NICK DOMINGO
SAN DIEGO’S Nick Domingo earned his musician’s stripes by posting cover versions on his YouTube channel in 2017 – but the release of the single ‘Delta’ earlier this month hints at a glistening future all of his own making.
“I would describe my sound as alternative with orchestral influences,” he said. “I’m a one-man band/solo artist and initially performed cover songs with a guitar and a loop pedal, typically Ed Sheeran songs, but also other artists such as Lifehouse, and Shawn Mendes.
“My YouTube channel landed me a gig at the San Diego County Fair in 2017 as well as a gig the following year but sometime this year I decided I’d try and compose my own original music instead of covering everyone else’s. The result was a five track EP of original songs collectively titled, ‘The Phoenix Project, Part 1.’”
Released in June of this year Nick’s debut EP is led by the hit song ‘Delta,’ the EP relying heavily on synthesized strings and brass, with heavy drum hits and arpeggiated electric pianos featuring throughout.
A month later the acoustic version of ‘Love At First Fight’ served as the lead single for Nick’s next EP, ‘The Phoenix Project, Pt. 2.’ This reworking saw the orchestral and electronic elements from the standard version replaced with an ambient synth pad, a piano, a mellotron, and percussive elements.
And to bring us up to date, this month saw the release of the acoustic version of ‘Delta,’ less explosive than its standard counterpart and opting for a calmer approach to the song, with a piano and ambient pads taking the place of the strings and brass.
“The first part of ‘The Phoenix Project’ was greatly influenced by a story I had written in 2016. Think of it as a sci-fi version of Romeo & Juliet. I started to dive deeper into the story and wanted to make these scenes come to life with music. It typically starts with laying down a drum beat that sounds epic, to say the least. I try and make each hit reverberate, but not to the point where the mix sounds all muddy.
“Then, I try and find a chord progression that fits the mood of a specific scene or character. As mentioned before, I have orchestral elements in my songs. So with the music itself, since I’m using MIDI instruments – aside from the drum hits/impact sounds – I try to make each string/brass instrument sound as human as possible. I also tend to throw in an arpeggiator to give the song a bit of an electronic side as well.”
For further news on Nick, you can catch him on his YouTube where he uploads songs every Sunday night at 1830 PST.
