The Post talked with Voice finalist Nicholas David about how he first got involved with music and his experience with The Voice.
Nicholas David went from having concerts in his football coach’s basement to performing on The Voice for millions of viewers.
The soul singer will be on stage at 8 p.m. Friday at Casa Nueva. The audience can expect some tunes from The Voice, along with original pieces and some newer work, David said.
Before David makes his stop at Casa, The Post talked to him about music, his experiences on the The Voice and why he wanted come to Athens.
Post: Where did music begin for you?
Nicholas David: I got started with music while having it surround me as a child. I come from a really big family, and music was always a really big part of our gathering. My grandfather (on my dad’s side) played the accordion, played the piano and polka music. … He filled the house with music and that sound and beat really got me. Once I started to play, I was sitting right next to him playing. … My mom’s dad, he got pretty sick when I was young. I played the piano for him. … The night he passed away, he said, “Play the piano. Play the piano. Tell Nicky never to stop.” That’s been a huge thing at a very young age. My grandfathers really were the foundation of me pursuing music.
P: Do you have any really memorable moments from being on The Voice?
ND: So many of them. It was the best music school I could’ve gone to. So many people, so many cool things, so many moving parts to this huge production. ... All the while, we’re inside Hollywood. ... There was so much magic and forms of creative expression.
P: Is there any single moment from The Voice you always look back on?
ND: There are so many moments I look back on. I was able to do “Over the Rainbow” one time. I kind of orchestrated — decided the chords, decided the moments and the powerful moment. I was on stage in front of millions of people. I looked out into the crowd. While you’re playing and doing music, sometimes there is an inner dialogue where it’s like “This is happening.” I looked up into the crowd and saw the silhouettes of my mom and dad and my oldest son and my godfather, my aunt. It brought me to tears.
P: What made you want to play at Casa Nueva?
ND: We just look at different spots. When we have a route and opportunities come up on that route. We look at the different places and the team gets the go-ahead. It seems like a cool kind of creative place. It’s our first time there, but it seems like a pretty good footstep as we continue to spread our music.
P: Do you have a favorite song to perform?
ND: One thing that has been fun for us is “Say Goodbye.” It’s off of the Say Goodbye EP. We’ve been doing that one and the other song is called “Anything but Quiet.” Those two tracks have been a lot of fun because we’ve really been focusing on our harmonies and strip it down to all acoustic instruments and no drums. It’s a really nice, open, spacious break in the show where it’s just words and strings.
P: Is there anything else you want people to know about you?
ND: We’re grateful and blessed to be doing what we can do. It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to bring music from the heart for the heart to the people. It’s the people who keep it alive so we’re grateful for the support.
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