Nikki Williams

0:00Hi, I'm Nikki Williams and you're watching MSN Exclusives. What do you play? How do you song write? I just write. I just, I don't know. I just, I like dream up songs. No joke. I will like dream a song up. You dream up songs so melodies come, lyrics come, what do you... Melodies everything. I will just dream it up and I'll like be like, ah cool.

0:48And then scribble down... I'll just scribble down what I can't remember because... And then what hum like melodies into a phone kind of thing? Sometimes, sometimes I memorize them. Sometimes I go into a session and it just, I don't know. It's just like, I'll have an idea or something that's... Just an idea that came to me in a dream and then I'll talk about it with whoever I'm working with and then it just comes together. I've just been so lucky. It just like, just happens. See, because I hear you were this big songwriter. Now that you have your own solo career going but you've been writing songs for... Oh my gosh. I mean, it wasn't, I didn't really start out as a songwriter at all. I just kind of like, it was just kind of like an accident. Yeah, it was kind of an accident and yeah, I guess it worked out for me. It's been lucky to work with some really good other songwriters.

1:33Yeah. Maybe I'm at the great songwriter. Maybe they're the great songwriter. Oh come on. I'm out in the mix. So what do you look for? Like, Cia wrote the song, Kill Mary. Yeah, Kill Mary. Yeah. So what attracted you to that song? Like, if you're not writing it, what attracts you to a song? What do you look for? Honestly, I just look for some... I don't know. I couldn't even answer that question. I just know when something's right for me. I just have these feelings that I've got feelings and I follow them. I try to follow them as much as I can because they're usually right. Did you like putting the F word in the song title? That's kind of ballsy. Absolutely. I thought it was just, it's just super honest, you know, and it's a little bit controversial and it showcases my vocals. So I thought there was an interesting little mix to throw out on the internet and it got

2:22a really good response. There are two things I want to touch on. One, the F word is obviously nothing new to anybody, but you used to scribble it on your door as a kid? I did. You know what? I did. I was like a little angry teenager, aren't we all? And my mom, she'd get mad at me and I'd get mad at her and then every time she would close my door and be like, whatever, go to your room or whatever. I would like, take paint and I would just paint the word beep on the song on the door and all other sorts of arms. How many times do you think it's on the back of that door? I think I did at least 70 times. It's a lot, all in different colors. Different colors. So it's like a kid's clothes. It was actually a pretty beautiful thing to live. It was really pretty. It was like a piece of art. Is it still a piece of art? Is it still around?

3:08No. We had to paint over it when my mom sold the house. Oh, okay. And then she, because she saw it and she was like, what? A little mud. On Earth is good on here. But it made me feel good. Not gonna lie. I'm sure it did. Very therapeutic. Just like, you know, washing the dishes. Makes me feel good. Cooking makes me feel good. Songwriting? Songwriting makes me feel great. Yeah, there we go. It does. Do you find it to be cathartic? Is it therapeutic? Are you writing, like, getting those feelings out on paper? You know, it's definitely, it's definitely therapeutic for me. It's gotten me through a lot of bad things and bad situations and just kind of getting all of that stuff off my chest instead of keeping it inside definitely feels great. And the recording process when I actually sing it makes me feel even better. I just love it. I love sharing it with everyone.

3:53Well, you talked about the vocal from before the Kill Mary vocal. It's a, I know you didn't want to be a country singer growing up in Nashville, but that is like, it's a country vocal if you take the beat out of it. Like it is, you're given everything in that tune. Yeah, it's a very emotional song. It's a very emotional song. And you know what? I grew up with country music as well. So I have some influence, some of that influence in my vocals. I grew up listening to like, Death Flippard, Led Zeppelin, Joan Jett, Fricking, Dolly Parton, Ellen Jackson, you know, everything like, Aretha Franklin, Eda J. Oh, Lana, maybe a little bit too. I heard. A lot of more said, definitely. Blind melon. I don't know, just a really interesting mix of music and like my iPod, when I put it on shuffle people are like, what the hell you're insane.

4:38What are you jamming to now? What's your bit? What's the most? Right now. Asep Rocky. Yeah. I like hip hop as well. Yeah, sure. I've been in a little hip hop phase. Is there going to be hip hop? We're going to bring in some rappers onto this record. What does the record sound like? Um, you know what? Where is it sounding now? The record is, the record is, it's got a rock and roll attitude. The sound is pop. The lyrics are definitely rock and roll, I'd say so. It's just a pretty honest record, you know, and it's got really catchy melodies and I think it's, I think everyone's going to be able to relate to all the stuff I've seen about. Um, I'm just excited to, to everyone to hear it. It's, it's interesting. When are they going to hear it? When are we going to hear it? Um, it's going to be out towards the end of the summer.

5:24So it's, it, you think it's a long time, but it's actually not time flies by so quickly, you know, especially in warm weather, everyone's like, ooh, yeah. Is that what people are? Exactly. Yeah, you know. And I, I assume there'll be a couple more singles dropping in anticipation to the record. Exactly. Especially the one that came out yesterday, already a hundred thousand views on YouTube and like, not even 24 hours. It's crazy. So talk about glowing hyphen Williams. I mean, has directed some, some crazy stuff over the years, even his film, Belly is amazing. So what was it like working with him as a director? Oh man, do you know what? I thought I'd be intimidated by him, but I wasn't. We talked on the phone before we met and stuff. Um, he's just such a laid back person. He's such an artist, you know, and he said to me, Nikki, this video is all about you. It's going to be me and you and any ideas you want, anything that you need, that you

6:13feel you want to put in the video to make it personal for you. I'm here and I'm listening and we did a, in the video, the, the crowd surfing part. I put, I was, I told him, I was like, I want a crowd surf because one of my fears is doing a trustful and I was like, if I'm ever going to do anything like that, it's going to be in my video. And it was such an exhilarating experience and it felt so good. And I think I can do trust falls now. Do you think you'll do it at Coachella? Because that's a crowd to surf on. Oh my gosh. You should try it. Oh, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know because I've warned the actors that I was going to do it. Okay. But maybe I should just yell on the microphone like, I'm going to trust fall onto your hands. I know. I was talking to someone who surf, took a surfboard and surf the audience last year.

7:00On the surfboard. Little less risky. You're like a boogie board. There you go. I like it. What are you going to tour? Are there going to be shows coming up? I mean, I know Coachella's happening. Coachella's happening. I'm really just focusing on my radio promo turn out. So that will be going on for a couple months. And hopefully by summertime into summer when the record comes out, I'll be going on tour opening up with someone awesome. So yeah, I don't know who that's going to be. I'll call ASAP for you. Make that happen. Oh my gosh. So awesome. So I hear you like karaoke. I do. I like karaoke too. I do. And I thought maybe we can get you to do some karaoke. Now I might join you on one of them depending on what song you choose. Okay. I can do. I've got two choices. Okay. What do you think? Baby got back. Or you learn by Alana's mindset.

7:47I'll do baby got back. Okay. Let's do it. Are you ready? Hang on. I got the beat ready and everything. I can't remember all of the lyrics though but I can remember some. I know. There you go. Oh hell. Okay. I'll do the girl part at the beginning for you. That way we can do it together. Okay. Cool. Perfect. You ready? Yeah. Oh my God. It looks like one of those rap guys girlfriends who understands those rap guys. They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute. Okay. I mean her butt is just so big. I can't believe it's just so round. It's like out there. I like big butts that I cannot lie. You other ones can't do that. When a girl walks in with an anybody who's been around thinking your face you get. Boom. You want to pull up front because you know that butt will stuff deep in the G she's wearing.

8:33I'm hoping that I can't stop staring. Oh baby. I want to get with you. And take your picture. My homie tried to warn me but butt you got me so horny. I'm a little smooth as we get. You say you want to get in my bin? Well use me use me because it ain't got an average group. The same thing. I see them dancing to help with romantic. Wet, wet, Gotta go like a Yeah. Oh man. I love it. We close every interview with whatever. Five quick questions, one more answers. Okay. But you haven't toured yet. So I don't know how we're going to do it. But we'll do it anyway. Roder Studio. What do you think you'll like more? Studio.

9:18Lennener McCartney. Lennid. When you hear a song what hits you first, lyrics, melody or rhythm? Lyrics. Song you've written your most proud of. Pawn my wedding ring. Pawn my wedding ring. I like that title. In one word, Nicky Williams. Crazy. That's a good one. That's a good one.