FEATURE: Spotlight: Niko Rubio — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Niko Rubio

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A phenomenal and hugely talented...

young artist, Niko Rubio is someone that people should follow. Her debut E.P. of last year, Wish You Were Here, is a remarkable release. Her latest single, Dream Girl, shows how stunningly consistently Rubio is. Before getting to a couple of interviews from last year, here is some biography about the incredible American artist:

“When creating her debut project, 21-year-old singer/songwriter Niko Rubio found a never-ending muse in the Pacific Coast Highway: the iconic stretch of road that runs along the ocean for nearly the entire length of California, including the Southern California South Bay area where she grew up. Expansive and euphoric, Niko's radiant form of songwriting perfectly echoes the pure sense of possibility that accompanies driving down the PCH, all while channeling the intense emotion typical of any Pisces. The result is an immediately absorbing collection of songs, introducing the 20-year-old artist as an undeniable new voice with a highly original vision.

"My whole goal with this project was to create something true to my experience; being from California and taking this path that not many women of color I knew had taken before, probably because the space was never open to them. I look up to someone like Linda Ronstadt, who is this strong female songwriter and storyteller, and is a pioneer for Hispanic women," says Niko, whose heritage is Mexican and Salvadoran. "At the same time I was just writing from my heart about everything I've gone through in the past year -- falling in love and out of love and then back into love -- and creating this very real story of love and lust and heartbreak."

Made in collaboration with producers/songwriters like Andy Seltzer (Maggie Rogers, IAN SWEET) and Nick Long (K.Flay, BØRNS), Niko's debut EP centers on a free-flowing sound she partly attributes to the easygoing nature of her creative process. "Everything we did was built from guitar and drums and good love and good heartbreak," she says. "I let go of any pressure I might've felt, and let the writing and production happen naturally." On the EP's lead single "You Could Be the One," Niko brings that untamed energy to a brightly shimmering track capturing the wild rush of new love ("Breathing never had me too excited/Now I get to just enjoy my youth"). "I wrote that song about my boyfriend, who I met in Joshua Tree in the middle of quarantine," she says. "I came back from that trip feeling so inspired to write a song that's hopeful about love, and it ended up being so freeing for me."

With its effervescent melodies and unpredictable textures, "You Could Be the One" reveals Niko's affinity for early-'00s indie-rock, a genre she first discovered thanks to an aunt fairly close to her in age. "My aunt was in high school when I was in elementary school, and I thought anything she did was so cool," Niko recalls. "I remember tagging along to go get frozen yogurt with her friends -- this little kid sitting in the back while they listened to Vampire Weekend and Two Door Cinema Club and Lana Del Rey. Pretty soon I started listening to that music on my own, and became completely obsessed with it."

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Dunn

Although she also names Erykah Badu, Tyler, the Creator, and twenty one pilots among her main influences -- and even has the number 21 tattooed on her hand -- Niko was mostly raised on the mariachi and banda music that her grandparents played at home in Palos Verdes. At the age of 12, she began performing on a series of Spanish-language TV shows, spotlighting the magnetic vocal presence that continues to infuse her music. Within two years she'd started playing guitar and writing her own material, and at age 15 had a major breakthrough with a song called "Rolling Stone." "I wrote 'Rolling Stone' sitting on my bed at my grandma's house, and it was the first time I ever came up with something that felt fully like me," she says. "It was a really happy moment where I knew that I could actually do something with my music." Over the coming years, Niko worked with a number of producers as she shaped her musical identity, and in fall 2019 put out an alt-R&B-leaning song called "I Dreamt About You Again Last Night." That track soon caught the attention of songwriter J Kash and, in turn, paved the way for her signing to Atlantic Records.

Mostly recorded remotely over the course of quarantine, Niko's debut project never fails to illuminate the effortless complexity within her artistry. On "Amor," for instance, she delivers a tenderhearted love song in Spanish, merging her ethereal vocals with intricate percussion and gently cascading guitar tones. One of the EP's most vulnerable tracks, "Can't Pretend I'm Just a Friend" conveys the heavy-hearted longing that comes with not knowing where you stand in a relationship, while "Bed" unfolds in sultry grooves and snarling guitar riffs as Niko slips into a state of feverish infatuation ("I like it when you say my name/Tastes like candy on my brain/I'm so dumb for you, love"). And on "Saving Me," the EP achieves a moment of blissful transcendence. "I wrote 'Saving Me' about being in love and wanting to express to your partner how much they mean to you, but it can also be a song to yourself," Niko points out. "At the end of the day, the only person who can save you is you."

With its cinematically detailed reference to a fantasy road trip up the PCH, "Saving Me" marks the EP's boldest reflection of Niko's Californian sensibilities and endless love for her homeland. "When you're driving from Palos Verdes, it's the most gorgeous view you've ever seen -- it looks like mermaids are jumping from the ocean every time the sun glistens on the water," she says. "I got to see that almost every day of my life on the drive to school, and it was always so beautiful. I hope my EP feels like that drive, and gives people some kind of an escape. I want it to take them on a whole journey that brings them a feeling of nostalgia and happiness and hope that stays with them a long time”.

Amplify Her Voice spoke with Niko Rubio late last year. She is someone who I predict will continue to rise and get massive attention. Her music and story is like nothing I have encountered before:

“Rising singer-songwriter, Niko Rubio grew up on the mariachi and banda music that her grandparents played for her as a child i Palos Verdes, California. She looked up to artists like Linda Ronstadt who she names a “strong female songwriter and storyteller, and a pioneer for Hispanic women,” and at the same time she obsessed over Erykah Badu, Tyler the Creator, and 21 Pilots – the number “21” tattooed on her hand and all. Add in a soft edge and authentic spirit, and what you’ll get is Rubio’s new EP, Wish You Were Here - an alluring intimate look at the artist’s love life, family life, and Californian inspirations.

Created with executive producer Andy Seltzer (Maggie Rogers, Chelsea Cutler, LILHUDDY), John Debold (Katy Perry, HAIM, Wallows) and Nick Long (Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear, Weezer), Rubio’s EP was recorded remotely during quarantine, but the magic in the record is that its song stories bring themselves to life, despite being recorded during a lockdown. The artist’s talent for storytelling, music-making, and most of all, image-capturing shines through on each of the EP’s songs. “Amor” is a soft-hearted track dedicated to her family and recorded in Spanish, while a song like “Saving Me” transports its listeners through a road trip up and down the California coast. The EP itself is blissful, sweet, and full of love, with hints of all of Rubio’s musical idols laced in between lyrical testaments to family heritage and the quiet yet hypnotic grace of falling head over heels.

You’ve opened up about how 2020 was a difficult year, emotionally for you. What about writing music helped you navigate through tough emotions like depression in a year of lockdown? Is creating music often cathartic for you?

2020 was a hard year for everyone. I think most would agree that it’s hard to navigate the many deep traumas that have resurfaced during our times at home. I mean what else is there to do but work and think about your darkest deepest insecurities. Is that just me?

I loved reading about how the creation for this EP came about by you driving up and down the coast of Southern California. It was so easy for me to visualize you doing that. You wrote that you “would jump in the ocean and cry” finding inspiration for your music at the beach. Is your new visualizer for “Can’t Pretend” a reflection of these moments or is it something entirely it’s own?

The “Can’t Pretend” visualizer is so special because we did it in one take. It was getting dark. We had 20 minutes of sun before the sun set and it was cold. It is so cathartic for me to be in water or the forest or lake I just feel so at peace. I wanted the video to have that sense of peace.

Can you tell us a little bit more about how your culture and ancestors have inspired this EP?

My Mexican culture inspires everything I do including this EP. Even when I write in English, the sonics of the songs I write are based on American and Mexican rock stars like Linda and Blondie. The braids in my hair for the “Amor” video inspired by the braids I wore horseback riding with my grandfather. It’s all connected in small ways.

Do you have any advice for young women, especially women of color, who are aspiring to be musicians?

My advice to women of color in music is do not let anyone take your shine away. Opposition is normal and, a lot of the time, your biggest competitor is yourself. Make friends with everyone, especially the young women end people coming up with you. Everyone can win”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Natalia Mantini

To round off, there is an interview from LATINA that I feel is worth highlighting. I feel connecting with her Mexican roots is very important to Rubio:

“Growing up, did you always know you wanted to be a singer-songwriter?

I always knew I was going to be a singer. I guess technically when I was ten I thought I was going to be a chef. I asked for a food processor for Christmas and when I got it, I started crying. I wanted a real food processor because the Barefoot Contessa had one — she used it for all her, you know, whatever, purees, and I was like, “I’ll be a real chef if I get one of these!” And then I realized, you get really hot cooking; I don’t think this is right for me.

So I started writing. Because I just loved school, and I couldn’t cook anymore. That probably swayed me into, ‘Oh music is amazing. I love writing. Let’s just do that — forever.’

Was your family supportive of that dream?

Surprisingly, yes. I’m first-generation Mexican. My grandma wanted to be a singer growing up. So I think, for her, when she found out that her nieta could sing, she was like, “Okay what can we do with this?” You know what I mean? She was schemin’ on how to make it work, like Selena’s family [who rallied around Selena’s dreams].

She told me, ‘We can’t make you a family van, but we can do something.” *Laughs* And so she’d come home from work and take me to vocal lessons. That’s just kinda how it started. They were super, super, super, super, super receptive. And believing. It’s very rare.

What would you say your connection to your Mexican roots is like right now?

I mean, very strong. My mom didn’t really teach me how to speak Spanish because she came from the time of ‘We need to acclimate.’ And ‘We don’t teach our kids how to speak Spanish. We need to become American.’ And my grandma and grandpa were like, “I don’t believe in that. At all. We are proud Mexicans, here in America, and we’re gonna do our shit, and you’re gonna learn how to speak Spanish.”

So it was actually one of the rules of me doing music. Grandpa said, “I’ll take you to singing lessons. But you have to sing in Spanish. And you’re moving into grandma and grandpa’s house. No more this whole, mom, white-washing thing.”

What does success look like to you? Where do you hope Niko Rubio is in five, ten years?

It’s the constant question of, what is enough? Because I could say [win] five Grammy’s and that’s great, but I think, internally, I’m starting to understand and feel where my threshold is gonna be. Is it a McMansion in the Hills? Or is it being able to live? And be happy?

I think that I imagine myself being able to support my family. And, whether or not it’s with a Grammy, I really want to do, in five years, my own solo tour. I really want to have a clothing line. And at least be in Vogue, twice. *Laughs* Those are my goals”.

An amazing artist that everyone should follow, go and check out the amazing Niko Rubio. She is someone who is going to go very far indeed. Her music is among the best I have heard from any new artist. She is a wonderful talent…