Buildin' back with ... NickY B

Stephanie Lyew, Gleaner Writer

After stepping out of the elevator on the fourth floor (45 minutes later than I had scheduled), I expected to walk into the interview room and see a perturbed, curly-haired young man waiting for his interviewer, me, to arrive.

Instead, after making apologies, I was greeted by a charming smile that read, "I'm ready to answer any questions you have for me."

The interview began and it's remarkable what you can find out about an individual after asking, "So, what's new?" Readers, it's time to get comfy, pull out the Saturday Life section and build back with Nicholas Bennett, better known as Nicky B.

What has Nicky B been up to?

I am still growing as a person, becoming more spiritually inclined and getting in touch with my inner spiritual self. Musically, a lot has been going on; working on singles with various producers and in a few months, I'll be going back to France to shoot music videos with various artistes there.

France? Why France?

My fan base is larger in France. I love going there. My favourite place is Champs-Élysées; the environment there, the shopping is different. I also like going to Club VIP in the city.

Why do you say your fan base is larger in France?

I did a song with Lord Kossity (signed to Universal France) called Hotel Room, which also featured Chico. Then we shot the video on the island of La Reunion. The song got a lot of play on MTV Europe. Then I solidified my ratings with the fan base after another single with Lord Kossity called Stand Up.

Where else have you travelled to for work and showcased your talent?

I've travelled to Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, the island of La Réunion, Suriname, French Guiana and around the United States.

It's time to increase your fan base in Jamaica. How do you plan on going about that?

Well, I have realised that in Jamaica it's all about 'being in dem face' or being in the streets more than anything else. Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn't want to be part of that, but it is the street that picks the songs.

Have you done any promotion or shows here thus far?

Well, I normally know about shows or events the week before. But I performed at Capleton's St Mary Mi Come From; Elephant Man called me up on the LIME show in Portmore; and I recently performed at Stars on the Rise concert.

So we know who Nicky B is, and what he's been up to, but what about Nicholas Bennett, who is he?

Nicholas is a driven, sensitive person who loves having people around me. I take friendship very seriously. Once I'm your friend, I am your friend. I am totally in love with music and I love to be in love.

Your love of music is understandable. But what do you mean by you love to be in love? A lot of people mistake love with other notions or emotions.

I wouldn't say I've been in love 500 times, that's not love. It's not just having a significant other. Love is thinking about that person before you. When you can't help but think about them all the time. For example, in my present relationship, I was in a situation where I realised I wasn't thinking about myself anymore, I thought how much it would hurt her before it hurt me. Love is when you begin thinking selfless and being selfless.

How do you balance your love life and your career?

Managing my career and my relationship is very difficult, especially because it is a long-distance relationship. It's like two individuals fighting on the opposite sides. Communication makes a whole world of difference, knowing how to communicate (and we're not talking about making a phone call), with the individual.

So how do you find time to do that and write your music?

I'm an insomniac, so while everyone's asleep, I'm working. I always say I am inspired by everything and nothing. I love to get into people's lives and just use that as inspiration. One of my soon-to-be-released singles, Handle With Care, was inspired by my girlfriend.

Is it similar to your singles 'Try My Love' and 'Sugar Dumplin', which have been on radio?

It's really about us. We were on the phone and the question came up if one of us could jump on a plane to see each other right now (at that time) if we would. And so Handle With Care came about.

What about your album, when will that be released?

Right now, I'm just putting in the work to create new music. Sugar Dumplin' was just released on iTunes. It is on the RND album which features 14 tracks. Try My Love is slated to be on the second album with Handle with Care and recently recorded tracks, Put it On (Chimney Records) and If This Isn't Love (Big Ship Records).

What's the album like?

RND stands for Rhythm & Dancehall, even though I must admit it was not a perfect example of R&B; it was more like a hybrid with pop music. Music is constantly changing. There's a different element about it but I want my music to reach out to everybody.

A collaboration with several popular female artistes, including Tami Chynn and Tifa, was released recently, which featured a remake of Fresh to Death ...

Actually, I got a phone call informing me of that collaboration after it had been released. I was the last person to know about it but, for me, it was a form of flattery. The song had been in heavy rotation and then it died down. However, after people began hearing Tami's remake of the line 'fresh to death, we fresh to death', it revived the male version.

So, did you want to become a musician?

I never thought I'd be doing music; I'd wanted to study culinary arts. I love cooking. But after losing [our] house in a fire, it really epitomised the statement 'when one door closes, another one opens'. I wasn't in the frame of mind for school. I spent a year going to the studio with dad every morning until I began recording.

What advice do you have for persons in school who are about to embark on a career?

I have fond memories of high school, in that Kingston College opened me to a different environment: from taking the bus to jumping the fence to pick up a $40 lunch from Miss Pearl shop. I'd say, get to be not only book-smart but street-smart. Make memories you can relive with a schoolmate when you meet up in the supermarket aisle.

Finally, a lot of your fans wonder what 'Skibidi bung bang beng' is.

(Smiles) You know, that was an accident. I don't really do a lot of writing with pen to paper. It's when it comes to me. I was studio recording and 'skibidi bung bang beng' came out and the engineer erased everything except that. Turns out it had a 'vibe' to it, so instead of 'ahh yeah', that's my bar code, or my signature.