Music is personal. It’s personal for the writer, it’s personal for the listener – but it’s also shared. The writer pours his or her heart into a song by creating it and the listener does the same by embracing it: two different experiences conjoined somewhere in the middle by an intangible point of vantage.
A while back, I asked Autumn Nicholas if she was “obsessed” with music the way one needs to be in order to make it in this trade.
“I’m obsessed with connection. That’s the difference.”
I first saw Autumn perform back in April – about a month after she moved here from North Carolina. She was the third act to go on that night at The Sutler, and as host of the show, I was unsure if a singular acoustic artist would succeed in headlining a series of acts, most of whom were comprised of multiple individuals and instruments.
It’s a strange thing when a musician can capture an entire room with nothing more than herself and a guitar. All the subtle clinking of glasses and silverware ceased the moment she started playing. I can confidently say that everyone in the room that night got the impression that she was singing directly to them and them only. That’s connection. Unadulterated, effortless connection.
“Most of my music is geared toward the unity of people and being who you are. I try to sing about things that people are afraid to talk about because we’re afraid of getting it wrong.”
Earlier this year, Autumn released ‘On a Sunday’. The song unpacks her personal experience growing up in the church as a person of non-traditional sexual orientation. The commentary takes the form of an inward story from an outside perspective, telling the saga of a young girl who “stood her ground on a Sunday” – the young girl obviously personifying Autumn herself.
The movement of the song is paved with a sort of serene angst as the marching tempo cradles her vocals that plead and assert all at once, trying to get the listener to understand the struggles of one person that symbolize the struggles of many.
It blossoms into a body of different sounds as violins enter the picture and a stomping/clapping fuse with the tempo that feels like a faceless army at her back. In effect, the soundscape denotes connection as much as the words themselves.
The “voice of the voiceless” is the primary agent at play here, and it’s one hell of a voice; cripplingly beautiful and soulful. It’s equal parts vulnerability and take-no-shit sedition that spires skyward without hinderance or apology.
I’m not sure if there is a nutshell big enough to fully encase Autumn’s sound. It’s no wonder a certain body of listeners have started referring to her as a musical “mutt”.
“I did move to Nashville with the assumption that I had to have a little bit of country in my… texture. But at the same time, country is all about story telling, so you can put me in that lane, but I can also hop over at any time and blend in some R&B, or some pop, or whatever else. I’m happy to dabble in it.”
There’s no getting around the Tracy Chapman comparison, but funnel some of Fleetwood Mac’s B-side tracks through a prism of Lauryn Hill or Usher and you might get the idea.
I think my favorite track of Autumn’s is one I stumbled upon from a few years back. She released ‘Wolves’ in 2016 along with 4 other songs that make up her EP, ‘Chapter 1’.
The song grooves like smooth waves against your skin. It’s hypnotic and stimulating all at the same time, catching you off guard with how soothing it is.
‘Wolves’ feels like a rejuvenation of Michael Jackson’s signature inflection and harmony that dances alone by candlelight, effortlessly exploring every nook and cranny of the melodic spectrum with elegant poise.
“To sum it up, it’s basically about “crying wolf” and playing the victim card in a relationship when in reality, we do these things to ourselves a lot of the time. It was like I was willingly falling for the same thing over and over because I didn’t want to accept the fact that I had to stand up for my worth.”
I suppose it’s the uncomfortable truths that tend to bring people together in a peculiar way. Hence, connectivity.
“If we’re comfortable, then we’re not growing. That’s why I don’t own a couch (laughs)”.
In addition to some upcoming tours and festival dates, Autumn is releasing a single this October called ‘Dealing’ in honor of mental health month. You can find the rest of her music on all streaming platforms as well as a few music videos available on Youtube.
Take some time to check her out – just not from the comfort of your couch.
