Nice Ghost On New Single, Quarantine, Mental Health, & More

It’s a song to dance to. I recorded my drum set (which was out of tune and in a noisy room) with just two microphones, then chopped what I recorded into a couple loops. I wanted to recreate what an old tape sample sounded like, but without the luxury of having an expensive old tape machine at my disposal. Anyway, I turned that into a looped beat, reinforced it with a drum machine, and then left it as is for awhile. One night I woke up at 3AM, grabbed my bass and played the bass line, which I also looped and started singing over. I sang whatever came into my head, which was “the beat can take me home,” and locked it down, and then the a-ha moment happened and I knew I had the song. I did a stream-of-consciousness writing session and came up with most of the lyrics, put a couple more noises in there, sang it, and that was it. Imagine me dancing in the dark at 4AM to the chorus on repeat – sometimes that’s just how I write.

I’m keeping myself busy. Lots of long walks, trying to find tall stairways to run up and down to get some exercise since my gym permanently closed. I’ve been recording new songs for the next album(s), learning to do video editing, learning to use a camera… stuff I didn’t used to think I’d be doing, but now I am. That takes up most of the day, but I’ve been playing an insane amount of Minecraft too – something normal for non-quarantine as well. I’ve been actually wondering if maybe there’s some kind of career opportunity out there for musicians who are obsessed with Minecraft… if there is, let me know.

It’s hard to say because different songs often pull different influences, but overall Radiohead has really been an influence for me. Ever since I heard “OK Computer” in high school, those opening riffs of “Airbag,” it was like a whole world opened up in my mind, and I remember saying “this is exactly what I think music is supposed to sound like.” It was pretty profound.

Good question! I’ve always been into music, but I didn’t really want to start performing until I was 4 or 5 and saw Garth Brooks do a live performance on TV. I think it was Madison Square Garden or something… anyway, he was larger than life especially for someone as young as I was. It was so cool. I instantly became a big fan. My family was always into some really cool music, too. When I was really little, I was hearing all about The Beatles (I loved the White Album, especially #9), Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Talking Heads, Metallica… some pretty interesting stuff that I still love today.

I avoided talking about it for a long time for fear of social or professional repercussions – and that’s why it’s important that we DO talk about it. There’s a lot of stigma around mental health – and I’m all about breaking that down. I don’t believe anyone truly has it “together” all the time. If we were more open about it, we’d have a much healthier grasp on it as a society in ways that would benefit individuals, workplaces, schools, medicine, even politics etc. It’s a win-win, in my opinion. Let’s keep talking about it.

Sometimes it’s cathartic to write about whatever darkness is creeping in, other times I listen to my own music to remind myself that I’m not actually a talentless hack. Impostor syndrome can be a nuisance…

Nice Ghost is on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Napster, Amazon, Google Play… just about everything you can think of! Please find me on your favorite platform and follow! I’m on Instagram as @niceghostofficial, where I love to re-post when people tag my songs in their stories! I try to be really active on there and respond to everything right away. You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/niceghostmusic, I’m on Twitter as @niceghostmusic, you can also find me on YouTube and Tiktok! My website is www.niceghostmusic.com, if you want to check that out too! I highly encourage people to sign up to my email list through my website, that way you can hear about all new releases, merch, future tours, and exclusive content!