Today we’d like to introduce you to Npopolito@yahoo.com Polito.
Hi npopolito@yahoo.com, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a singer songwriter from southwestern Pennsylvania. Music has always been a big part of my life, but for a long time it wasn’t something I believed I could realistically make a career out of. I spent years working underground as a coal miner for Consol Energy before eventually deciding to take a chance on myself and pursue music full time.
The road since then definitely hasn’t been easy, but its taken me places I never expected. Ive gone from playing small local gigs to performing hundreds of shows, opening for artists including Tracy Byrd, Diamond Rio, Lee Greenwood and The Clarks, Also traveling back and forth between Pennsylvania and Nashville to write and record.
For the last year and a half I’ve spent a lot of time in Nashville writing and recording with Dave Pahanish, Dave being a great songwriter and producer has shown me various ways of creating music and honing in on my craft. Working with the three-time no.1 billboard songwriter ultimately led to a full-length record of my own “Coal Dust & Neon Lights”. The title represents where I come from and where this journey has taken me, from coal mining to chasing a career under the stage lights.
I’m still an independent artist and still very much building this career one show, one song and one opportunity at a time. There have been plenty of setbacks along the way, including most recently being turned away by The Voice after my tenth audition for the show, but I learned I’d rather take the chance and see where this goes than spend my life wondering what might have happened if I tried.
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?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, there were times when money was so tight that I was staying in $32 a night hotel rooms in Tennessee to pursue the record. I couldn’t afford a rental car and was basically living off the hotel breakfast while traveling and trying to make this career work. I wasn’t making those trips cause I had money behind me or because somebody was paying my way. I was doing whatever I could afford to keep moving forward.
Finding consistent work was another major challenge, especially during my first few years as a full time musician. The winter months in Pennsylvania were very difficult. There were times when finding enough gigs to make ends meet felt almost impossible.
Things really changed when I took the leap and started traveling to Nashville and became more serious about what I wanted from this career. From the time I started working on coal dust & neon lights through finishing the record, I’ve watched my career continue to grow. I’m booking more shows, continuing to travel and already working on new music in Nashville.
I’m certainly not at the finish line, but when I look back at some of the $32 hotel rooms and compare them to where I am now, I can see that my dream is worth chasing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a singer-songwriter and full-time musician from Southwestern Pennsylvania. My music falls somewhere in the Americana/Country world, but I’ve never been overly concerned with fitting perfectly into one box. A lot of what I write comes from my own life where I grew up, working in the coal mines, relationships, mistakes, hard times and everything I’ve learned along the way.
As a performer, I’ve built my career largely through live music. I’ve performed hundreds of shows and have had the opportunity to open for artists including Tracy Byrd, Diamond Rio, The Clarks and Lee Greenwood. Whether I’m playing for a large crowd or in a small bar with an acoustic guitar, I try to connect with people and make the show feel genuine.
I’m especially proud of my new record, Coal Dust & Neon Lights. I recorded the project in Nashville while working closely with songwriter and producer Dave Pahanish. I think this record is the best representation yet of who I am as an artist. It combines where I come from with where I’m trying to go.
I don’t really consider myself all that different from any other independent singer songwriter trying to build a career doing what they love. the only difference in my story is probably where I came from. Before I pursued music full-time, I worked underground in the coal mines of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that might surprise people is how much of my career I handle on my own. When people see me playing shows or releasing music, they see the finished product, but they probably don’t see everything that goes on behind the scenes. I still book all of my own shows, handle my own promotion, travel pretty frequently, write and record, and try to figure out the business side of being an independent artist. One thing I can say is I have a long way to go. There is so much to learn in this business, almost as if you could never learn enough.
I really don’t have a team behind me. it’s mostly me, my guitar, my truck full of music equipment and whatever idea comes through my mind next.
Contact Info:
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- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nickpolito1667?si=4tXVR-1RvSVfZ2vi
