At 12, Nick Faulconer was busking, playing music on the street in Virginia for tips.
At 21, he used tips and gig money to build his own recording studio, where he produced his new single “Lips Locked.”
Inspired by artists Lauv and Charlie Puth who craft all aspects of their music, Nick wrote every line, played every instrument, sang every note, created every beat, and recorded, mixed, and mastered the R&B-inspired pop song himself. The single releases July 31 on all Spotify, iTunes and all major music platforms.
Nick says he wrote the lyrics and music for “Lips Locked” a line at a time over months.
“Whenever I felt something was wrong in this past relationship, I went into the studio to get a line and a beat off my chest,” said Nick. “This song is the living, breathing frustration I was feeling, and I think people will feel that.”
“Lips Locked” is about “the raw anxiety of being unable to break free while simultaneously unable to give up a relationship you’re locked in,” explains Nick. “The song and music video provocatively portray the sense of being held captive in our own lives, something many people can relate to.”
The “Lips Locked” music video will premiere on Vevo on August 5, followed by Nick’s new EP, Closure, featuring three additional original songs, which will release on August 12.
Nick traces his songwriting and performing to busking on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall, not far from where Dave Matthews used to play at Millers.
Back when he was 12 and his guitar was bigger than he was, Nick’s mom had to hang around to make sure his tips didn’t get stolen out of his guitar case in the middle of the crowds that gathered. He got his first live radio appearance after a producer stopped to listen, and he got his first gig from someone who heard him play on the street.
Hundreds of gigs later, Nick’s sound is pop/R&B and reflects a blend of musicians he admires—the hard work, songwriting and grit of Ed Sheeran, with influence by Black Bear and John Mayer: electronic music meets blues. That injection of electronic music shows up in his newest recordings, with a connection to the vulnerability and truth born from those years of busking.
Nick enjoys working in the studio he built because he can personally create his songs for listeners exactly as he hears them in his head, fully orchestrated.
Then he sits down with a cup of coffee to livestream to his “music family,” sharing new songs and covers with friends, fellow musicians, and the international fans who have proclaimed themselves “Falcons.”
In late 2017, Nick released his first acoustic demo EP Untested, which included all original songs. Since then, he’s released additional original singles and covers. Longtime listeners will hear a shift in “Lips Locked” and the full EP Closure, away from the relative innocence of his earlier tracks, with a full-produced, darker R&B vibe.
Nick has won multiple songwriting awards from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Nick is represented by ECE – East Coast Entertainment. Follow Nick on Facebook, Instagram and at NickFaulconer.com,