We’ve never heard Nicollette Sullivan like this. And yet, her latest single feels so familiar to her work.
Until now, Nicollette has been making dreamy music with a nostalgic feel. She grounds her work in the stylings of early 20th-century icons like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Her latest single “Deja Vu” brings Nicollette into a new era of music as she releases her most modern pop song yet.
Nicollette uses her life experiences to write her music, but along with a different production sound, she and her producer Kyle Ward tried something new, taking poems she wrote and turning them into “Deja Vu.” “As always, the song is reflective of my personal experience,” Nicollette shared, explaining the collage of emotions and ideas that make up the single. “The song is about wanting something you can’t have…a long-distance relationship that will never work out, a fantasy.”
From concept to recording, shifting into a new genre was an exploration of taste for Nicollette whose music tastes are broad. “I like a lot of different styles of music,” she said, “and we wanted to try something that felt a little more mainstream and radio-friendly.” Just like her nostalgic work which had its roots in jazz and soul icons, they found Nicollette’s pop sensibilities in her favorite artists. “…Kyle Ward and I listened to a lot of the modern artists whom I like and came up with something that feels like Nicollette but with more of a modern/radio-friendly sound.”
There’s nothing more rewarding than new music that just feels right, and Nicollette seems right at home in her new sound.
