How was it to be part of Season 16 of American Idol? NE: It was something I never thought I would do but my manager was like whatever just go sing a song lol I went with one of my best friends as my pianist and I sang and Lionel Richie said I blessed them and I was like OMG YESSSS! It's cool to see how it works from the other side. It's a great TV show and the contestants I met and made friends with were phenomenal talents. At first, I didn't know if I was going to get the golden ticket because Luke was like, "I don't get you" and I responded "you're not the first man, honey!" and then did a Britney Spears impression. He said yes at the end :)

EA: What is your advice to new contestants this season? NE: Don't overthink anything and don't listen to anyone about song choice. That was the most stressful part for me because as a writer it's hard for me to pick covers sometimes. You're a singer. You've been singing forever. Just sing what you love. Don't worry if it's been done a million times or whatever they say about certain songs. The reason they're done over and over is because they're good audition songs!

EA: You also got to cover 'Think' for the new 'What Men Want' movie. How was that experience? NE: That was one of my favorite things to do this year because it's Aretha Franklin and it's an honor to cover her in any capacity. Being able to cover her and have people hear it within such a cool movie about the female psyche was even better!

EA: How did your new single 'Fantasy Boy' come about? NE: 'Fantasy Boy' was kind of my jumping off point for this entire EP. I knew I wanted to make contemporary pop with an 80s vibe and I just went in and started with the drum pattern. There's a very specific kick/snare pattern that was popular in the 80s. When you hear it now it still takes you back there. I started from that and the record just evolved. It was easy to write, that's how I knew I wanted to make more of them.

EA: When can we expect the EP? NE: Right now we've just started recording all the vocals, so once that's done it will go into mixing and we can start doing visuals. I'm so excited about the entire thing. I got a keytar... I want to paint it hot pink. Right now I want to call the EP MEGA.

EA: You seem to have a dope 80's aesthetic theme with your style and music. Tell me about that.NE: What I love about the 80s is everything was BIG. Big style, big music, big synths, big voice, big parties, big hair! Sequins, bright colors, lights! It's such a paradise of an era. I wanted my art to be born in it. So that's where MEGA conceptually came from.

EA: Any advice for upcoming singers? NE: Only you know what's right for you. Everyone has an opinion so create your world and don't apologize.

You can stream 'Fantasy Boy' on all of your favorite platforms and follow Nikki on Insta @thenikkiera