THE BEGINNING

10-8-2016

A TOXIC BEGINNING

I was terrified but fearless at the same time. I have always been a paradox when it comes to the extremities of my ways; but I persevere. The many dreams I have performing on stage as a little girl and as an adult will come into fruition if I have any say about it. I’ve spent years wallowing in my sadness, regarding the unfortunate circumstances of my life. My family did a phenomenal job at shielding me from the direct emotional effects one should experience when growing up with a traditional family structure but I’ve always craved the feeling of success. I’ve always craved the desire of wanting more for myself. I knew whatever I put my mind to I would excel at but the only thing that brought pure joy to my heart was and still is music. All the many ideas and performance extravaganzas I have inside my creatively genius mind is ripping at the seams desperate to climb free and show the world all of its chaotic beauty.

So I challenged myself and I began a journey unlike no other in 2016 beginning with a simple shoot I asked my sister to take for me due to lack of startup funds and support. These videos and images represent the day I decided I could no longer live on this planet without creating. It’s the only time I feel close to God, close to the universe….close to myself—the Aaliyah Nicole.

I remember I was going for a vintage retro vibe for the first shoot and a Yeezy SZN 2 vibe meets Erykah Badu for the second shoot. I wanted my art to feel aesthetically appealing and uplifting. However, I remember when I officially posted these images online, my father and sister felt I needed to level up the quality and I, in return, agreed. I wanted when someone looked at my profile they could assume I was backed by a label or a serious entity. I’ve always strived for quality over quantity and that will never change, yet I felt it was right to document my journey in some fashion. Thus, my blog was created where I will share a synopsis of my journey from each leg.

This shoot was meant to be the roll out content for the first cover I recorded after the shit show of a musical beginining I ventured on when I was 16; however, that will be a story for another time. Britney Spears has always been a huge idol for me, alongside my fairy godmother Queen Bey. So it was only right that I dedicate my first musical piece to her since she is truly the one the jumpstarted my love for the performing arts. I sang I a beautiful rendition of her timeless hit “Toxic” and gave it a sexy sultry vibe I intend to include in all of my future tours as a way to say “Thank You” for all that she contributed to society and to me. I watched the “Toxic” video in awe as little girl over and over hoping that one day I can be the person on the TV screen spreading joy through the dope sounds I create. 

Click on the image to listen to my rendition of “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

All in all, I am a human that only wants to live this life if I can create my hearts desires and be the supreme version of myself. I know my name carries a weight like no other but I intend to fill no one’s shoes but my own and create a mark that’ll leave burn marks on the pavement from the fire I intend to bring.

XOXO

Aaliyah Nicole

Luxor: Alpha + Omega Tracklist

“LUXOR: Alpha is the first installment of this two part series I created. A cool fun fact is that I actually wanted the project to be a full 14 track album simply titled ‘Luxor’ but after budgeting and analysis of my current audience it served me best to split it into two. This world I created — a heaven on earth, if you will — is a place for my angels to escape and come out renewed at the end of the experience. Whether it be me uplifting your spirits with a symphony of positive affirmations or reminding you of your worth through trappy ballads; if I made the listener feel something…anything…I’ve done my job. Heaven is your state of mind and I just want to assist people with freeing it.”

LUXOR

The title track was largely inspired by the Black panther movie. WAKANDA FOREVER! I wanted to create an anthem that I envisioned could be on the film’s soundtrack. My goal is to spread as much love and light as possible because darkness is far too easy to come by.

ARCADIUM

Strange is normal where I’m from so I wanted to make a chant song of sorts for all my alternative black girls out there. It’s not a gender specific song but it is a call to action to put on your best fit, go outside, attack the world and slay. Love is the driving force for everything I do so I aim to embody that in all aspects of my life if I can so help it and I want to teach my angels how to do this too.

GRAPES

Grapes was a collaboration with an amazing singer and songwriter, Sandy Scribbles. We initially sat down for a writing session and this particular song was one out of many that I had to have for myself. She wrote the first verse and I came in and dropped the hook and the second verse.

Own me

Own me was one of the first records I recorded on my solo musical journey. I paid for the beat and the studio session myself and went and just laid down this record with the sole intention of making an R&B pop hit with a positive message. I feel I did just that.

blvck

“May be dark but light’s within” is the theme of this song. It’s disguised as a fashion anthem but if one were to really dissect the lyrics, they would find a deeper meaning.

ultra soul

Ultra Soul is my baby and it is a song that is dear to my heart. While I was recording it, the engineer said I sounded like Aaliyah and although I had no choice but agree. I do find the Aaliyah comparisons flattering but I definitely intend to create a legacy of my own. May her soul rest in peace…I miss her more than you’ll ever know, ever know.

trophy

Trophy is my female ‘fuck you’ anthem and I do not if the boys can contain the fire that is represented in this track. I chose this track to be the first visual to my EP and you can view the trailer below.

that one

That One is my happy song, my family cookout song, my go to song to explain how I feel when I have a new crush and I’m able to land him.

wavy

Wavy is this amazing old school jazz feel of a record borrowing a few lines from the smash hit “Let’s Get Away” by T.I.

I wanted the record to feel like the sequel to Beyonce’s “Rocket,” where you’re talking that shit to your man and you’re just tryna get wavy baby. It’s also my take on the infamous Austin Powers phrase, “Do I make you randy, baby?"!”

honey

Honey was made after a night out with my team and we went back to one of my musical colleague’s home and decided to make a few tracks and what used to be titled “Angel” but later changed to Honey. It was meant to be a fun, cute light record and it involved into this musical masterpiece with the help of one of my favorite producers, Eyezlow.

the devil’s business

I created this song at 3 o’clock in the morning and I was super in my feelings. I’ve been hurt a lot and I needed to release that negative energy in a positive way. I asked my friend to help me record this song and The Devil’s Business was born. I wanted it to have the same mood as “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People but with a hint of Billie Eillish’s vibes. I did want the title to be unorthodox and it does make me cringe at times but I wanted to reclaim the power from the word devil. Everyone is fighting demons and I wanted to showcase how I interpret my pain into something beautiful, into art.

anemic

I made this song after I broke up with my ex boyfriend. It was the last song we made together as a sign of peace. Even though our relationship was toxic

life’s good

With an awesome Biggie reference to carry the track followed by a Beyonce one to lead the second verse, Life’s Good is a feel good southern anthem that I wanted to create to round out my project. I wanted a record chanting positive affirmation to my angels so they can have a soundtrack to celebrate life to.

butterflies

I heal up like a butterfly, spread my wings and touch the sky. I went through a lot in the past 3 years yet I managed to come out on the other side of that with a burning fire of determination in my belly. I wanted to end this era with a healing symphony so my angels can hear the growth outside of the tribulations I’ve experienced. Despite this being one of my delayed and messiest rollouts, I wanted to end the journey with a banger. Touching on my Panamanian roots and throwing in a bit of Spanish gives the record a romantic latin feel expressing the language of a woman’s heart. Butterflies is my baby and I created it with the sole intention of healing from my trauma.

Luxor: Alpha + Omega Official Cover Art

It’s finally here in all its glory. The EP artwork has arrived and it’s everything I imagined and more. Thank you to Spex Photography (@spexphoto) for the amazing cover shoot and MZAC (@marzeracreate) for the graphic work. I appreciate everyone who helped me bring my vision to life. Luxor: Alpha releases next month and I am excited to share this long overdue project with my fans. When following your dreams, don’t forget to acknowledge the steps you’re taking towards it no matter how big or small. I added a few more of the pictures from the

Don’t Think That You Own Me

So I wanted to write something directly from me to my Angelz on my site. We are at the beginning of a long musical journey of self development and truth. I want my music to be able to speak volumes and do what it has done for me in my time of need: heal.

Music has a way of touching people and bringing them together in a way no other event can. Music is a universal language and no matter what you’re releasing from your heart there will always be someone out there who will listen and thank you for dropping that gem of a track.

I want to make my mark in this world and I want to be respected for my many talents; however I am in no rush. Quality, positivity, love and light is my goal and represents everything I stand for. I hope to inspire little girls who feel they aren’t good enough for this world like I once did. I want to be able to sing some hope and courage into their hearts in the hopes that they’ll internally realize the power they possess. I want to be able to mentally set people free with the sound waves I create. Hopefully, in the next coming years I can dig deep, remove all self doubt and accomplish every last goal I’ve set to turn my dreams into reality. Hopefully, while I’m doing this, I can inspire someone to get up and get serious about whatever passion makes this life worth living a little more.