Lori Nuic’s soul-splashed stories evident on new album

By: Lianna Pisani | JUNE 6, 2012

Toronto singer-songwriter Lori Nuic’s soul-splashed stories of “learning the hard way” can be found in musical form on her sophomore album, Flaws of Attraction, released May 15.

The album was a “long time coming” for Nuic, being released five years after her debut, Red Book Chronicles. She worked closely with Adrian Eccleston (Kylie Minogue, Divine Brown) and Martin McKinney (Drake, Maroon 5), who co-produced the album.

“I was really excited to work with these producers, because I’m a big fan of their work,” Nuic comments. She worked with Eccleston during the production of her debut album, and admires his work ethic and musical talent. The pair of producers were a great team for Nuic, creating a balance between work and play. “Doc’s a really funny guy, so he would just crack jokes. It was just fun, you know? . . . Adrian– he gets stuff done. He’s an amazing guitar player, and he’s got a good feel for everything so it was a really cool experience.”

The tightness of the music and sincerity of the lyrics on the album came together after years of songwriting with various writers. The process began over three years ago. “I worked with a couple of different writers, and then I found a couple that I really worked well with and things just clicked into place,” says Nuic. Much of the song-writing process was in a duet structure, with Nuic and those she worked with sharing lines and guitar riffs as the songs developed.

Nuic draws lyrics from both her own life experiences, and that which she dreams of experiencing. “A lot of it is personal experiences, and then some of it is just… you know, fantasy land, or things that you would write about but not really what you normally do.” Pulling from both her own thoughts, and shared ideas from other writers, Nuic considers the process a “collaborative effort.”

The album’s title, Flaws of Attraction, is Nuic’s own clever creation. “I thought it was an interesting little play on words because my luck with relationships seems to be a bit of a disaster.” She chuckles at her own explanation. “Without awareness, the laws of attraction become flaws of attraction.”

The success Nuic has achieved in her musical career is no surprise, with a supportive family, and a brother who plays guitar. When she was younger, Nuic took guitar lessons before, instead, settling on dance classes. “Music was always a part of everything, even in dance class. You’re always dancing to music, humming melodies…” and her explorations “came full circle” as Nuic realized the catharsis songwriting brought to her.

Described as an “alternative soul singer,” Nuic gives her take on the current music scene: “Dance music has kind of taken over popularity at this point. It’s a progression, you know… I think things change, and switch over. But at the same time, you have artists like Adele, who are winning all these awards. So I think people like the fact that there’s still sort of like classic songs.”

Nuic’s music can be considered to house a great amount of soul, often placing her music in an R&B genre. “In terms of Canada’s R&B scene, it’s a little tricky because this is a country that really likes rock music, and I like rock music, too. But I think, you know, urban is still somewhat new-ish, and so I think it’s making its way.”

Belonging to a genre that Nuic herself considers “new-ish” has certainly contributed to her views on music pirating. “I think it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, to be honest. I think a lot of artists are giving away their music, to get people interested in their stuff, and I think that’s great.” At the same time, Nuic acknowledges the hard work, time and money that goes into an album, especially for independent artists. “I just think that as an indie artist, it’s kind of tricky because it’s nice to get a bit of funding for you to keep doing what you’re doing. . . It is quite a costly process to get an album together.”

Giving away music is one way to generate a fan-base and reach new fans, but Nuic prefers a “hands-on approach.” The Internet and social media are amazing tools in connecting with fans, and Nuic is attempting to take advantage of that. “I’ve been trying to be more diligent with tweeting, and all that sort of thing. I’m kind of a private person so it’s weird for me to be like, ‘Oh, I’m here doing this!’” Nuic makes an effort to respond to messages on her social media accounts in order to connect with the people who like her music and want to get in touch with her. There’s also a chance to catch her for a conversation after a live show. “That’s always a nice way to connect with people and I really enjoy that part of it.”

“It is quite a costly process to get an album together.”

Nuic will be playing the Waterloo Jazz Festival this July.