NC: The hardest part of lockdown for me personally was I had been dealing with addiction, depression as well as trying to get my hrt treatment started. I was trying hard to surface and get things lined up so I could heal and finally face issues that I had been weighing on my mind for as long as I can remember. I did, but then covid hit and all those plans were obliterated.
It then took some time to find resources that were available during this crisis. I had to fight and relearn ways of dealing with my mental health. Was able to find services that were offered over the phone, was able to line up a detox and see a doctor. I'm coming on three months of sobriety now and living my life as a woman. Today I'm grateful to be alive and to have survived it all.
Now let's go back many years ago. Where did you take your first steps and what was your childhood like?
That's a really hard one to answer. I grew up in Longueuil. My brother and I lived with my mother till she got married to the man that adopted us both and then together they had my sister. I never met my biological father and in years to come that situation would be rather confusing. But, we grew up in a family of 5, rather typical suburban existence. Most of my childhood memories are tainted by my experiences in school by my peers. I was severely bullied for being different since day one. In return I'd act out at home. My father and I were always at odds. Major black sheep, middle child vibes. I wasn't a happy kid. Well wait, scratch that. I was born happy. A believer in sunshine and rainbows... but I felt for a long time that the world made me mean so that's what I ended up adopting for too long. Sucks.
We all have a story on how music got into our lives, and what artists made the earliest impact on it. What's yours?
I was raised around music. My mother wanted to be a singer and an actress and she filed our lives with music. Great classic rock: Beatles, Bowie, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Heart... But then she was also a musical theatre nerd at heart so there would also be: The phantom of the opera, cats, rent, hedwig... All those things were the soundtrack of my childhood and I think it makes perfect sense how I'm both rocknroll af but also theatrical af ahaha.
But for me personally, I'd have to say my earliest obsession was with the Spice Girls. I'm a fan girl through and through and at 8 years old my side of the room was plastered with pictures of those girls from ceiling to floor. Also, when Geri left the band it was the first time my heart was ever broken ahaha.
Describe your high school years. Is it then that you started being concerned about your pronouns?
Absolutely not. I tried my hardest to be as straight as I possibly could. Were the thoughts there? Yes, but who were my role models? I had none. My goal was to blend, date girls and just survive it. It never stopped the horrific bullying that got so bad I had to change schools my last year. High School was hell. That's all.
Tell us about your first bands and what did you enjoy the most about them?
My first real band was during my last year of highschool with my best girlfriend at the time. It was called The Flailing Ragamuffins. What I loved about the time was it was innocent and that we both loved the Moldy Peaches and adopted that sort of punk naivety. We just sat in the room and wrote songs, smoked cigarettes and drank rotten beer. It was adorable.
Most people in Montreal know you by Sugar Coma. What was the idea behind this project and how much did it have an impact on your life?
Well Sugar Coma started as a drag persona. Drag helped me get my feet wet before my transition. I performed some drag shows where I would live singing to pre-recorded tracks for events like Alternadrag. I've always been a musician first and foremost so I decided to put a band together again. It made sense to call it Sugar Coma as I had already started to gain a following. There were several iterations of that band until it felt right (cool cats that are now in the lastest irritation, BABY JANE). It was an interesting experience overall. It really affected my life in a mostly positive way. When I started the project three years ago I was living in a homeless shelter debating my next move. It took awhile to find the footing as I had been living a wayward existence since my last band dissolved in 2014. It's been a journey and only now am I surfacing from my life long depression.
The latest incarnation of the band was rounded by some very talented local musicians, like Devan K-M (Pussy Stench), Catherine Morgan Cusson (Calico Fray) and Egan Chambers. Then in june of this year, you decided to kill Sugar Coma, and bring Baby Jane into the scene. What is she (gonna be) all about?
Yes, they are the tits! Coolest most creative cats I've ever known and I'm honoured they got my back.
Here's the thing. When I started Sugar Coma the band I had no idea that the drag thing would carry over and everyone would call me Sugar ahaha. So yeah, fuck her. Sugar Coma was a band as Baby Jane is a band, not me. If anything the sound will be tighter and it's the birth of new creativity.
The punk scene has always been very inclusive, but sometimes the reality of it can be misleading, when you stop and really take a good look. What's your opinion on this?
I think it can be exclusive the house. Too many men making the rules. Too many cool kid tables. Fuck that shit. My friends and I make our own rules and we're nice to everyone. Period.
What would you suggest we can do to make our scene more inclusive?
Get the toxic men out. We've been seeing and hearing a lot of crazy shit over the last few months. People need to take accountability. People need to let go of their egos.
You are now ready to release a brand new album, under the name Nauseating Nikki. What made you wanna create this project?
Short answer, covid. Otherwise I would have gone insane again Barbra. And it's turning out exactly how I'd envisioned my solo record would or could be.
What can we expect those songs to sound like?
It's incredibly different than anything I've ever put out before. It's a A beautiful disaster forged. Trying to be prettier on the outside, with crushed-velvet guitar and liquid pop strumming. It's tart, hooky, dreamy and longing. The danger audible to those who have seen the big sadness too is why I chose to make this record. I like to call it puke-pop. A beautiful regurgitation.
What's next for you? Any virtual or "real" shows coming up for a launch party?
I don't know yet! Baby Jane will be back to rehearsing next month. I'm thinking about going live with Nauseating Nikki before then. Nauseating Nikki's solo record Baby's Blues will be out before August is up. Lots of exciting things to come.
To finish this interview, we are wondering, what would you say to a young Nichole that just wants to make a place for herself in this world, through her art and who she really is, whether she found it or not yet?
I would say I'm sorry I didn't listen to you sooner. Now's your time.
https://www.facebook.com/babyjanemontreal/
https://www.instagram.com/babyjanemtl/
https://babyjanemtl.bandcamp.com/
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