Within three just three songs on her latest release, the six-song EP Art of Love, Toronto-based soul-pop sensation Lori Nuic has been able to vividly encapsulate the entirety of the ‘love’ continuum.
Firstly, with her latest single, Dark Side of the Moon, Nuic examines what it’s like for someone pining for love and wondering why it never happens. Secondly, within the title track she wonders if the love you think you have is real and can withstand the slings and arrows of life. Finally, If The Sky Should Fall, Nuic sings strongly and blissfully of someone who is possession of that kind of love and how is has the power to fend off any challenge or obstacle.
All three are heartfelt, and performed with Nuic’s truly unique blend of pop-infused soul music – with just the right amount of grit to give it a bluesy feel. And all three definitely convey the authentic emotions of someone who knows exactly what she is writing about.
“A lot of what I write about has to do with matters of the heart – often my own heart. Some of the songs on this EP talk about trying to find love and then being in a situation where you are probably giving somebody more of a chance than they deserve to have in the relationship. Dark Side of the Moon came about because I realized that a lot of my friends are getting married and having kids and stuff, and there was one point where I was asking why is it I can’t find what they have? It seems like it comes to everyone else so easily. I think there are a lot of us who are searching for that kind of love and wondering why maybe it hasn’t happened yet or when it’s going to be my turn,” Nuic said.
“Art of Love looks at how, when you really care about somebody, sometimes there are many little elements that can ruin things along the way. So it’s basically about taking your time and enjoying each of the little steps along the way in a relationship and hoping that you don’t do something to mess it up. With the song If The Sky Should Fall, it doesn’t have to necessarily be about love, but that seems to be how the tone and the lyrics guide you. It’s saying that as long as I have you with me, everything is going to be fine. As long as we’re together we can conquer anything.”
Art of Love EP was released in November, and sees Nuic, who was born and raised in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of southwestern Ontario, bringing to fruition a prolific and impactful collaboration with noted songwriter Rupert Gayle (Shawn Desman, Brian Melo, Rex Goudie) to craft the half-dozen infectious, groove-oriented and highly melodic songs.
“He’s a great writer who has had a lot of success, a lot of chart topping hits and Junos. I have been writing a lot with Rupert lately and we just click really well. I already had my own writing process and his just fit in so good with mine. For each song, it came together in a different way, every writing session was different. Sometimes the lyrics come first; sometimes it’s a song title or a chord first. Sometimes it’s the melody or even a first verse. There’s really no rhyme or reason,” Nuic explained.
“I play a little guitar and often we would sit and start writing on the guitar and work out some chords. Or if we are working with another writer who does more of the production side, they may have a beat or something like that. But generally when it’s just Rupert and I we will just pull out some guitars and have some kind of groove happening in the background and that’s where we start.”
Dark Side has been getting excellent traction both with fans and within the industry. It was selected as the Bell Media Future Stars song of the month for March, 2016 and continues to climb the top-50 charts. It’s a well-deserved reward for what has basically been a lifetime’s worth of hard work and dedication.
Nuic seems to have been born with the proverbial creative spirit. From an early age she was performing for anyone and everyone who would indulge her. Fortunately, she grew up in a family that appreciated the arts and encouraged their kids to be as involved as they wanted to be.
“I started studying dance when I was a little kid, but my parents also put my older brother and I into guitar lessons when we were kids. My parents always had music playing around the house too. So I guess I always liked music and always liked singing but I didn’t really think of myself as a singer when I was younger. I did some drama in high school and had a great drama teacher in high school who was awesome and really tried to help me figure out my future in terms of the arts,” said Nuic who enrolled in the dance program at Toronto’s Ryerson University before transferring to the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts where she did more singing and acting.
“I was taking more singing lessons and just trying to hone that craft because I realized that’s what I truly wanted to do. I was also writing songs and working with a producer. I was out a lot of nights, playing original music at various showcases, just learning how to be a professional and getting my name and my music out there.”
In 2007 she released her first album, Red Book Chronicles, and followed that up with Flaws of Attraction in 2013. Both reflected her continuing evolution as an artist and a melding of her varied musical influences.
In her family home, her parents were devotees of old-time rock by the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, while her brother was more into hard rock and heavy metal. Nuic followed a different path.
“I just really found I preferred soul music. I liked anything with nice big voices and anything with big, rich, warm sounds. Whenever I was going to dance class or my parents were driving us to school or basketball games, they always had the radio on, so anything that was popular on the radio at that time was an influence including Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston,” she said, adding that she incorporated those powerful, soulful vocal influences with upbeat rhythms and pop hooks to form music that Nuic herself likes to call alternative soul.
“It’s pop infused with an infectiously happy sort of feel to it, where you can’t help but want to move. It’s not beat-driven music, but it’s filled with luscious melodies. It’s pop-based music, but I have made sure there’s a real rootsy element to it. It’s got a little bit of grit; it’s not super-polished like a lot of straightforward pop music is these days.”
Her theatrical and dance training means Nuic is a gifted onstage performer, with the rare ability to emote and project with seeming ease. Live, whether it’s with a full band, or on an acoustic duo scenario, Nuic is captivating and can seamlessly connect with any audience.
“I have done a lot of shows in the duo format but I am trying to get out more often with a full band. There’s a different energy that happens when you are backed up by a full band. There’s more people up there, so the juices amp up a little more, and we all feed off one another’s vibe. And it’s different to actually have drums onstage with you; it adds such a different element. Coming from a dance background and always having beats to move your body to, it’s a very different experience for me to have live drums. I move my body differently when I perform with a band, you get to play around with the vibe and the rhythm in a different way,” she explained.
For more information on Nuic, visit her page on Facebook, or her website at www.lorinuic.com
* Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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