Nicola McLeod | A Pretoria-based Musician’s Journey Of Authenticity, Sustainability, And Mentorship

In this episode of Sludge Underground, Marcel interviews Nicola McLeod, a 27 year old musician from Pretoria, South Africa, and this is what they touch on.

Getting Signed

Nicola describes her music as Pop-Folk and has released three singles on Spotify. She initially signed with a studio at the age of 18, but the relationship eventually came to an end.

Nicola says, ‘When I matriculated in 2013 I got signed by a studio that wanted me to do Pop/Hip-Hop. They wanted kind of like a South African Iggy Azalea vibe, so I was put into this genre like, you have to do this genre, this is going to blow up, let’s record it and see where it goes. Eventually, we all kind of fell out of it and came to the decision that it’s best for us all to move on. I gave everything I could but at the end of the day I take it as a big lesson on how important authenticity is to me.’

Sustainability

Earning a sustainable income is something that can be difficult to achieve for South African artists, but Nicola has found ways to successfully pull that off by investing in sound and creating opportunities that have aided her in staying afloat.

‘I feel like I’m lucky as a solo artist because I don’t have to pay a band every time I do gigs. It’s the only way I feel I have been able to start a sustainable living being a solo artist. I’ve learnt you can do bar gigs, which are super fun and give you a standard payment of say minimum R500 to R1000 a gig, which isn’t bad, but I also had to get myself a sound system so I can do weddings, private events, things that pay a little bit more money,’ says Nicola.

Helping Other Musicians

Nicola also teaches beginner guitar, ukulele, and singing lessons, and hosts open mic sessions at Railways to help find new artists while giving her students a sense of self-worth and fearlessness.

‘I think I do it for my own selfish reasons. When I was younger I wished someone would go out of their way to help me and give me some guidance, and I didn’t really have that. I wasn’t really surrounded by people who were willing to help and believe in me like I would have wanted to. So I think this is kind of returning the favour to what I would’ve wanted in my journey, but also, not having that made me very strong and independent,’ Nicola says.

Conclusion

Nicola’s journey from a genre-melded beginning to a flourishing solo career showcases the importance of staying true to one's artistic vision. Nicola's innovative approach, from bar gigs to private events, demonstrates the resourcefulness required for sustainability in the music industry. Her commitment to helping fellow musicians reflects her character, offering mentorship and opportunities while nurturing a sense of self-worth and instilling independence in the next generation.

Be sure to follow her on Spotify here, and listen to the full episode here.