October 11, 2024 |
Coming of age in the underground dance scene as a resident DJ at Amsterdam’s De Marktkantine before taking to stages at Fabric, Printworks, ADE and DGTL, Nicky Elisabeth is undeniably on the come up. Now she’s fresh off the release of her debut album The Way of Love, with Anjunadeep records, and it’s a deeply emotional, introspective assemblage of her best new tracks.
While sets at festivals like Tomorrowland and earlier singles like 2020’s Celeste (a deep, atmospheric track) flirt with a put-you-in-a-trance stripped-back techno, Nicky’s new LP showcases a different side of her: on The Way of Love, she embraces a poppy, melodic direction that feels just as at home on the dancefloor on a Saturday night as lying in the sun on Sunday morning. Euphoric electronic melodies fuse with emotive songwriting in what amounts to a journey through Nicky’s reflections on connection, creativity and empowerment; a record that feels wholly personal.
No better example of Elisabeth’s range exists than in the contrast between two of the album’s stand-out tracks. In Is This It?, the DJ-songwriter reckons with her mistakes in a past relationship and contemplates the future to a downtempo, minimalist melody. Meanwhile the single, The Lights, whose bubbly bassline and upbeat electronic melodies are reminiscent of MUNA, feels like a club-ready ode to self-empowerment.
Fresh off of an all-night set at Paradiso and the launch of her new LP, we sat down with Elisabeth to discuss her time as a resident DJ at De Marktkantine, her favourite tracks from The Way of Love and her love of James Blake.
1. How would you describe your sound in three words?
Emotional. Sparkly. Melodic.
2. What inspired the name of your upcoming album The Way of Love?
The album is about my journey to finding self acceptance and self love. So the title is a different way of saying ‘the road to (self) love’.
3. If you could only listen to one record for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is a very hard question for someone who is so deeply invested in music haha. It would 100 per cent be a James Blake album. It would either be his first album titled James Blake, it was one of the first records I listened to on repeat so asides from it being amazing, it has a lot of nostalgic value to me. Or one of his latest albums Playing Robots Into Heaven because it is the perfect bridge between his more experimental pop sound and electronic music, which is exactly my cup of tea.
4. What was the inspiration behind your single The Lights?
The Lights is about my internal struggle with self-confidence. I always felt this deep, internal pull to make music – something I didn’t experience with anything else in my life. It was like being afraid of heights but still feeling the need to jump, which was such a crazy feeling. The Lights is really about that moment when I finally felt powerful enough to let go of the insecurities that were holding me back and literally step into the light.
5. Who is your dream collaborator, living or dead?
My dream collaborator is easily James Blake. He’s unlike any other artist, and I’d love to see his process and experience how he approaches creating. I feel like he’s doing something many artists only grasp at; which is truly reflecting what’s inside.
6. You have a decade under your belt working as a DJ and played fabric, ADE, Printworks, Red Rocks, Paradiso and many more. What is your dream venue to perform at?
It might be a bit unusual, but I don’t really have a ‘dream venue’ I’d like to perform at. For me, what’s most important is the atmosphere and the connection with the audience. I could be playing at the most impressive venue on earth, but if the people there aren’t aligned with my reasons for performing, I would only feel depleted. Performing and my art are deeply emotional and personal to me, which is why the connection with the people around me is so important – because I’m sharing a part of myself. That’s what truly matters to me, so where it happens doesn’t matter all that much.
7. What’s your favourite track on the album and why?
Probably Close To You as it’s such a personal track. I wrote it for someone that’s very special to me during a time we were far apart. It was a track that just came into being straight out of the emotions I was experiencing at the time and whenever I listen to it, I always go back to that time in my life.
8. Your new album has a strong electronic pulse throughout influenced by your work as a DJ. What is your favourite memory from the last decade working as a DJ?
It’s not really one specific memory, but more a time in my life where we would visit De Marktkantine a lot (which was my resident club at the time). My friends and I visited that club almost every weekend over the course of three years. It’s the place where I played my first sets at and it was really the beginning of my DJ career. During the week I worked part time at their office in the marketing department and on weekends I’d sometimes DJ there or just hang out with friends. It was the first time in my life where I felt I actually belonged somewhere and thinking back to it, that was probably the most fun I had in my 20s.
9. If you had to choose between electronic and pop, which would it be?
It’s a tough choice, but I’d have to say electronic. At my core, I still see myself primarily as an electronic music artist, and that’s where most of my influences come from. Plus, I have a real love for clubs and nightlife – it’s where I feel most connected to the music.
10. What can fans look forward to from you in the next year?
I’m working on some really cool collaborations with some artists I personally love. Some are already nearly finished and I will probably start testing out the tracks soon on some of the shows!
Photography courtesy of Nicky Elisabeth.
