27-year-old North London singer Rhett Nicholl recently released his latest single titled “Hold On”. This is the first piece of music he has released since his 2020 EP Omertà.
Produced by Felix Joseph who has also produced for big names such as Mahalia and Jorja Smith, “Hold On” is an original and refreshing work, with Rhett’s voice tinged with soul and gospel influence adding that unique touch of his own.
His music has proven to be a real support for Rhett, after a difficult period he had to overcome. However his tracks such as “Borderline”, which is now his most popular offering, allowed him to reconnect with musicality and creativity.
About his latest work, the singer declares: “‘Hold On’ is about not dealing with expectations despite a fair warning, the transition point in a problematic relationship between being whole and desperately trying to turn it into resentment, anger, and apathy. It was written in two halves at the start and end of this transition with the first verse predicting the course of events and the second verse looking back with that clarity that just severed ties”.
That’s not all, because “Hold On” is accompanied by one of the most well-realized visuals. It was a challenge handily taken on by Melody Maker, who has also worked alongside Mahalia before. It is a thoughtful video, with strong symbols that exude a very special nostalgia, that match the music that it accompanies.
You can feel the intimacy of the singer in this work. He strikes bare in “Hold On” with very sentimental lyrics “You leave me when it hurts the most”.
This is not the first time Rhett has spoken out about personal matters. In his EP Omertà, he talks about the code of silence, a direct reference to his Italian origins, in addition to his own baptism through his work.
The EP included poignant and shattering tracks, such as “Haunty”, which deals with Rhett’s mental health issues. The subject is underscored by verses from his features, The Nasty Poet and longtime friend Bapou Costi.
Today, Nicholl has not gone unnoticed in the music industry. He already has the support of i-D, The Line of Best Fit and even Clash Magazine, but they are not the only ones. We too, will keep an eye on this singer, who is quite special in the current musical world.
You can listen to his latest song “Hold On” here:
#Peace.Love.HoldOn
