By Ben D’Aquila
Local musician Nico Maris performed songs from her recent album “Stems” to an audience at Doc’s Finds Records in Haddon Heights ahead of a second performance during last month’s Record Store Day celebration.
We caught up with her after her first set at Doc’s to discuss her hopes for her career, and her influences and creative process.
Nico Maris is her stage name, and she’s a 17-year-old from Audubon. She said that despite her young age, she’s been involved with music for a while already, and said her debut album “Stems” was written and recorded over the past four years.
“I started writing music for this album when I was 13,” Maris said.
Her interest in music was piqued long before that it seems, as she said she started writing her own songs as far back as elementary school, performing them at talent shows.
“I’ve been writing music since I was eight,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that they were good, but I feel like I’ve worked a lot on getting better and improving.”
She said she has many influences including artists she grew up around and artists she grew up listening to, such as Billie Eilish, Gerard Way, Hayley Williams, and Amy Lee.
“I really love the rock genre,” Maris said.
Maris said her music focuses a lot on themes of growing up and the hardships faced with doing so. She currently has both acoustic and fully produced versions of “Stems” on streaming platforms, which she played during her back-to-back shows at Doc’s Finds.
The high school senior will be attending the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in the fall, where she hopes to further both her knowledge of music and her career as a singer-songwriter.
Maris, who said she’s extremely grateful for the support and engagement she’s had so far in her career, said she’s hoping to tour locally this summer before leaving for school, and said she’s excited for the next chapter of her life.
To listen to Maris’ music, you can find her on Spotify, bandcamp and tiktok, and you can follow her on Instagram @nicomarismusic.
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