Nick Nittoli tells us his thought process when writing a song.
Nick Nittoli is a songwriter, producer and recording artist signed to Bump Into Genius/Warner Chappell Music Publishing. Nick first gained recognition as a member of the Bravo Reality Tv Series Platinum Hit in 2011. Since then he hasn’t looked back, and has used some of the knowledge he acquired from the show to propel his music career.
He has written and produced songs for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Neon Hitch, Sam Bruno, French Montana, Bianca Ryan, YG, Fabian Mazur, Zendaya, and many others. Nick describes his music as a mix of everything from pop, to country, r&b and hip hop.
We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Nittoli and we’ve shared our conversation below. Slightly edited for clarity.
Hi Nick Nittoli, can you tell us about yourself?
Hey Creative-HipHop! Yes! I am a songwriter/producer and an artist. I merge different genre’s of music, from country, to pop, to hip hop, and r & b. I signed a publishing and record deal in 2017 with Bump Into Genius Music/ Warner Chappell Music Publishing and have been pursuing my artist career ever since.
Tell us more about your career, where did your love for songwriting come from?
I have been writing and producing for longer than I can remember, and my grandparents were songwriters for Frank Sinatra and wrote the song “here’s to the band” by Frank Sinatra, so songwriting and music in general has been in my family for a while now.
What songs did you listen to growing up?
I was a huge michael jackson fan growing up, so his entire catalog is engraved in my ears for life. I also listened to a lot of pop punk bands like blink 182 and my influences range from all different genres, and styles of music.
Are songwriters/producers under-appreciated?
I do think that songwriters and producers do not get the credit they deserve. I mean, without them, a lot of the best music ever written and produced would have never been heard. Yet, most people only remember or know the artists who sang the song that was written for them.
What keeps you busy professionally?
I wear a bunch of different “hats” in the music industry. From being a songwriter to producer, and mixer, and mastering engineer as well as an artist, I stay pretty busy. I am never bored, and if I am tired of doing one profession, I will simply move onto the next one. While producing my own music, if I am ever stuck, or having writers block, I will quickly move onto the mixing of the record, or just work more on the production etc. Thats one of the benefits of wearing so many hats. I can do anything!
Can you walk us through your thought-process when writing a song? What goes through your mind?
My songwriting process has changed a lot in the 10 years that I have been doing it professionally. Nowadays I just search for a musical loop that inspires me. Whether it be a guitar loop, piano riff, or even horns, I will listen until I am fully inspired and then I will start coming up with a hook first, so that I can build my verses around something strong. I will write in my head until the idea or concept is solid, then I will pull out rhymezone and start coming up with some clever lyrics that pertain to the idea or concept. If i hit a snag, I will work more on the production of the record, adding drums, or bass etc. By the time I have written the song, the production and most of the mixing is usually ready as well.
What popular songs have you written?
“Go 4 It” by Corey Feldman Feat Snoop Dogg, “Don’t Talk About It” by Fabian Mazur Feat. Neon Hitch, “I Know You Wannit” By Neon Hitch, “Fire” By Skyler Chissell Feat. Snoop Dogg, “Wildlife” By Sam Bruno, “I Got It” by the Maximals, “Money Makes The World Go Round” By French Montana, and many others.
Are there songs you’ve written for other artists that you wished you kept for yourself?
Yes! I’ve written many songs that I wish I kept for myself, but when you’re in this business, if an artist has a bigger name or larger following, you have to give up some gold unfortunately sometimes. I’d like to think that anything I would write for another artist is essentially something that I myself would use.
You were a contestant on the Bravo Reality Series “Platinum Hit.” What was that experience like?
That was a great experience for me, because it was on that show that I really figured out what I wanted to do in the music industry. It also gave me my foot in the door of the business and taught me a lot about writing. I still use some of the tools from that show that Kara Dioguardi taught me and I am very grateful for them. It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I loved being on that show!
What’s something you feel people should know about the industry?
I think that people should understand the business side of the industry before entering it. It is a huge part of the industry, and I think that too many people dive on in without thinking logistically about where they see themselves. I also think that people should realize that like any industry, it takes time and hard work to reach the top of it, or even scratch the surface of success. Too many people think that they will achieve great heights in a short amount of time and thats just not how this industry works.
Who is your dream artist to work with?
My dream artist to work with would’ve been either 2pac or Michael jackson, but since they are no longer with us, I would have to say that working with Mark Hoppus, or Tom Delonge from Blink 182 and angels and airwaves would be a dream come true.
Do you have any upcoming endeavors you want to tell us about?
Yes! I have an upcoming album called “Self Untitled” that I will be releasing this summer, so look out for that. I also direct and edit my own music videos, so there will be a ton of new music videos dropping soon off my youtube page. I will also be releasing a few singles that are not on my upcoming album so stay tuned!
Listen to his latest single “Whistle” below.
