We’re huge fans of pop artist and singer-songwriterNikki Era so we are so stoked to premiere her lyric video for her latest single “Fantasy Boy”!
This video has serious nostalgia vibes. Remember AOL? The annoying noises you heard while logging in? The old school video games fighting games you played as a kid? Nikki brought this all to life.
But! Before we premiere the new video, check out our quick chat with Nikki Era where we learned more about “Fantasy Boy,” one of her earlier usernames, and what’s next for her!
CelebMix: Can you tell us a bit about the origin of “Fantasy Boy”? What inspired you to write this song?
Nikki Era: Over the past year I’ve been writing with a bunch of super amazing young girls like Meg Donnelly and JoJo Siwa. Creating pop music with them is so cool but it got me thinking a lot about how I wanted my pop records to sound. I went into the studio one day and told the producer, “Let’s make an 80s pop song.”
It came together so quickly and the hook just popped into my head. I love the idea of fantasy vs. reality and this era of music for me will all exist inside the “Fantasy Boy” world. I wanted to create something that would make people feel good and dance and envision their perfect person.
CelebMix: I’m obsessed with the video! What was the thought process for you when putting together the lyric video?
Nikki Era: OMG. Thank you! I really just wanted to be nostalgic and bring back some old technology. I loved playing Sega and Nintendo when I was little and I still remember when AOL first came out. Waiting for the dial-up seemed like it took forever. Now, everything is so accessible and high quality. I miss the old days a little bit. I also really wanted to make it myself. It’s my first lyric video I’ve ever made and I just started googling “old 8bit video games” and when Streets of Rage popped up I was like, “YAS THIS IS THE VIBE! “
CelebMix: Going off your lyric video, what’s one username you created in the past that you will always remember?
Nikki Era: I remember two of them. My first one ever was SingStar123. But my fave was zXzLilNikkiXzX. That was the cool thing to do back then… use Xs and Zs and switch it from lower case to upper case. We didn’t have emojis.
CelebMix: You’ve written so many songs not only for yourself but for others! How do you keep your creative juices flowing?
Nikki Era: I honestly write everything down any moment I think of it! Then I go back and get inspiration from that. You can’t guarantee you’re going to have a creative day so I try to keep a creative collection of lyrics and melodies. Some days you feel super into making art and so on those days I get inspired by the beat and production or the people I’m working with, but if not I’ll scroll through my notes and be like, “OMG I forgot about that concept!”
CelebMix: Where or how do you go about drawing inspiration for each new project that comes your way?
Nikki Era: For this project, I used the 80s and 90s culture, fashion, and music for inspiration. I’m working on the EP now and the music is so fun to make. It’s hard not to smile when you hear an 80s drum pattern. It just puts me in a good mood. I love retro aesthetics and so I want the entire project to be a nod to the best aspects of those decades!
CelebMix: What’s next for you?
Nikki Era: Finishing the EP and touring for sure! Once the music is done I’m going to start putting together the live show. I grew up doing musical theater so I love performing on stage and being theatrical. I’m definitely getting a keytar.
Check out her lyric video below:
Are you digging this lyric video? Let us know! Tweet us: @celebmix