“My ultimate goal is to make people look up and admire the transcendent beauty that can be experienced through music,” says Nick Fabian, a promising Catholic singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas, and he really believes what he says.
CECILIA MUSIC has just met him to talk about his latest release, “Rain.”
CECILIA MUSIC: Nick, why is rain such a powerful metaphor in music?
I think rain is such a great metaphor to use in music because it’s so relatable. Everyone has felt the cold sting of rain and how it causes someone to immediately take action in one way or another.
CECILIA MUSIC: Rain is usually used in a negative sense — e.g. “raining on my parade” — but in this song, it’s triumphant. Why?
Rain is such a compelling visual item of nature. It is ominous, but renewing at the same time, which is a perfect reflection of the trials we go through as people!
CECILIA MUSIC: Everyone has their “storms” in life, as you reference in the song. What is a recent storm you had to work through?
Having to recently leave the comfort of being signed to a label. Trauma can come in many forms and emotional trauma is not an exclusion. No one is to say but God who comes and goes in your life and that extends to business as well. It taught me to be really mindful of the relationships I had with my peers and really stay true to my vision at all times.
CECILIA MUSIC: Who are the people you most want to hear the message of this song?
I would say anybody who feels like giving up. There is definitely a purpose to the suffering you go through and I want people to know that.
CECILIA MUSIC: When you produce your own material, in what order do you write? Do you focus on the production first? Or the words on the paper? A melody? Take us through the creative process on “Rain.”
It can come from any angle! I kind of describe it like building a rubber band ball. You just gotta start with something in the middle of it, rocks, rubber bands, gum, etc. When you have something really solid you know you don’t want to change, then you build the rest of the song around it. Whether it be a powerful line, a melody, or a rhythm on a track you can’t shake! Listening back, the line in the chorus “I’ll still be thankful at the end of the day, covered up in rain” really stuck with me and made me want to finish the rest of the song.
CECILIA MUSIC: You have an interesting sample coming out of the first chorus. What inspires you to add in small things like that? How does that process work?
Sometimes I just think, “man, this really needs something in this spot,” or “I wonder if we tried this here.” It’s a lot of trial and error but when you find a cool sound that’s both cool, and true to the meaning of the song it’s like hitting a little jackpot. To me, that sound right after chorus 1 sounds a bit reminiscent of laughter. Which leans back on the “thankful at the end of the day covered up in rain.” I kinda picture a child playing in the rain there.
CECILIA MUSIC: If you could have any singer, alive or dead, do a cover of “Rain,” who would you choose? Why?
Hmm, actually I was thinking of Gavin DeGraw a little bit when I wrote it. The piano strength with the solid, honest vocal melodies really reminded me a lot of what he is known for.
CECILIA MUSIC: I noticed a dog in your music video. Is that your dog? What’s his/her name?
That’s my Border Collie! Comet is his name and he’s the definition of Man’s Best Friend.
CECILIA MUSIC: The bridge features some fun harmonies. Did you miss your calling as a boy band member? Who would be in your “boy band” if you could pick three other artists?
HAHA, my boy band would include John Mayer, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Dog, to really stir the pot.
Thank you Nick! Keep up the good work and … ad maiora!
And today we celebrate...