Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Nathan’s emotional new song tribute to mentor & pal Nicky
Star’s pain over 60-year-old’s death
NATHAN Carter has revealed he wrote his latest song in honour of his best friend who died earlier this year.
He said it took him a while before he could play the piano or put pen to paper to compose Wings To Fly after the death of the man he described as his “mentor”.
Nathan, 30, told the Daily Mirror: “I lost my best friend Nicky James who was only 60 in February.
“He died of a heart attack. He was a mentor since I was a kid, he was a lot older than me, but he got me started in music.
“Nicky had been very good to me throughout his whole life, he never took a penny. Any issues I had he’d sort them.
“He got me all my first gigs and took me to the recording studio for my first album.” After the shock of losing his pal, coronavirus emerged and laid waste to the live music industry.
Nathan added: “It was a pretty s**t start to the year and then it escalated for everybody throughout the year.
“I was quite down about it for a few months but then I decided to do a writing session one day and the song came about within an hour or two.
“I knew I’d release the new album. I wrote it with Nicky in mind but hundreds of people are contacting me about their mum or dad they’ve lost.
“I just wrote it in my head but a lot of people felt the same thing. Nicky and I had plans to go to Spain together but then he just went so suddenly.”
The Liverpudlian, who’s now based in Co Fermanagh, has released a compilation album and his new single which are out today.
Nathan added: “At the start of the lockdown I didn’t go near a piano.
“I had no interest, I lost my mojo, but with this album it’s an anniversary one so I got nostalgic looking back at old tracks and I got excited to get back in the studio, I had a bit of a purpose again.”
Meanwhile, this Christmas, the singer and his brother Jake are auctioning themselves off for a very special cause.
Nathan explained: “Me and Jake were saying we wouldn’t mind doing something for charity.
“I’ve been involved with Make A Wish over the years with young kids who unfortunately are no longer with us.
“They contacted me a few weeks before they passed and we made a big fuss of them, a big dinner and brought them on the stage.
“So we’re going to auction ourselves off for the winner of a contest we’re putting together.
“We’re going to do a gig for the winner – if we can’t do it in the house, we’ll do it in the garden.
“It’s only five quid a ticket and all the money will go to Make a Wish.”
For more details visit nathancartermusic.com.