We recently connected with Caroline Nikolaus and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

This issue might not be entirely unexpected, but I never seem to have enough money to produce music to the quality that I want. Hiring people to build an album (producing, mixing, mastering, distributing, paying session musicians) adds to a colossal amount of dough. I want to pay for these services because every creative deserves to get paid for their work. I know I have done my share of free or reduced-priced jobs because “it is for a friend.”

So, my problem is that I have endless ideas; I compose scores and musical masterpieces in my head. I am great at it! But I do not have the money to pay the very skilled people who can take these ideas and make them into a produced reality.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey, everyone. I am a multipotentialite, having numerous interests, creative pursuits, and careers. I do not have one path in life, but many: songwriter, academic, freelance photographer, study abroad advisor, social media manager, florist, piano teacher, travel writer, model, and more. I grew up in different countries and loved traveling from an early age. This transience developed a curiosity to observe and learn everything, adapt, reflect, and see the world as complex but connected. I began journaling about my observations at the age of six. These writings continued through every move, every country, and every season of life. They sometimes took the form of poems and then songs. Music could always touch parts of my soul that other art forms could not. It became my companion. Piano, guitar, and clarinet developed into my repertoire. I studied classical piano, vocal jazz, composition, and music theory throughout my high school, undergraduate, and graduate years.

I have been in two duo groups over the past decade, but I currently live in Nashville and am in the production process for my songs as a solo artist.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn was this:

Part 1: There is no one way to be creative. Every individual is creative or has it in them to be. If you craft your talent and creativity to make it part of your life and career, that’s amazing. But do not tell others they are not creative and do not limit what creativity can be.

Part 2: Comparing your own story with those of others will only limit your potential and success. Each individual’s way of achieving success, whatever success means to them, will look different. There is no reason to compare your circumstances, background, experiences, and creativity with others. I have been in the music industry for ten years and have never had a “big break.” I made moves to pursue my dream, too. I moved to Nashville to network and write after university, working at a restaurant to pay the bills. BAM! Every person I worked with was also an artist trying to make it, and some were going on tour. I was not. I wrote every night in the UK to practice my discipline and churn out songs, even if they were substandard, because I knew if I met the right person, they would want to see what I had been working on and what to show for my years of songwriting. BAM! I met people who could have changed my life, but they decided not to. Maybe I was not good enough or talented enough. I moved to Los Angeles, found a band, found a producer, played live, and tried to get noticed. BAM! Another artist gets famous overnight. BAM! BAM! Two artists get signed and are working on albums. BAM! Someone important sees a friend play at a random show, and the next day the friend is off on a new musical adventure with enough money to make music, rebrand, tour, and be happy.

There are so many ways to get discovered. There are just as many ways to try and be seen but never get noticed. Comparing your life’s movement to those of others, especially when you wish yours could fall into place like you have seen it happen for others, is an unsustainable and futile pastime.

Big moves, risks, determination, discipline, practice–I did the steps they say to do–still doing them! And you tell yourself, “I have to keep going,” because what else is there? One benefit of pursuing a dream that is never quite fulfilled is that you must stop daily and ask if this dream is worth it. If it is, you keep going. Even if you never get a break or get discovered. Do not expect that to happen. It is the wrong motivation.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have had to pivot multiple times in my life. A significant one was when covid hit Los Angeles in March 2020. Two months prior, my husband heard about his acceptance into the University of Edinburgh for his graduate program. We planned on moving in September from LA, but as the pandemic started and worsened, we were both phased out of our jobs. We did not want to pay rent in LA while jobless, so we left at the end of April to live with family for the entire summer. Being without a home base for four and a half months was quite the experience. I had done this before during my single days of moving abroad and back a few times, crashing with my parents during the in-betweens. But never with a partner. I ordinarily love change, but this was difficult to navigate amid an uncertain pandemic with social and political conflicts.

Not only did I leave my job and community, but I said goodbye to my most stable (and hopeful) music career. LA bursts with talent, collaborative opportunities, chance encounters, and inspiration. Leaving it felt like I was saying goodbye to my best chances at musical success.

But dreams get refined over time; they grow as you grow. Like so many others, I could not play live with covid restrictions. My musical world got smaller and smaller throughout the pandemic. Mostly, it was me and my piano in Scotland, keeping company. But there is beauty in that, too. Music continues to bring joy and expression. I will forever write, play, and sing. Even if I wish I could share it with the world, I am glad it is still mine to have.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolineadelenikolaus/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinenikolaus/
• Caroline Adele Spotify Page: https://open.spotify.com/artist/11oWrA871k6QYikAvgNmsa?si=HXcwNL-wTyq7Dx7kDN3Xrg MORROW (LA band)
• Spotify Page: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PrTcSnR6M6s4EQnxebrVG?si=h5VVSlqfSyqldJFRdNnT-w

Image Credits
Home Nashville shoot (cover photo, writing in black sweater, head on piano) by Lucius Patenaude