Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole McMahan.
Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in a suburb just outside of Denver, Colorado called Highlands Ranch. My up bringing was fairly normal—took piano lessons for a couple years, voice lessons here and there—but I wouldn’t say I had a particularly musical family at all. I started getting involved in choir in middle school and continued that through high school which I absolutely loved. I was lucky to have really amazing mentors and community throughout that time in theatre and choir and started to fall in love with performing and singing. I moved out to Utah to go to college in summer of 2014 originally wanting to study music education with a choral focus and very quickly realized that it wasn’t for me. Dabbled with the idea of studying musical theatre and it just didn’t feel right and at the same time I started writing original music. So honestly on a whim I applied for the commercial music program with contemporary voice as my instrument and was surprisingly accepted. I got my Bachelor’s in Commercial Music with an emphasis in songwriting, audio engineering, and voice and haven’t looked back. I started pursuing my artist career in 2021 and since then have released 9 singles with more slated to come out this year and I also write for music libraries/sync, have performed lots of fun shows, and have made some lovely connection with people through my music.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think overall I am so privileged and lucky to get to do what I love that it feels a little odd to say there’s been struggles. I have an amazing husband who is my producer and the most talented musician I know so I’m constantly getting new tips and help from him. And he is ridiculously supportive of my music career and produces my music and we have a recording studio in our house that I use. Ridiculously privileged compared to every other independent artist.
I think the biggest thing has been struggling with confidence and mental health which is just a person problem and not specific to being a recording artist. My latest single “Quiet” talks about my journey and struggle to take up space. Sometimes I feel like I live in a paradox of really wanting to be seen but feeling unworthy to be seen and it’s a little bit of an internal battle. A lot of my songs are wishes for myself and others, like if I write enough happy songs then I’ll be happier more consistently and if I write confident songs it will rub off on me. So far I must say it is working, I think I feel better every day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a recording artist and songwriter. I think what sets me apart is the blending on genres that comes from the collaboration with me and my husband/producer. He listens to a lot of film and classical music as well as RnB and hip hop, but grew up on a lot of funk and metal. And I listen to a lot of pop, RnB, and funk and went through a heavy acoustic/singer songwriter phase in college. It makes for some really interesting and unique musical combinations. I think I’m probably most known for being a vocal nerd and for being able to sing whistle tones because it is my one party trick ha. And I am also most proud of my journey as a vocalist because I’ve worked VERY hard at it and finally after years am getting to the point where I feel really confident in my abilities to execute different vocal colors in an artistic way.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Lots of things. Creating comes to mind. I recently have been realizing that as I get older I care less and less about the outcome, and more just about the act of creating itself. Other things that I feel don’t need explaining: good coffee, a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, my daily walks with my dog and husband, hikes in the mountains, making my home feel cozy, gardening, and traveling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nicolemcmahan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemcmahanmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolemcmahanmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nicolemcmahan3226
