It was way back in 2017 that Nicole Nighthawk took to the stage to accept the award for Best Rock Artist at the Music Oz Australian Independent Music Awards with her band Grandhour. A difficult period of deep soul-searching followed for the award-winning singer-songwriter. Halfway through the production of the band’s second album, Nicole knew she had to make the hardest decision of her life, to walk away from everything she had been working so hard towards, in search of her truth.
With the heartbreak of leaving her marriage to Grandhour Guitarist and Producer, Jason Hawkins weighing heavily on her shoulders, and the pain of breaking up a band on the rise, Nicole’s road to her new debut solo release has been paved with emotional lows, highs, feelings of loss, new love, and finding the strength within.
Although she was absent from the stage for years, Nicole never stopped writing. She found solace, inspiration, and healing within her songs and, little by little, started to shape the beginnings of her solo career. Now, settled into a new life as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, thousands of kilometres from Melbourne’s laneway bars and rock scene, Nicole calls Tropical North Queensland home. Locals have got used to hearing Nicole’s heartfelt tunes around town at FNQ venues such as the Fox Small Bar in Stratford.
Well and truly settled into her fabulous new life up north, Nicole returned to the studio to record her debut solo single No Tomorrow, which she wrote and was co-produced with close friend, musician and producer Voya Milutinovic. It’s a raw and authentic first single from her upcoming mixed-genre debut studio album ‘Heart On My Sleeve’.
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard new music from former Grandhour singer, songwriter Nicole Nighthawk, eight years in fact since that band’s award winning album Bombs & Bullets arrived. With ‘No Tomorrow’ Nicole delivers her debut solo single, an epic, deeply personal tale of love, passion and reflection. It’s a vast production without ever being overblown. The synth/strings backing tracks are blended perfectly into the mix resulting in an ethereal, otherworldly vibe as opposed to the heavy-handed pomp we hear on so many other massive over-produced ballads. It’s the sound of a thoughtful songwriter maturing, one who understands the dynamics of a tune and the intricacies of modern day composition in general. An impressive debut from a multi-talented artist.
The composition and music video features elements and scenes from deep space symbolising distance and disconnection between lovers as they drift apart. The music video was filmed and directed by Nicole and her wife Leigh Hanna, who also features in the clip.
‘No Tomorrow’ is available now on all major streaming platforms
Check out Nicole’s website