HEARTACHE FETISH
Taking the blogsphere by storm, Young and Sick have quickly made a name for themselves. This NY/LA based RnB outfit amassed close to 500,000 plays on their hit single, “Heartache Fetish” and have had the pleasure of hitting some extremely notable venues since then (ahem, Coachella.)
As we get ready to bring them in for a show in Denver, we wanted to get to know this brand new act a little better. Check out what lead man Nick had to say about his Dad’s old records, Sriracha, and his silky smooth voice.
TMN: We’re talking with Nick from Young and Sick. Thanks for taking a few minutes to speak with us today.
Y&S: Of course.
TMN: First off, we have to admit something. We tried so hard to get to your set at Coachella, but were struggling a little bit from the previous night’s festivities. How did that go for you?
Y&S: I believe it, it was early! But, it went well. It was kind of a different experience on both weekends. The second weekend, on Friday we opened for Foster the People in Vegas at the Cosmopolitan hotel, after which we had to drive through the night to make it for our 8AM load in. It was interesting.
TMN: Sounds pretty rough!
Y&S: It was great though. We had so much fun.
TMN: While we’re sure there were plenty of people like us, they can rest easy as you guys are about to head out on a pretty significant tour. Talk to us about which cities you’re most looking forward to.
Y&S: Actually, I’m very much looking forward to all of them. Not to sound cheesy, but I have not seen enough of the US, seeing as how I’ve only been living here for a little while. I’m interested to explore all the states, and especially some of the small towns in between. I’ve also heard the most amazing things about Chicago, and I think that’s one of the ones that I’m most looking forward to.
TMN: Speaking of your tour spots, we’re honored to be sponsoring your show here in Denver at Lost Lake. Is there anything you’d like to say to our Denver ninjas?
Y&S: You guys are so lucky to live in such a luscious state with so much beautiful forests around you. You should get out and explore!
TMN: Are you going to take some time off to explore while you’re here?
Y&S: I hope so. I went to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival last year and I hope to make it again. Colorado is mind-blowingly beautiful.
TMN: The timeline from releasing music to getting press to touring is exponentially shorter than 10, 20, 30 years ago. Have you guys had any moments during this timeline that have made you step back and say, “holy shit, I can’t believe that just happened?”
Y&S: It is a little hard. It’s very fast paced and we don’t get to take any time to realize what’s going on. Every day that we’ve had off in between shows, we try to find a national park that we can explore. I think that gives us a little time to reflect and realize how lucky we are.
TMN: At what age did you realize you had a silky smooth voice?
Y&S: (Laughs) I don’t know if I’ve even realized that yet! I definitely think I was going to be a vocalist. I was always playing the guitar as my main instrument. I was kind of shy and always trying to stay in the background of a band. It took a while and I’m still getting used to being the main focus on stage, and still trying to share as much as possible with the others in the band.
Y&S: I think a lot of it has to do with the influences we all have from growing up. I came from a father who was very much into collecting and listening to as much music as possible. I think I took the best from all of those beautiful records he used to play me. Also, I think it takes a while to find your right voice and sound as a musician. It takes a while to shake obvious influences and find something that you truly think is yours. I think we’re getting close to that and that’s something I’m really excited about.
TMN: Talk to us about the name. What’s the meaning behind “Young and Sick.”
Y&S: My manager lives in New Orleans and would throw a lot of parties. I would design the posters for them and one of them was “Young and Sick.” After that party, how well it did, and how in your face it was, we decided to take it back and use it for other things. It started as a jewelry brand, because I was making a lot of jewelry when I first moved to LA. Then I decided start doing designs under it as well. It kind of worked out and I think it’s great that the name is kind of a juxtaposition what we sound like. Young and Sick can be confused for an Atlanta rap formation, and it kind of throws you off when you hear the softer tones that we have.
TMN: We spent some time going through your instagram. Are a lot of those illustrations from someone in the band, or is that from a friend of yours?
Y&S: Yep! Those are mine.
TMN: They’re all awesome. Do you do all the illustrations for the tour posters moving forward?
Y&S: Yeah. I’ve been doing that for some time now, and I also do CD covers and posters for other bands. It’s kind of been supporting this project for a while and I love that.
TMN: Any artists you worked with on those designs that you’d like to share?
Y&S: I did both Foster the People albums, I did the last Maroon 5, and the last Robin Thicke. I also just did a cover for Better Than Ezra, who is making a comeback.
TMN: Alright, before we head into some random questions, feel free to cover anything else you’d like to say to our readers and your fans.
Y&S: Wow. Um. What can I say? I’m very excited to see Denver and we’re excited for the full tour. It will be good to drive around in the van and get a little sweaty.
TMN: We always close out our interviews with a selection of random questions. So, let’s get into those. If you could duet with any classic vocalist, dead or alive, who would it be?
Y&S: Aw man. That’s a tough one. Maybe Rufus Wainwright. That would be fun.
TMN: What three things are in your fridge, no matter what?
Y&S: Sriracha. Almond Milk. Eggs.
TMN: What was your first job?
Y&S: Retail. Girl’s clothing.
TMN: You sold women’s clothing?
Y&S: (Laughs) Yep! It was great.
TMN: If you could make a guest appearance on any TV show, what would you appear on?
Y&S: Jerry Springer. Maybe Dr. Phil.
TMN: If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
Y&S: A single olive with the pit inside.
TMN: If your music were an animal, what would it be?
Y&S: Sloth. Actually, I’m going to take that back and go with Alpaca. It’s gotten a little more uptempo lately.
