Aspiring musicians these days usually go for the easiest way in the industry, which is being a DJ.
A lot of these individuals take the shortcut and dismiss the idea of creating your track altogether. But Nicole Alegrado has separated herself from the epidemic, and has now made a name on her own.
The Electronic Dance Music genre – widely known as EDM – has lately been receiving strong criticisms from listeners to different artists generally. It has become identifiable to noise rather than music. Some say that it has definitely no melody or flow, whatsoever. A lot of music lovers have lost their touch to music because of the mere fact that the only thing they look forward to in an EDM track is the drop. However, Nicole has brought the genre to a whole new other level. Listening to the tracks that she recently released, I can say that she has added life and a story to EDM. Her voice is absolutely harmonious and full of emotions, and the sound quality of the track has a different twist to it. It’s not your usual EDM, but it’s something every one of you should listen to.
From a child who built her confidence through music, to a beautiful young woman who now has her own sound and voice, Nicole Alegrado has stood out from the rest simply by being herself. Now releasing her album FLUX, Nicole tells you all about how her whole album developed into the groundbreaking phenomenon that it is today.
• I listened to both songs you released on your SoundCloud, Flux and Crash, and I have to honestly say that it’s one of the very few locally released electronic dance music tracks that sound really good. They live up to global standards. Do you work on these tracks alone? Or do you have a production company working alongside you?
Wow, that’s great to hear. Thank you so much! I begin with writing the music and lyrics, and I do so on a guitar so all my tracks actually start off acoustic, but I chose EDM because I wanted to do something different. I know of so many that have done acoustic albums, but I haven’t heard of any original local EDM. After I finish a song I go over to the studio and present it to my producer, Matthew Azada of FUTURESTUDIO. From there, the track transforms into EDM.
• What does your album FLUX represent? And why is it called so?
FLUX refers to the continuous motion of change I’ve had over the past few years of my life. All songs are inspired different experiences. Also, if you listen to the entire album, you’ll notice all the songs are different forms of EDM. So that’s always changing too. I was definitely going for diversity, but I still wanted to maintain fluidity from track to track.
• What is the sound identity of your album and are you planning to venture to other genres, or stick with the EDM-House music category?
Since all my songs are different like I mentioned before and since EDM is just one big cloud of a genre, I want my sound to be something that can be played at a club, but at the same time, something you can chill to at the beach. Also, I haven’t made it official yet, but I’m already planning for more music, not only in EDM, but I also want to venture into collaborations for hip-hop. That’ll be interesting.
• Is singing and songwriting always been a passion of yours? Is this the career path you chose when you were younger?
I’ve always had a very intense love for music. It’s always been the beginning and end of the day. However, it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been into songwriting. It’s just something I decided to try and I guess it sort of worked! I’ve been singing since I was a kid, but I haven’t had any formal training either. I never expected this career path when I was younger. I still haven’t chosen it actually! It all depends on how things go because I’m still an individual artist, but I’m quite optimistic for what’s to come and I am most definitely so thankful for everything already. Anyone who’s listened to my songs, or gotten a copy of the album, I am forever grateful to them. It’s an honor to have my song play on Y101 and it was surreal to have performed at Sinulog Invasion.
• How do you go about finding materials for your songs? Or does it come naturally?
I consider the way I write my songs to be quite strange actually! Most people I know who are into songwriting either do the music first, then lyrics, or vice versa, but I do them simultaneously. My routine is to clear my mind, pick up my guitar, and the rest does come naturally. That’s all there is to it.
• Can you honestly say that you are where you want to be now?
Definitely. I’m happy where I am. I consider myself very lucky to have released an album and to have been getting such a positive response. Its something I honestly didn’t expect. Of course, the work doesn’t stop here. We keep going, we keep pushing forward.
• What message does your album give out? And are these from your own experiences?
There’s a little bit of everything in it. There are songs about infatuation, falling in love as well as heartbreak. There are also songs meant to inspire like Faintlight. Yeah, they’re inspired from experiences.
• Who are the artists that inspire you?
That’s a tough one because I’m so into all these genres, so it’s hard to say. But if we’re talking EDM, my childhood was filled with the original kings of trance, Tiësto and Armin because that’s what my dad listened to. Chicane and Above and Beyond too. But since I’m constantly discovering music and artists, my inspirations always shift. I have so much respect for artists’ craft, in whatever genre it may be.
• What keeps you going?
What keeps me going are the good music I listen to and the artists that make it, with the hope to be able to make music like they do. It’s really all about the hard work and dedication. I also go to a lot of concerts and raves, and I’m constantly inspired by the way they make the audience feel. That’s what I want someday.
• Will we be seeing you on the main stage anytime soon?
Right now my main focus is to finish college. Graduation is right around the corner, so that’s my priority as of now. However, of course, I would like to be on stage if given the opportunity whether it’s in Cebu or Manila. You’ll be the first to know!