Nicole Han is a 20-year-old Indie Pop artist based in Southern California. Han has always been surrounded by music but began writing songs every day during quarantine as a form of therapy. Han has now released two singles “aftertaste” and “how dare you” which quickly garnered a large audience online. Following the success of her previous releases Han is coming out with her happiest song yet “BLUSH!” which releases August 12th. I was able to sit down with the singer-songwriter and talk about all things music.
Hi Nicole, Thanks so much for sitting down with me. How are you?
I'm great. I'm chugging my Matcha, so I'm great
Could you please introduce yourself? Who are you as a musician?
I am a 20 year old singer-songwriter from Southern California. I've been surrounded by music my whole life and I've always loved songwriting. So to actually release music has been a dream.
How would you define your sound as an artist?
I'd like to think that I'm intimate with my lyrics. I have a singer songwriter aspect to my songs, but also I really enjoy the huge production sound. Basically I want these opposites coming together to create an intimate sound while also being something big.
Are there any artists that inspire your sound?
Yeah, tons! I'm super inspired by other female singer-songwriters mainly. I love Maggie Rogers, Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift, and Lorde. But I also love the production style of Troye Sivan as well.
You grew up around music but when did you decide to seriously pursue it?
In quarantine, when I had a lot of time on my hands, I got a keyboard for my room. And so I was writing songs everyday instead of just writing every so often in my free time. I would literally sit down and make myself write a song every day. And that was really interesting, because I wasn't always writing about my personal experience. I was writing and pulling [inspiration] from other things, too, just to practice. And so that's when I realized that I actually really loved songwriting, and I was getting better at it. So that's when I was like, “Oh, my gosh, I really want to do this.”
What was the strangest experience that you wrote about and took inspiration from?
I've written from the perspective of somebody that wronged me in high school. So that was interesting. I just really like to think of myself in other people's shoes. Even the most random people.
Do you think that that kind of helps you process sort of what you've been through?
Oh, for sure! Songwriting is very therapeutic to me. I feel like a lot of singer-songwriters say that, but it's actually been so helpful and I love it so much.
How did you pick "Aftertaste" out of all of the songs that you wrote everyday during quarantine?
It's funny, it was the first song that I finished with my producer in the studio. And it was kind of out on a whim. I loved how it sounded. But also I didn't really have anything to compare it to in the studio because it was like literally the only song we had finished production wise. It had this “Lorde” sound to it I want to say and so it just felt right. And I was just like, “I really want to release it.”
How was it to be in a studio with other people after writing on your own for so long?
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I love working with other people. As much as I enjoy writing by myself it's definitely fun to get other people's perspectives. And the people I worked with are just great.
You're also a full time student. What's it like balancing your studies as well as your passion?
It's difficult but doable. I'm a full time student at University so I definitely felt like I had less time to write songs. But then when I look back on this past year, I'm like, Okay, I wrote a ton of songs that I loved even while being at school. But it was just about finding time to juggle, when all my roommates are out of the dorm, like I'm gonna write now. Or in between classes, I'll go to the music study room, or music practice rooms and write a song there. So it was a lot of like, like sneaking around, I feel. But it's fun. I like being busy.
As a college student, what's been a highlight of doing music and college at the same time?
I just love being surrounded by a bunch of people all the time. And having them support me in my music journey. It's been really nice just getting a fresh start in college. And then being surrounded by other creative people in college, too, has been super inspiring. I feel like I've met a lot of people at my college who also do music or are doing something creative that really inspired me, as well.
You have two singles out already, and you have a third on the way. Congratulations! “aftertaste” and “how you” were very sort of like, angsty. So how is “BLUSH!” similar or different to those releases?
Yeah, "BLUSH!" I would say is the opposite of "how dare you" sonically and lyrically. "how dare you" is kind of depressing, and "BLUSH!" super happy. Also "BLUSH!" kind of has this 80s vibe to it, which is new. So I'm excited to see how people react to that.
How was it transitioning from writing about those more angry emotions to writing about this joy and happiness?
Writing about happiness is a lot harder for me than writing about sad stuff just because I feel like it's so much easier to get deep into heartbreaking emotions and stuff when you're writing something sad. But I pushed myself to write something fun and happy. Just because when I was discovering music in middle school in high school some of my favorite songs were big and nostalgic. Songs you could blast while you're driving at night. So that's what I wanted to write. So I definitely had that intention when I was writing "BLUSH!" and I'd like to think that I accomplished this.
What's the inspiration behind "BLUSH!"
I wrote "BLUSH!" in my college dorm room, after only writing sad songs. I just really wanted to break through that and write something feel-good and write about what I was experiencing. I was having a very great time my second semester of college. And I was like “why am I just writing depressing songs every day.” I wanted to write something fun and reflect the joy that I was experiencing.
What's your favorite line that you wrote for "BLUSH!"
In the chorus, it goes like "You make me blush" But then under it says "More than a crush// Familiar rush// Hot to the head, loud to the touch." Those lines fall under the main line, so it's kind of buried. I just like how it's little nuggets of gold that just like peek out. In my head, those lines really describe the feeling of loving someone.
You're getting a degree in graphic design. How does that element of your creativity play into how you create your music?
It's been fun to be able to use my graphic design skills in my music because I've designed all my album covers so far. So it's fun to take creative direction on that.
How is it to take something so personal and then create an image for everybody else to see and understand?
It's so fun. My favorite thing to do is go on Pinterest and make mood boards. It's really a crazy experience to think that I wrote something that was really personal to me and then I put it out there and then create a vision board based on what I saw from listening to my song.
As a woman in the industry, what advice would you give to other women in the industry? I would say to pursue your dreams head first. And to just remember that you are a brilliant person and you can make music just as well as any other person.
What's next for you following the release of "BLUSH!"?
I am working on a lot more music right now. And we'll be releasing some more singles coming up. And look out for music videos and more content.
What are your goals for the future?
I just want to make sure that releasing music doesn't distract me from the actual process that I fell in love with. My goal would be to continue to write for myself
How do you feel about releasing this music? It’s not just for yourself anymore, it's for other people to consume?
It's definitely crazy that other people are resonating with something that I wrote for myself. But I love how I feel a little less alone that people can relate to songs that I write about heartbreak. It's definitely interesting because when I first started posting on Tik Tok it's easy for how well a video does to get into my head about which songs are good or not. Like, if I write something that I love, and then I post it and it doesn’t perform well I definitely question my writing. But I would hope that I just continue to write music that I really resonate with. I think that the music that's the most honest to me would hopefully be the most honest to other people.
Now to round out. What's another artist that you think you know, people should be looking out for you would like to shout out?
There's a song I've been listening to called “Heavy Handed” by Kaleah Lee. And it's her first single, the songwriting is so good! I think she's gonna blow up.
Amazing, well thanks so much for chatting today!
Yeah totally!
Words by Minna
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