Meet Nicky V of West

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicky V.

Hi Nicky, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m Nicky V, born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. My Mama Kelison V taught me how to play when I was 13. Then I learned from various musicians in the Southeast Missouri area (Bruce Zimmerman, Chas Watkins, Doug Rees, Jay Wilburn, and a bunch of others incredibly generous with their time and patience). At eighteen, I moved to Hollywood, CA, to attend the Musicians Institute, where I was a total recluse and studied like a maniac for two years. After graduation, I worked as a music director on cruise ships for a while and taught guitar at a university. After quitting ships, I built up my online recording clientele until I could support myself by at least breaking even by moving to Nashville in 2018. Since getting to town, I have worked primarily as a studio musician and have been blessed far beyond what I deserve.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I honestly have had the smoothest road one could imagine. Great family that talked me out of engineering school to play music. I know usually it’s the other way around. I was lucky enough to hit the ground running when I got to Nashville and was on a tour bus 10 days after first driving down from Missouri. The pandemic hit many of my friends pretty hard, but I was fortunate enough to have the online recording business already in place when 2020 hit, so I had my biggest year recording from home 8-10 hours a day. Everybody loves a good struggle story, but I’ve just been incredibly fortunate.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I mostly record acoustic and electric guitar for a living. I got started on a website called Fiverr and developed the skill set of tracking guitars from home. Then when I got to Nashville, I met producer and engineer Dr. Steve Allen who taught me more in a year than any degree or youtube searching could ever teach me. Since diving head first into the studio scene, I’ve wiggled my way into other networks and do everything I can to make sure they keep calling me back. So between tracking sessions at various studios, overdub sessions with different producers, and online recording, I track 60=75 songs a month.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I love working with songwriters and artists that need their tracks recorded. I have a few teams of people far more talented than myself that I work with, depending on what the artist needs and the vibe we are trying to capture. So they can email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram at @nickyv_music.

Contact Info:

• Website: nickyvmusic.com
• Instagram: @nickyv_music
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NickyV