At 12, Nick Faulconer was “busking,” playing music on the street for tips.
At 21, he used tips and gig money to build his own recording studio, where he produced his new single, “Lips Locked.”
Inspired by artists Lauv and Charlie Puth, Faulconer wrote every line, played every instrument, sang every note, created every beat, and recorded, mixed, and mastered the R&B-inspired pop song himself. The single will be available July 31 on Spotify, iTunes and all major music platforms.
Faulconer – who was homeschooled and has lived in Chesterfield for five years – said he wrote the lyrics and music for “Lips Locked” one line at a time over months.
“Whenever I felt something was wrong in this past relationship, I went into the studio to get a line and a beat off my chest,” he said. “This song is the living, breathing frustration I was feeling, and I think people will feel that.”
“Lips Locked” is about “the raw anxiety of being unable to break free while simultaneously unable to give up a relationship you’re locked in,” he said. “The song and music video provocatively portray the sense of being held captive in our own lives, something many people can relate to.”
The music video will be posted on Vevo on Aug. 5, followed by Faulconer’s new EP, “Closure,” featuring three additional original songs, which will released Aug. 12.
Faulconer traces his songwriting and performing to busking on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall, not far from where Dave Matthews used to play at Miller’s.
Back when he was 12 and his guitar was bigger than he was, Faulconer’s mom had to hang around to make sure his tips didn’t get stolen from his guitar case in the middle of the crowds that gathered. He got his first live radio appearance after a producer stopped to listen, and he got his first gig from someone who heard him play on the street.
Hundreds of gigs later, his sound is pop/R&B and reflects a blend of musicians he admires—the hard work, songwriting and grit of Ed Sheeran with influence by Black Bear and John Mayer. It is electronic music meets blues. That injection of electronic music shows up in his newest recordings with a connection to the vulnerability and truth born from those years of busking.
Faulconer enjoys working in the studio he built because he can personally create his songs for listeners exactly as he hears them in his head, fully orchestrated. Then he sits down with a cup of coffee to stream live to his “music family,” sharing new songs and covers with friends, fellow musicians, and the international fans who have proclaimed themselves “Falcons.”
In late 2017, he released his first acoustic demo EP, “Untested,” which included all original songs. Since then, he’s released additional original singles and covers.
Faulconer has won multiple song-writing awards from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. He is represented by East Coast Entertainment. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram or NickFaulconer.com.
