Bedroom Pop & TikTok: an Interview with Nick Wagen
My introduction to Nick Wagen was a very flustered Nick jumping onto my Zoom call, profusely apologizing and explaining to me that he was currently on a long drive in the middle of Indiana. After a chaotic couple of minutes of chatting, whilst looking for a place to pull over, he stopped in a Wendy’s parking lot and assured me that he was ready to start the interview. I had done my research and listened to his music beforehand, but nothing could have prepared me for the pleasant surprise of actually speaking to him. Nick, freshly 20 years old and new to the music industry, holds a charming, down-to-earth excitement about the beginning of his career. Catching someone like Nick at the very start of their success feels similar to being let in on a secret; an excitement that is infectious and magnetic.
Having only really dipped my toe into the indie/bedroom pop scene, sometimes artists can blur together for me and start to sound the same. After talking to Nick, it became clear that his uncomplicated and pure love for music is what sets him apart from other musicians. So much of Nick’s fascination with music has to do with enjoying the listening experience and wanting to dissect other people’s sounds. This makes his own music about celebrating the genre and enjoying what it makes you feel, all while adding his own flair of individuality to his songs. I know that I’ll be listening as Nick continues to grow in the future, and I encourage all indie/bedroom pop fans to do the same!
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourself.
[NICK:] My name is Nick Wagen, I’m 20 years old, and I’m from Indiana. I got into producing and recording music in high school because a lot of kids at my school were into making rap beats and that kind of stuff, so I started producing around sophomore year. Then, in junior and senior year of high school, I transitioned towards the indie-pop genre and started listening to more of that. I really wanted to get serious and start making that type of music. Then, in my freshman year of college, I started recording more music and putting it out, hoping it would go somewhere.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the coolest experience you’ve had with blowing up on TikTok?
[NICK:] Well, first of all, my first experience with TikTok was when my friend and I had a comedy account, back in freshman year of college. We would make funny skits, and had a couple of videos go viral on that, so I was like, “Oh, TikTok’s kinda cool.” After we stopped doing that, I thought I should make one for my music and see if I could get it to blow up. The second or third video I posted had to do with Omar Apollo, and that one got, like, 2 million views or something. He ended up reposting it on his story and I was like, “What the hell?” Then, I made a mashup of Clairo’s ‘Pretty Girl’ and ‘WAP’ by Cardi B- Dude - that one ended up getting pretty big too, and then, Clairo actually followed me on TikTok! That was a pretty big moment for me. It was really funny because I DM’d her, (she had, like, one video up at the time), and was like, “Yo, is this actually Clairo?” She just said, “Yes”, and never responded again. A couple days later, she got verified and I was like, “Aw, man, I just blew it with Clairo!” It was so funny. But yeah, TikTok’s been cool. I promoted a playlist on there, and that’s where the majority of my listeners on Spotify came from. TikTok’s definitely the place to be for artists who are trying to grow themselves right now.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Which artists do you look up to, and what do you want to bring to the genre with your own music?
[NICK:] There’s a couple of people I look up to. This newer artist named Jean Dawson; I think he’s really good and has been rising recently. King Krule is another big inspiration for me. Also Omar Apollo, ROLE MODEL, The Neighbourhood… I definitely try to incorporate some of their elements into my sound, but also, bring new things to the table. I try not to limit myself too much. I’ve gone through phases in music where I think, “I need to be like this person in order to get more streams,” but then, you know, at the end of the day, that feels too inauthentic. You just gotta do whatever you think is your sound, so I’ve been doing better with that recently. Instead of trying to stick to the bedroom-pop formula that a lot of people are going for right now, I’ve been experimenting with different genres. I think that has been good for me, keeping it fresh and whatnot.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What does your songwriting process look like?
[NICK:] It’s a little different every time. Sometimes, I’ll write about my life experiences. My most recent song that came out, ‘for you’, deals with losses that I’ve had in life and different things that have happened to me. But for songs like ‘Ladybug’, I’ll just think of characters in my head and write about a certain scenario that I come up with, or keep it lighthearted - it’s more about the feeling of the song than the lyrical content. For ‘Ladybug’, I sat down and made the instrumental over a couple days, and then wrote the lyrics all in one day. It often takes a while for me to find the inspiration to actually sit down and write something. So, it’s a spaced out process, but when it does happen, it happens very quickly. I create the track first because I want the lyrics to fit the feeling of the track. If I make a really upbeat instrumental, I’ll go back and try to write lyrics that are upbeat and make you feel good.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What song are you the proudest of, in terms of production?
[NICK:] I think ‘Head High’ is the one I’m proudest of because that one took, like, 6 months to complete. Originally, it was half the length and it didn’t have the big ending that it does now. It was originally all electronic drums and it just sounded really fake, so I went back and re-recorded everything. I went to my old high school and we used the band room and recorded with live drums. I had another friend mix the live drums because I had no clue how to do that, and I think it just ended up working perfectly. I really like how it came out and it’s definitely the one I’m most proud of.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Favorite line from one of your songs?
[NICK:] That’s tough. I think I’m gonna have to go with ‘Head High’ again. I think the lyrics are probably the best I’ve written - that or, ‘for you’. Those two are my best lyrical songs, in my opinion. I’m not super good with lyrics. Most of the time, I just try to make songs that are based on a feeling that either makes you feel good, makes you feel sad… But for these two songs the lyrics actually turned out pretty well. I like the chorus in ‘Head High’; “I keep my head held high / You’ve been on mind / I know that it’s not right / Feels like I’m gonna die”.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What was the inspiration and creative process for your new single, ‘for you’?
[NICK:] It was produced and written about a year ago, at the end of 2019. It dealt with some loss in my life - I lost my grandma at a young age and she was close to me. It’s not, like, something that’s hanging over my head nowadays because it was a long time ago, but I like to think back to those times and remember how I felt. That’s where the inspiration for that came from. The song isn’t solely about that, but it definitely draws from the experience. I liked the concept of making a song with the lyrics, “I could be there for you.” I don’t know, I just really liked that, so I decided to roll with it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Last weird dream you had?
[NICK:] I have really, really vivid dreams. There’s a vivid one that I remember from when I was a kid. So, as a kid, I was deathly afraid of the Grinch, like, Jim Carrey’s Grinch. I thought he lived in my basement, so I would dream about the Grinch trying to find me and kidnap me. And then, one time, my brother wrapped me up in a blanket, turned the lights off in the basement, and ran upstairs, and I started crying because I was like, “Grinch, please don’t take me away!” That’s just the first one that comes to mind. It’s weird, I remember a lot of dreams from when I was younger. I feel like I need to start keeping a dream journal and writing them all down because I have some weird fucking dreams sometimes.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What do you want your listeners to take away from your music?
[NICK:] I like to make music that gives you a certain feeling. In ‘for you’, the lyrics aren’t anything crazy, but I really like the production and instrumental. Same thing with ‘Head High’. ‘Lady Bug’ is super upbeat and it was perfect for the summer, like, roll the windows down and drive with it blasting. I just really like making music that gives you a feeling and that’s what I hope listeners like about it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What’s next for you?
[NICK:] I plan on creating a lot more YouTube content; maybe covers, acoustic versions of my songs, or music videos. I’m working on an EP that’s still really early in the works, but that’s the next step. I’m trying to build connections within the industry and make more friends, you know, just keep growing and having fun and creating stuff. I have a lot of goals for 2021 that I’m gonna try hard to achieve. I’m excited to see where the future will take me.
Keep up with Nick!
Instagram • Spotify • Apple Music
Stream ‘for you’ here.
All photos by Carlynn Young
