An Interview With NIKKI’S WIVES Front-Woman NIKKI WHITEHEAD On The Group’s Newest Music, Biggest Inspirations and More!

Meet Nikki’s Wives!

Nikki’s Wives is a pop music trio led by teenage-prodigy, Nikki Whitehead, who exudes effortless cool with sleek style and smoky vocals. With Dylan Lauzonon guitar and Nate Baylor on drums, Nikki’s Wives recently released their new EP, For E*V*E*R.

Starting her career as a solo artist, Nikki has been in and out of studios since she was 12 years old. After struggling for years to find collaborators who shared her aesthetic vision, Nikki found a creative home with Dylan and Nate. The trio instantly fed off each other’s creative energies and decided to redefine the project to reflect this radiant spirit, marrying three talents to create Nikki’s Wives. Their name comes from an inside joke: Nikki, Dylan and Nate all say that being in this band is the closest they will ever get to being married.

Nikki’s Wives has been featured on Fox News, NBC, Victoria’s Secret parties, Ones To Watch, Idobi Radio and so many more. To top it all off, Nikki’s Wives recently hit the road with the one and only CeeLo Green. This group is destined for big things.

Learn more about Nikki’s Wives in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Now that we are entering the fall of 2016, what are some words you would use to describe this year? What have been some of the highlights for the band? 

The past year has gone by so quickly that it has honestly felt a little surreal. We have been so lucky with out opportunities and we’re all so excited for what the future will bring. The main highlights would either be the Love Train Tour with CeeLo Green, or playing the Victoria’s Secret Superbowl Party. Both were insane experiences that really helped us grow as a band.

Growing up, did you all always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memories?

I think that we’ve all always been drawn towards music and playing. Nate used to sing as a little kid for his family, Dylan started playing guitar at a young age, and I started singing when I was about 5. So we’ve all always had music in our lives.

How did Nikki’s Wives first come together? How did you come up with your band name?

 I was still doing a solo project at the time and Dylan was playing guitar in my band. We needed a drummer for this one gig so Dylan called up Nate and asked if he could do it. The show just went so well that we all decided we needed to be a band. And we’ve been “married” ever since. The name is an inside joke between the three of us. We all agreed that this band is the closest any of us will get to being married, so the name just reflects how close we are.

Nikki, I am curious to know what it has been like being in a group as opposed to your solo career? 

Being in a band is honestly the coolest thing ever. It’s like having a family that you got to handpick. Making the change from being a solo act to being in a band was the best decision I’ve made.

You recently released your new EP, “For E*V*E*R.” How do you think your sound has grown and changed on this collection? 

For E*V*E*R was out first attempt at being a band and writing together. The song “Fantasize” was the first song the three of us had ever written together. So the entire EP is all about us finding our sound as who we are as a band. We recently recorded another 6 songs and I think that those better reflect where we wanna go.

What was the inspiration for the EP’s first two singles, “Ghost” and “Lonely Being Cool”?

Both the songs are dancing around the theme of loneliness. “Lonely Being Cool” is about having it all but still feeling lonely and sad. While “Ghost” is reflecting on a relationship that has ended but still haunts you. While both are very different sounding, the two songs capture who we are as a band.

What was it like touring with CeeLo Green? 

It was honestly the coolest experience ever. CeeLo and his whole crew treated us like family and went above and beyond to make us comfortable on tour. We learned so much from CeeLo about what it takes to really make it in this business.  He almost became our mentor by the end of the tour.

Who are some of your favorite artists and what bands continue to inspire you and your music? Who would you still love to work with in the future? 

We took a lot of influence from Peter Gabriel while writing our EP. We were listening to a lot of 80’s pop and rock at the time, which comes across in tracks like “Another Lie” and “Lonely Being Cool”. We take inspiration from the vibe and attitude of musicians like Drake, A$AP Rocky, and Kendrick Lamar. We try and take inspo from how badass they are.

When you aren’t performing, working in the studio, what do you like to do for fun? How do you unwind from it all? 

We don’t ever really take a break from it! (Laughter) It seems like the past year we’ve spent every minute together. But we all like just relaxing and decompressing after being on tour or recording.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

We want to inspire people to be strong and to not take shit from anyone. Basically the goal is for everyone to be a bad bitch after listening to our EP.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

If you wanna stay updated on all shit Nikki’s Wives, you can find all our socials under the tag @nikkiswives or on our website nikkiswives.com.