“miss the humanity of it and the sense of adventure and surprise, as opposed to perfect performances/appearances that are bending to every marketing force. I hope there are enough people of all generations that long for and appreciate that kind of humanity and surprise, and that those audiences and artists will find each other.”

Nikki O'Neill: Americana Stories

Nikki O’Neill, an R&B/Americana singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Chicago, is releasing her third solo album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends (will be out on March 14, 2025). Featuring eleven songs written by O’Neill, the album is co-produced by her and Rich Lackowski, and it was recorded mostly live with her 5-piece band by John Abbey at Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago. The album’s making was largely supported by the Illinois Arts Council, who chose O’Neill as one of their Creative Catalyst Grant recipients for 2025. Deeply in love with classic soul, rhythm & blues and gospel from an early age, O’Neill counts Pops Staples, Prince, and Teenie Hodges as her guitar heroes, but it’s songwriting that she sees as her main love. Music journalists have called her “an expressive, nuanced singer and excellent guitarist” who makes albums with songs that demonstrate “a remarkable sense of melody.”              (Nikki O’Neill / Photo by Justina Lee)

The soul-inspired Americana sound that permeates Stories I Only Tell My Friends is very much a joint creation between Nikki and her band: Rich Lackowski (drums, percussion, harmony vocals), Chris Corsale (lead guitars, harmony vocals) and Teddy Myers (organ, piano, Wurlitzer and Rhodes), along with John Abbey and Chris Stanford on bass. Nikki played rhythm guitar, all acoustic guitars, the solos on ‘Square One’ and ‘I Wish the Sun Could Shine on Me’, plus the twin guitar solo on ‘I Just Knew’ (together with Corsale). Stories I Only Tell My Friends is eloquent testimony to the inspiration she found.

Interview by Michael Limnios                     Photos by Justina Lee Photography

How has the music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

The songs that I wrote for my new album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Blackbird Record Label) are partially inspired by life after a cross-country move from Los Angeles to Chicago that my husband and I made in 2020; guitarists I studied during the pandemic lockdown like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and the American roots music I’ve been exposed to at the Old Town School of Folk Music — a concert hall and legendary institution for communal music making here in Chicago. But some of my childhood in Sweden and Poland, my adult life in New York and Los Angeles, and the soul and rock heroes I’ve listened to throughout my life have also trickled down into this album.

If I think of my life stages, I always recall the artists that really spoke to me during those times. There are the Al Green records my mother played when I was a child in Los Angeles and also when we migrated to Sweden. Certain bands have inspired my view of the world and how beautiful humanity could be. To me, Prince and his band The Revolution, with its male/female, black/white and gay/straight members, were the coolest group of humans on the planet when I was a teenager. Then my friends got me hip to Sly & The Family Stone, who clearly had created the blueprint for The Revolution. In my late 20’s, when I left Sweden and moved to New York City, the music of singer-songwriters like Carole King and Paul McCartney became my inspiration because they’re storytellers with an amazing gift for melody and harmony. So those impressions and inspirations are all there in Stories I Tell My Friends. 

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? Where does your creative drive come from?

My sound is soul-influenced Americana, and when I make records, I love recording live with the band in one room as much as possible, which is what we did on this album. My music has always blended soul, rock, gospel, rhythm and blues, with a tiny pinch of twang thrown in… it’s a natural thing for me to do. I love strong melodies, a great guitar riff, colorful chords and little unexpected harmonic twists. 

My creative drive comes from different things: seeing fellow artists that I admire, road trips, international travel and exploring foreign cultures, cooking, going to art museums, and spending time in nature. I’ve always loved to make things ever since I was a kid. When I keep writing songs, I invite good things into my life.

”love the music that I love, but I don’t want to create retro music or a pastiche. On the other hand, I’m not scrambling to get liked on TikTok either. If my music resonates with certain people, regardless of what generation they are, then it will be relevant to them.” (Nikki O’Neill / Photo by Justina Lee)

What moment changed your life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Meeting my husband Rich eighteen years ago at the music trade show NAMM in California. He lived in Los Angeles, while I lived in New York. After only six months, we bought my one-way ticket to LA and I moved in with him. My song “I Just Knew” on the album is inspired by that time. It was a fun tune to write and record… upbeat and gospel-inspired rock with a twin guitar solo that I play together with Chris Corsale, the other guitarist in my band. Rich plays drums and sings backing vocals on Stories I Only Tell My Friends, and he co-produced the album together with me. So many of the highlights in my life include performing, practicing, recording and traveling with him.

Career highlights include becoming one of the Illinois Arts Council’s grant recipients for 2025 (which really helped the making of the album), trading guitar solos with Sue Foley and Dave Specter on stage at a show in Chicago in 2024, and getting signed to Blackbird Record Label. Another personal highlight for me was recording at Royal Studios in Memphis, where the classic Al Green, Ann Peebles and Otis Clay albums were created. 

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I miss the humanity of it and the sense of adventure and surprise, as opposed to perfect performances/appearances that are bending to every marketing force. I hope there are enough people of all generations that long for and appreciate that kind of humanity and surprise, and that those audiences and artists will find each other. 

I don’t know what else I can feel depressed by besides the greater and greater difficulty for the musicians “working class” and “middle class” to tour and make a living off of music, the ruthless exploitation of artists by tech/streaming companies, many aspects of AI in music, and the sad reality that lots of people won’t care how the “content” is created. But I hope enough people will be longing for something real and truly great, and that we will see new ways for artists and audiences to find each other.

“I hope more people will long for and appreciate a humanity in music, and a greatness that you can’t fake.“ (Nikki O’Neill / Photo by Justina Lee)

What does to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown says? What is the status of women in music?

There are at least more great female instrumentalists who are getting recognition. But it seems many still have to prove themselves much more and over a longer period of time compared to some of their male counterparts, who reach recognition much faster. I’m thinking of someone like Sue Foley vs. Marcus King — both extremely talented guitar players and singer-songwriters. 

There’s also a strange underrepresentation of female artists at music festivals in the United States. But I think things must be better than they were when I started playing, performing and recording. Thankfully, I haven’t encountered any narrow minded comments or attitudes in a long time, but that certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t happening to other female artists.

What is the impact of music on the socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

The great acting teacher Stella Adler once said “Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one.” I couldn’t agree more. As I said earlier, I hope more people will long for and appreciate a humanity in music, and a greatness that you can’t fake. I hope my songs and the sound that my band and I created on Stories I Only Tell My Friends will make people happy, uplifted, hopeful and moved to feel and to do something positive.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

I’ve seen too many shows where a great singer or soloist had average songs, and eventually the audience tunes out. So I really made songwriting my focus, and I feel I got rewarded by getting to play my songs with many great musicians. I also think it’s important to embrace your strengths and authenticity and not to get bummed out if you don’t happen to be the guitarist that wows everybody on Instagram… there are so many lanes in guitar playing, and it’s better to be true to yourself and keep creating a finer version of your way of playing. The same goes with singing. When I recorded my second album, I decided to make friends with my voice and how it sounds, and to build upon that instead of beating myself up for not being Betty Davis or Chaka Khan…

Also, and I know this sounds like a tired cliché, but the joy and the reward really is in the process. I was a bit sad when we wrapped up the last recording session for Stories I Only Tell My Friends, then the album cover art and then making of a music video for one of the songs. I totally understand why Neil Young constantly moves on to the next creative project. 

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

I love the music that I love, but I don’t want to create retro music or a pastiche. On the other hand, I’m not scrambling to get liked on TikTok either. If my music resonates with certain people, regardless of what generation they are, then it will be relevant to them.

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(Nikki O’Neill Band / Photo by Justina Lee)