Getting Grounded with Nicotine
An Interview Hosted by Hierba Malita and DJ Mariposa
DJ Mariposa and Hierba Malita sit down with Nicotine as they focus on the power of vulnerability and spirituality. Check out Nicotine’s interview Nicotine Interview (KVRX 91.7FM) for an in-depth insight on what drives and pushes her to create music AND stay tuned for her upcoming album!!
Nicotine is an Austin/Houston based soul and R&B artist whose music explores raw emotions and passionate sentiments. Discover Nicotine’s musical inspirations as they discuss her newest album, House of the Mystics EP (2022), SXSW feature, and more.🔮✨
Summary of the Interview
(Beginning Transcription Only Tho):
Hierba Malita:
Yes. So we’ll get started with some questions.
First of all, we want to know, what are your big three signs?
Nicotine:
Cancer sun, Virgo Moon, Virgo Rising
Mariposa:
Um, so do you have, like, a favorite, like, astrological sign? Any signs that you would really get along with?
Nicotine:
Looking at my life, I attract a lot of Sagittarius, and I attract a lot of Aries, which is… Who's an Aries? Is anyone here an Aries? Oh, thank god. Me and Aries? Romantically. No, hell no. But one of my best friends is Aries, so I love him. Love you Ashmar. And then two of my closest friends are also Sagittarius. I love them. I also love a Taurus, I love a good Taurus. Love a good Libra. There's not many signs that I don't like.
Mariposa:
Okay, so what’s one you don't like then?
Nicotine:
I don't want to say anything. I plead the fifth. Let's just settle Aries because I know that no one in here is an Aries. But I'm scared to say the other ones because I don't know y’alls signs. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings.
Hierba Malita:
What do you think that you were in your past life?
Nicotine:
I've had one past life reading. I just know that it was like fifties, sixties. There was a war going on. I was married, had kids, my partner left for the war. I was devastated. They died in the war, devastating life, whatever. But I also believe, I personally believe that reincarnation is like we're just our ancestors being reborn again over and over and over again. So I'm like, I am my ancestors. I believe that I am my ancestors. And then who knows? In a few lifetimes there will be another baby. And it will be me, but it will be my great, great, great grandchild, I guess. Or a cousin who knows? Who knows?
Mariposa:
No, no, that's interesting. I always like to think about, like, reincarnation and just kind of where that energy comes from. And obviously it's got to come from, like, our own higher ancestral beings. It's just hard to think about, like thinking of our… I guess it's why people say, like, it's generational trauma.
Nicotine:
Yeah because energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can just be changed, altered, transferred, whatever. So when you die, you got to go somewhere. You are nothing but energy, like, you have to go somewhere. In to the next one.
Mariposa:
Yeah, I guess I don't know if you like thought, personally, but like, I think when people start breaking generational curses, that's kind of like maybe you're on like your last life cycle of really healing.
Nicotine:
I definitely agree with that because let me tell you, this life, I have been breaking some chains and I'm tired, but I'm getting closer to the celebratory aspect of it, so it's great. I've won a lot of battles with myself. [Laughs]
Mariposa:
That's good. We’re all about self healing here. So do you think you've met anybody from, like, a past life in this current life?
Nicotine:
Yes, I do. A lot of the people that are my closest friends today, I definitely feel, um, we were involved in some way like before. Um, it's just, you meet somebody and there's instantly that feeling, that connection, or you have random memories or deja vu with this person, or they just know what you're going to say or how you feel, or understand your perspective in a way that nobody else around you does. And I think that's pretty neat.
Hierba Malita:
Do you believe in destiny, then?
Nicotine:
Yeah. Absolutely. I feel like everything's already written the way that is supposed to go. I do feel like it gets kind of tricky when you involve, like, free will and destiny and stuff like that, because there's always the question, like, well, if everything's written, is there such thing as free will? And I feel like you do still have a choice, meaning like you have a choice of how you want to view whatever it is that you're experiencing. But that experience has to happen, and it happened the way that it did. You can't change it. So it's written.
Hierba Malita:
I feel like there's just like––for me, the way I view it is that there's like so many universes that are parallel. So technically it all has been written in every single way.
Nicotine:
In every..like a different? I like your brain!
Hierba Malita:
And with each choice, you get to choose what timeline to be on.
Nicotine:
Yes. Yes! Wow.
Mariposa:
So was it like something you really deeply believe in and like, you know, incorporate into your songs into your music, like that sort of, um, belief and energy that you try to put into your music?
Nicotine:
Yes. Like with my music, I definitely use it as a tool of healing, but also, like, just there's a lot of messages in it. Like, to some people, it could just be me venting or whatever, but there's a lot of messages in it where its like conversations that I've had with my ancestors or things that I have experienced, messages that I have channeled or whatever the fuck.
Hierba Malita:
Speaking of rules, how do you say you are, like, breaking rules with some of your music? What do you think?
Nicotine:
I feel like I'm breaking rules by not applying any to myself. I don't put myself in a box. I don't, um, put any limitations on myself. I just kind of fucking go for it. People are always like…I remember when I first dropped an open letter, people were like, “Oh, she's in the bedroom, pop. Whatever the fuck that's like.” But then they'll come to my shows and be like, “Why is it a funk, R&B, rock, jazz show?” And I'm like, “exactly.” There is no… I don't let…people are, like, what genre do you make then? I’m like, “everything!” I do whatever I feel. I just do whatever I feel. I don't really give a fuck. I don't really care about how it's going to be received because I do it for me. It's nice. It's real cool. And I love the fact that I have, like––I guess I hate calling them fans, it makes me feel weird, like––
But yeah, fans, like I have fans who love me and receive me and appreciate my words and my sounds and the way that I feel. I love that they receive that and relate to it, but at the end of the day, it's about me. Like, it's my music, my music is my therapy is my diary, it's my journal, whatever the fuck. So it's like some shit people aren't going to like. And that's cool cause I rock with all of it.
Mariposa:
So how was your release party then for House of Mystics, right?
Nicotine:
Yes, it was super fun. It was so beautiful. And it was a little disappointing because it was supposed to be my release party, which is what I was advertising it as, but there was some, some things going on behind the scenes to where I was not able to release––I was supposed to release it that night––but some things were going on…some people! No tea, no shade, sorry.
But like, again, I believe in divine timing. I know it didn't happen for a reason on that night, and it's going to happen. We'll get to it, whatever. But the event was beautiful and I had so much fun. It was an amazing turnout. I honestly was shocked because it was my well…I haven't released anything since 2017, like, an album. And I hadn't really performed like that because like, ever since the pandemic and before the pandemic, I was planning a tour so I was super discouraged during the pandemic, you know? I was like, I was kind of skeptical of, like, if people were going to come, but they came and they tore the house down! I had so much fun, wow.
Hierba Malita:
I dont––I don't want to ask, but like, do you know when a possible release date is?
Nicotine:
[Laughs] Well, so. I don't care about it. Steven, you promised me. [Points] You promised me like two days ago, you motherfucker, that March 18––and this is the day before my South By (SXSW) performance. So…
Mariposa:
You're forming at SXSW, right? Are you really excited about this? Is that your first time performing at SX?
Nicotine:
It's not my first time. I've been performing at SX by since 2014. I've been a little busy, yeah.
It's cool to be back. Um, I kind of don't really––no offense, please don't ever in the future not want to book me for SX––but I don't really care for SX. You know? It's too chaotic, too many bodies, there is so much noise, it's a lot for all of my senses. It's very overwhelming. I'm just, like, trying to focus on music, but then I have to focus on 5 million other things. But this show, I'm super excited for it. It means a lot to me. I got to hand-pick a few of the openers, and the DJ, and the place that is at. I have a lot of things in store for the place that it's that. So I'm super excited. And it's free!
Mariposa:
Okay, I'm going to ask about your most memorable past performance because I totally forgot what you were talking about.
Nicotine:
Yeah! Brain gone. My most memorable past performance? Oh, there's so many. So the first one that comes to my mind is obviously the Roxy in L.A. It was during my first tour in 2019. Crazy––it was a Monday night full house, great crowd. As soon as I walked on stage, this girl gave me a big ol’ bouquet of roses––she was very drunk. She was so fun. Um, there's so many. There's that one time that I opened up for the Marias.
It was the same tour, 2019. It was a good year for me. It was a great year. I went on tour twice that year in January and in March. But yeah, those two. And then probably also during that tour was the UC Theater when I opened up for Yuna at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco and the crowd was, like, 1600 people. It was freakin crazy.
Hierba Malita:
What would you consider to be a good omen once you see it?
Nicotine:
A butterfly, a honey bee? Um, what else? Feathers. Little white like with those random, fluffy white feathers that disappear out of nowhere. Love them give em to me. Place them all. Really like I love that. Um, and red cardinals and sisters.
Full Interview Here: Nicotine Interview (KVRX 91.7FM)
We get even more spiritual! Talk about the process of the album and more cute stuff because Nicotine is super cute n fly :) <3