Behind the Hustle

Photo by Rachel Campbell
Orignally published in SPF V5 I2 - Mar/Apr 2017

Winnipeg’s R&B and hip-hop scene is about to discover its new MVP.

Nicole Havs has been singing for years as backup and guest vocals for various acts, but now she’s stepping into her own spotlight. With new gigs and collaborations lining up one after another, it’s clear this momentum won’t be slowing down as she reels in the rewards of her constant hustle.

On the cusp of releasing a new mixtape and album, Nicole sat down with us to talk hip-hop, her new sound, and determination it took to open for some of her favourite artists.

JA: Let’s start at the beginning; how did you get started in music?
NH: My mom was an opera singer and she would sing at local events. She lived in Slovakia and she was an opera singer there. When she moved here she got into the Slovakian community and started singing opera. When I was a little kid I wanted to follow in her footsteps so I would sing with her sometimes.

When I got older I started doing talent shows. Urban Stars was the first singing contest that I did. It was all across Canada. They came [to Winnipeg], you would do auditions and if you got to the next round you went to Toronto. I took a break for a while because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. Then I found the producer I’m working with now. Our styles really work well together so we started making a lot of music and now we’re working on a mixtape that’s going to be dropping soon and an album that will be coming out in a couple months.

JA: Can you tell me a bit more about the producer you’ve been working with?
NH: His name is Peshanakwut. He has been doing this for about a decade now. He has a home studio and I just go there. It started when he wanted me as a vocalist on some of his songs. Our styles really went well together so we made our own music. He would make beats for me and I would write to them and he would be featured.

JA: So it’s a nice little collaboration that’s on-going now.
NH: Yeah. I was going to do an EP of just my songs but we had so many songs together that worked well, so we’re going to do an album with the both of us.

JA: You had a pretty big gig recently at the Park Theatre – what was that whole thing like? How’d that come about?
NH: When I found out SonReal was coming to Winnipeg, I was like, ‘ohmygod I need to get on this show!’ so I found out where he was going to be performing and the [venue] owner. I contacted the owner and asked him if I could open up for [SonReal]. At that point in time I didn’t do any shows by myself. I was just a backup for another guy I sang with – Ben Tamana – so I e-mailed the owner my show history with Ben and he was like, ‘oh, I don’t think it’s going to work. They don’t really need someone to open.’ I then basically just kept prying him (laughs) and finally he said yes. I got on the SonReal show and I guess the owner liked my work ethic, so he said if I wanted to get on any shows at The Park Theatre to just ask him. A couple of days later he asked me if I wanted my own show.

JA: What influences your musical style? Where do you find your inspiration?
NH: My music is about my life, but I try to make it different and not so dramatic. When I first came out, my first single was, I guess, pretty dramatic, but I’ve been working towards more feel good stuff. I’m working with another producer right now, Sketch Williams. He’s also been in the industry for a long time. Right now we’re working to get a bunch of songs out. His style is different than Peshanakwut so there’s variety. I don’t want to be just hip-hop. I have some pop songs I have some EDM even, and I’m also working on some alternative hip-hop type things. I don’t want to restrict myself to one genre.

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Check out Nicole Havs on Soundcloud & YouTube. If you’re in Winnipeg, catch her performance on March 4, at Cafe La Scala  as part of the New Beats showcase. Show starts at 10pm. Tickets are $5. 

Keep your eyes out for her new single, “Dangerous” with Peshanakwut and White Rhino on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play this week.