Welcome to our new feature- Young Gun of the Month, where you, members of the YGN Community can nominate someone that you think deserves some recognition.
To kick things off, Gabriela Krysa nominated Nicola Coaker because:
'She's so hard working! Moved to London to follow her dreams of working in music and hasn't stopped since then. She's almost 22 and already senior publicist that worked with so many of big names. She's just an amazing person!'
We spoke to Nicola to find out a little bit more about her...
What initially interested you about a career in the music industry?
I always loved music growing up and it was such a huge part of my childhood, my parents gave me such a wide taste in music. From the age of just 11 I would constantly travel from my home town of Middlesbrough to cities such as Manchester, Newcastle and London to see my favourite artists live and I think from then I just realised that music was my passion. One day I was lucky enough to go into the Radio 1 studios and from that day onwards I was determined to move to London and follow my dream of working in music.
Did you go to uni? If so, did you do a music business related course?
Yeah, I went to London South Bank University and studied Multimedia Journalism, but I would always write about music and find something music related to report on. I started my music career through journalism as I wrote for GRM Daily and also did some presenting for a platform called UK Grime.
How did you find your internships?
I was always really lucky and found my internships through social media, I followed a lot of music industry professionals and found that they were always sharing opportunities on their Twitter or Instagram stories.
How did you get your job at Lucid Online?
I saw they were advertising for interns through Instagram and I hit them up. At that exact time I couldn’t join the team as the role was full time and I was in my second year of university. The following summer I joined as an intern and from then I have been lucky enough to progress in the company and now work on some amazing campaigns.
What does your day-to-day work schedule look like?
It’s honestly hard to say, every single day is different. One day I can be out and about at different photoshoots with artists for magazines, another day I can be bouncing between record labels and then the next day I’ll be based in the office mainly on my emails and taking calls - but that’s what I love about the job, it’s so unpredictable.
Which part of your job do you enjoy the most?
My favourite part of the job would definitely have to be attending photoshoots. When you see the whole start to finish process of pitching the artist, the BTS of the shoot and then the finished piece, it’s such a great feeling to know I was apart of it.
What tips would you give to someone who wants to get into the music industry?
If you’re passionate about it, it’ll work. At one point during University I was balancing about four different roles outside of my course and at that point I didn’t even feel tired because I knew what I wanted to do and I was going to get there. Networking is also a key factor but don’t force it, I was lucky with the internships I landed as I found a lot of role models within them who I still continue to look up to them. Also showing that you’re out and about at events on social media helps a lot, you never know who is watching and showing that you’re involved in the industry can put you one step ahead.
What are your future plans?
I’m not entirely sure just yet, I’m currently enjoying doing what I do so I’m just taking everyday as it comes. I’m still only 22 so I’m still relatively young, my main focus at the minute is to perfect my craft and make a name for myself in the industry. I would love to spend a year in LA working within music, but that’s a long term goal.
What, if anything, would you change about the industry?
I think we should all start celebrating our successes more often. It’s so easy to get caught up in working especially with the music industry working 24/7, but sometimes it’s good to sit down and reflect on how far each of us has come.
Which artists are you currently listening to?
My go to artists at the minute are M1llionz, K-Trap, D Block Europe, Hardy Caprio and Pip Millett.
Would you recommend us your current favourite tune? One that you think everyone should know about. (youtube link would be best)
My favourite track at the minute is ERIC IV - True Colours it’s such a vibe and I keep going back to it. He’s definitely gonna be a huge breakthrough act this year.
About Nicola: Nic Coaker is a music publicist specialising in urban music who began her career in the media industry at just 16 on a local community radio station. Relocating from her hometown of Middlesbrough to London at the age of 18 to complete a degree in journalism, Nic began writing for a number of publications including UK Grime which allowed her to interview some of the UK’s top talents including Not3s, Big Shaq and DJ Semtex. She then went on to write for the UK’s biggest urban music platform, GRM Daily whilst producing and presenting a radio show on Westside Radio. Now, a music publicist at Lucid Online,
Nic manages campaigns for some of the hottest rappers in the game including MIST, Hardy Caprio and Big Tobz.
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