Uuuuuuuukewithme’s Nicole chats music!
Nicole, aka uuuuuuuukewithme, is a 19-year-old singer and musician known for her lovely voice and incredible ukulele interpretations of hit songs!
In a Q&A with Nicole, the artist told us all about her history with the ukulele and the things that motivate her to make music!
Nicole first became interested in making music in the spring of her junior year of high school.
"I watched AJ Rafael's 'Showstopper' on YouTube where he just kills it on the tiny instrument I later learned was called the ukulele," Nicole explained. "I was obsessed and got myself one almost immediately."
Nicole, who stands at 5 feet tall, immediately found that the small instrument suited her stature.
"I have small hands so it worked pretty well when I was learning the different chords and such," she said. "I think the ukulele is just a quirky little instrument overall and it reminded me of myself."
But the sound of the new instrument also appealed to Nicole.
"It was the happy tone and petite body that ultimately won me over," she said.
Nicole started sharing her music by recording it directly to her friends' Facebook walls on birthdays or just as a way to say hello.
"It was super casual and so much fun," she said. "Sometimes I would ask other friends to make surprise appearances."
But when Facebook removed that functionality, she had to find a new venue to share her music. Her friends suggested she post her videos on YouTube, where they wouldn't get taken down.
Her channel went relatively unnoticed until she shared a cover of Nicki Minaj's "Superbass." For a while, she kept it unlisted, sharing it only with close friends.
"It was unlisted until a week later when my friends convinced me to make it public," she explained. "I believe it was about a few days after that when it gained traffic through a Tumblr post made by Helen (also known as joycakes) on her blog."
When Nicole woke up on March 5th, 2012 she was shocked with the high number of views on her upload.
"Views kept rolling in and while all that was very flattering, it was pretty scary at the time," she said. "I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into."
Today, that video has more than 7.5 million views!
Nicole said that she never decides on a song until she sits down and decides to record something. When it comes to creating covers, being impulsive is best, she explained.
"Usually the harder I try, the worse do," she said. "I've learned that spontaneity is what I enjoy the most during the process. I make videos when I feel like it and it is never an obligation. As long as I love what I do, people will too!"
The songs she performs range from classic songs she's always wanted to play to her favorite new hits.
"Because the ukulele is such a funny instrument, it's tricky incorporating both the mood of the instrument and the song altogether, especially when they're contradictory," she said. "I don't really know what I do exactly but it seems to be working."
She added that her biggest inspirations are her friends and her fans.
"You guys have inspired me to do something I never thought I could do," she said of her fans. "You guys are the best."
Her plans for the future include finishing college, but we hope there is some more incredible ukulele music in her future as well!
Follow Nicole on her social pages below. You can also join us at SweetyHigh.com to share your own musical talents with us!
- YouTube