Renowned Aussie actor and musician Nicholas Hamilton, known for his work in IT, IT: Chapter Two and Captain Fantastic, has announced his new single and self-made video, “Pretty Young”.
Since FIB last spoke to Nicholas Hamilton, he’s been making leaps and bounds. The Aussie star has recently announced that he’s relocating back to Los Angeles to pursue new acting projects just shy of the release of his debut EP, Pretty Young.
Hamilton‘s latest offering is a reflective, thoughtful single about holding on to memories of childhood. His upcoming EP (of the same name) is a stunning, mature collection of pop songs that explore the experiences of a young artist and his coming-of-age experience.
Progression of Time
With production by Joe Marson and Arthur Pingrey (Sia, Sting), “Pretty Young” is a sweet, wistful tune. It’s acoustically evocative of John Mayer, Niall Horan and Lukas Graham. His assured, idiosyncratic vocal is the star of the track. Hamilton’s sentimental lyrics detail the progression of time, seen through a young adult’s eyes. Its gentle, intricate production shapes the track with acoustic guitar and an all-encompassing choral vocal, quietly driven by the track’s percussion.
Childhood Memories
Speaking on the inspiration behind the single, Hamilton explains,
“I remember feeling pretty down when I wrote the first stanza. It was one of those days where you just cry behind a piano and hope a song comes out. There was a moment where I realised how silly it was for me to be writing a song about my childhood, when I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an adult yet…That’s how the second stanza came about, starting with “and I’m still pretty young”. I drew the rest of the lyrics from a tonne of childhood memories I thought I’d forgotten, and recent memories I hope I don’t forget.”
The track’s video clip will also draw a smile, full of adorable home videos from the actor’s childhood.
Painted With Nostalgia
Pretty Young is painted with nostalgia. Youth, homesickness, late nights and ill-fated relationships are all themes explored within this clever collection of songs. The Pretty Young EP is a unique flavour of acoustic pop and each track contributes something new and exciting to Hamilton’s discography. From the powerful, momentous single “In Line“, to the gentle pervasiveness of “Different Year“, to the stunning duet “noRoom“, Pretty Young is an impressive body of work. Hamilton explains,
“The EP is really a diary of my life up until this point… All five songs really encapsulate my entire 21 years of life… it feels incredibly intimate to be putting it out for everyone’s ears to hear. I love that, by the way. Some part of me gets a rush out of everyone knowing who I am, about the intricacies of my life, not the characters I’ve played.”
Back to LA
Juggling an established acting career alongside a burgeoning music career is no small feat, but Nicholas Hamilton takes it all in his stride. Hamilton has recently returned to Lala land to pursue new on-screen projects. He explains,
“I grew up in Byron, but moved to LA before I started releasing music, so I was very lucky to have some time – however short that may have been – to be a Byron musician for the first time. It’s just made me even more excited to move back to LA for the music opportunities that might arise there now, as Covid restrictions start to ease and live music becomes more prevalent. Just because I’m a musician now doesn’t mean I’m not still an actor, either! I’ve got a few projects either filming or coming out by the end of the year that I’m hoping can work in tandem with my music. The aim is to be both a musician and an actor, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Pretty Young is out on August 13 and is available for pre-order now.
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