It’s been just over a year since the Zurich based Singer and Songwriter Nickless released his debut single “Waiting” which quickly turned out to be a hit. “Waiting” was 2015’s most played song by a swiss artist on the Radio and the accompanying music video has been viewed over 1,000,000 times as of 2018 on Youtube. The single also received gold status and on the 12th February 2016. Nickless also won the Swiss Music Award for the category “Best Hit National” with his single “Waiting”. On the 4th of March Nickless released his debut album Four Years, which climbed straight to the 4th place on the Swiss album charts.

Nickless’s journey in music and his sudden success is almost a little extraordinary for today’s standards. Without any previous social media hype, released cover songs or any association with a casting show, Nickless as a complete newcomer won “Best Hit” at the Swiss Music Awards for his first ever single “Waiting”.

The young man behind the music knew from a very young age what he wanted to do. When he was as young as 7 years old Nickless learned to play the drums. Then at 8 years old he not only started learning the piano and the guitar together with a music coach, but he also started collecting his first live experiences playing in a band. When he was 12 years old he was the drummer playing for a teenie combo named Klirrfaktor and got a taste for success winning local talent competitions.

At the age of 15 he then knocked on the door of 571 Recording Studios, belonging to Thomas Fessler, where, after he completed school, began to work as an assistant. So the place where Switzerland’s biggest names walked in and out on a daily basis turned into the place where Nickless learned from scratch all there is to know about working in a recording studio.

Four years have since passed, hence the name of his debut album Four Years released through Phonag Records AG. These four years have been essential for Nickless’s development as an artist and as a person. It was during this time that he made the decision to pursue his own music as a solo artist. All songs on the album were written by Nickless during these four years and show a glimpse into his life, the ups and downs and lessons along the way in love, friendship, disappointments, but also the carefree and free spirited feelings of youth.

The total of 12 songs he wrote which were also produced by his mentor Thomas Fessler are more than enough proof that Nickless knows how to write a catchy pop song that will linger in your ears long after you’ve heard it. He combines gripping and driven rhythms with different influences from Rock, Folk to Funk and Electro, letting go of any forms of confinements and conventions.

Despite us living in a time of Social Media and Casting Shows, he proves it possible to base a career start purely on talent, hard work and endurance. Nickless is also the only artist who made the unique journey from being a “Tea Boy” in a recording studio to playing some of the biggest stages Switzerland has to offer. Nickless handled all of his first steps so effortlessly and successfully that one can only lead to assume there is a very promising future ahead for the all round talent and his album Four Years.