Layers of cosy knits, and walks in the freshly fallen snow
It’s that time of year again when romantic notions of the winter take over our imagination.
Fireside evenings, comforting mugs of hot chocolate, layers of cosy knits, and walks in the freshly fallen snow; might be some of the images that flick across your mind as we head into December. Something that helps bring our expectations into reality is seasonal songs, from vintage classics through to new cover songs to brand new creations like Nicki Wells’ ‘A Little Christmas of My Own’.
Much like Nicki Wells’ recently released single ‘Carry On’, the British songwriter takes to the piano on which she first learned to play as a child to add a rich and inviting timbre to this steadily paced acoustic number. As the title, ‘A Little Christmas of My Own’, suggests this song is about how festive times aren’t a celebration full of family and friends for all, as Wells explains below.
“It’s a bittersweet song about Christmas because, for some, it can be a lonely time, not everyone has a family to go to. But by the end, there is a sweet acceptance of a quiet and calm Christmas.”
‘A Little Christmas of My Own’ was written, performed and produced by Nicki Wells, with mixing by Luke Potashnick and mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle. In keeping with the intimate sound of this single, the accompanying video was created by Tarq Bowen and presents a beautiful and cosy visual.
Singer, songwriter and composer Nicki Wells followed her 1st class honours degree in Music by touring as a featured vocalist in Nitin Sawhney’s band. She has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues from London’s Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House to Glastonbury’s main Pyramid Stage. Her voice has contributed to a number of films including Andy Serkis’s Mowgli, Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children, and Renny Harlin’s The Legend of Hercules and was a major part of the scores of BBC Documentaries such as The Human Planet series. Her first solo album Ocean was released in 2018 under the pseudonym TURYA (listen to TURYA on Spotify).
As a Composer in her own right, Nicki scored for Tanika Gupta’s theatrical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, Howard Brenton’s play Drawing the Line, receiving critical acclaim. She co-composed the score to Khyentse Norbu’s feature film Vara – A Blessing and has also composed five of contemporary dancer Aakash Odedra’s shows, which have featured in venues like Sadlers Wells, Royal Opera House and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, (winning the Amnesty International Award for the politically conscious show #JeSuis). Nicki also composed the score for documentary filmmaker Koen Suidgeest’s Girl Connected and then joined forces with renowned sitarist Anoushka Shankar to compose the score for an upcoming documentary film about the Dalai Lama An Officer and His Holiness.
Nicki collaborated once again with dancer Aakash Odedra and Chinese dancer, Hu Shenyuan, composing the score and performing in the new epic production of Samsara which premiered in the Melbourne Arts Centre in 2020. Nicki also composed the music for legendary Kathak dancer Aditi Mangaldas’ show Forbidden, due to premiere in Mumbai, India in 2022.
During the pandemic, Nicki created a multitude of new material, including her much anticipated first solo studio album Ellipsis LP, set for release in early 2023.
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