Houston-born artist Nick Vyner has reeased his new single and music video “Mood Swing,” out now via Solo Brightest (10K Projects/Flighthouse). His debut with the joint venture label, Nick Vyner’s “Mood Swing” was co-produced by Stevie Wonder drummer Stanley Randolph and mixed by Alex Tumay (Travis Scott, Kanye West, Childish Gambino). The accompanying music video is directed by Ava Doorley.
“Being a musician is the only thing I have ever felt a calling to,” Nick Vyner admits. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, in a home full of musicians, music has been a constant in his life, but the alt-pop music he is known for now was not always his intended path – “I actually grew up singing in my local boys’ choir,” he says.
With classical music as his driving passion, Nick auditioned for and was accepted to train as a vocalist at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. During his early days at the school, Nick began to explore genres outside of classical, including jazz and musical theater, but was still turned off by the idea of pop music. “I just didn’t hold pop in the same regard, but it really felt like one day I woke up and realized, ‘Oh my god, you idiot. Everything you’re looking for is here!”
It was a turning point that changed the course of his life. Drawing early inspiration from masterful songwriters like Lorde and John Mayer, he found that writing pop music freed his imagination and gave him the space to tell stories. No longer confined to the stricture of classical music, Nick decided immediately to dedicate his life to songwriting.
After putting college on hold, Nick settled in North Hollywood and dedicated himself to writing, recording and meeting with as many people as possible, including Stanley Randolph, who produced his upcoming release and is a frequent collaborator. Soon, his work attracted the attention of Flighthouse, a digital marketing agency responsible for countless TikTok viral moments. Grabbed by the young artist’s songwriting, Flighthouse soon signed him to the company’s brand-new joint venture with 10K Projects, called Solo Brightest.
His first release with Solo Brightest, “Mood Swing,” acts as a perfect example of what attracted Flighthouse to his work in the first place. Built off of a sample from the 1960s (“I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby” performed by Baby Washington), “Mood Swing” combines Nick’s affinity for by-gone musical eras with more contemporary elements in the production. According to Nick, the most important part of his music is the story it tells. Drawn to the cinematic qualities of albums like Channel Orange by Frank Ocean, “I’m trying to make music that soundtracks life as I live it,” he says.
As he looks towards 2021, the budding artist sees “Mood Swing” as just the beginning. “There’s a lot coming up. I think the most important thing to me is to make sure there’s intention with each of these releases. I’m excited to see where these songs take me next year.”