AL: Congratulations on the new single! What was the inspiration behind “Man Up”?
NK: Thank you so much! Without giving too much away, “Man Up” is inspired by a boy who didn’t know how to get what he wanted. It’s kind of what I wanted to say to him but never did.
AL: Going into creating a song, what’s your process?
NK: It’s honestly different with every song. Sometimes a melody will come into my head and I’ll start writing around that, or sometimes I’ll just feel inspired by a situation and start writing lyrics. I’m pretty old fashioned when it comes to songwriting, so I really like to write on an instrument, whether it be the piano or guitar and into a journal. I’m also always editing. Whether it’s changing lyrics or melodies, I always try to be open to changing things in order to make the song better.
AL: If you could perform with any artist, on any stage, who would it be with and where?
NK: Even though I’ve gotten to sing with him before (while he was guest hosting the Late Late Show), I’d love to perform with John Mayer on the stage I first saw him play live and one of my favorite venues, The Hollywood Bowl.
AL: What upcoming projects can we expect from you?
NK: I’ve been co-writing so much and have been in the studio a lot so you can definitely expect more music from me this year! I’ll be launching my music website later this month as well so stay tuned for that! I also just finished a few acting projects, one of which is a cool project by the talented artist/director Reza Derakshani called “Black Water.” Aside from that, I’m just writing for other artists and projects.
AL: Can you give us 5 fun facts about you to share with your audience? NK: 1. I sang “A Face to Call Home” with John Mayer during a commercial break of the Late Late Show in 2015. 2. My favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio, and I actually named my dog Leo after him. (Embarrassing, I know!) 3. My favorite city in the world is Paris 4. I’m a first-generation Armenian-American 5. I had my own web show on YouTube where I interviewed celebrities for 5 years.
We honestly can not wait to hear “Man Up” we’re sure it’ll be a jam! Make sure to check it out, available on all digital platform April 21st!