Ashalei Nickole started singing at the age of 5, with the loving encouragement of her father. He realised she had a gift, and set aside every Friday night to work with her. From there she started writing and recording music, and at 14, her father built her a home studio. Now with Bachelor’s degree in Recording Arts, Ashalei Nickole describes herself as “like Batman undercover”, and records most of her songs by herself, as well as being heavily involved in the studio.
‘Growing Pains’, the new single from her album, ‘N.U.D.E.’, like other of her songs, is influenced by her life experiences. The song recounts her growing up, and the things she’s gone through. The album itself was chosen during a time when she’d just cut her hair, and felt very exposed; she soon realised that it was “the best thing I could’ve done”. The song was written about painful lfe experiences, ones that she needed to go through herself, and deciding that “I’m not gonna look back, I’m moving forward… even though you’re growing, you’re just growing through the dirt. Even though it’s painful, you’re still gonna make it through.”
In the video for ‘Growing Pains’ we see Ashalei’s life in Miami. It’s not the glamorous, fast-paced lifestyle you might see on TV, or even in other music videos, but it’s still worthy of videoing. Ashalei’s two nieces – for whom she serves as a mentor – also feature in the clip, and they watch as Ashalei grows up, becoming a beautiful, well-rounded, strong black woman.
You can find out more about Ashalei Nickole online on her official website, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.
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