Dreams and Defiance: NikoCorlin on Chasing Ambition and Challenging the Status Quo

The latest offering from rising singer/songwriter and musician NikoCorlin, ‘If You Can Dream It,’ is a testament to her creative curiosity, resilience and artistic growth while presenting a deeply personal insight into her world.

Stream: ‘If You Can Dream It’ – NikoCorlin

Danish singer/songwriter and musician NikoCorlin has a remarkable ability to transform personal experiences into evocative, genre-bending soundscapes.

Her latest EP, If You Can Dream It, invites listeners on an intimate journey through themes of ambition, fragile relationships, and the harsh realities of sexism in the music industry. Written during a five-week period of isolation in Brooklyn, the five-track collection captures NikoCorlin’s raw emotions and determination to challenge the status quo.

If You Can Dream It - NikoCorlin — If You Can Dream It – NikoCorlin

Blending experimental synth-pop with brazen confessionals, If You Can Dream It dissects the ups and downs of chasing success, navigating toxic bonds, and confronting systemic obstacles. Reflecting on the title, NikoCorlin shares, “It’s about the power of dreams. They can drive us forward but also hurt us when they don’t come true. Yet, they’re the one thing no one can take away.”

In this exclusive interview with Atwood Magazine, NikoCorlin opens up about the making of If You Can Dream It, her creative process, and the personal journey that shaped her unique sound.

Dive in to learn more about this rising talent and her bold vision for the future.

— —

:: stream/purchase If You Can Dream It here ::

:: connect with NikoCorlin here ::

A CONVERSATION WITH NIKOCORLIN

Atwood Magazine: If You Can Dream It is such a powerful title. Could you tell us more about what the phrase means to you and how it encapsulates the spirit of the EP?

NikoCorlin: The title has been a kind of framework for me in the songwriting process. The songs are about dreams, big ambitions, and the fragility of believing in something that means so much to you. The EP explores different facets of my relationship with music, and that’s why I think the title fits well with the EP’s theme of dreams. Because as long as we just have our dreams, we can do anything – or can we? I challenge the classic saying – ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ One quickly realizes that when faced with the realities and structures of the music industry, there are entirely different forces at play. Forces that don’t necessarily have anything to do with art or dreams but capitalism and money.

You spent five weeks in isolation in New York to write this EP. How did that experience shape the music, and what challenges did you face creatively during that time?

NikoCorlin: The isolation in Brooklyn provided me, first and foremost, with peace and time to write the songs all by myself in a small room I had turned into a little studio. I wanted to explore what would happen in the songwriting process when I physically moved away from what I knew in Denmark. I believe that the isolation and the loneliness of making music alone for such a long time allowed me to really get to the core of what I wanted to express. Simple synth layers, lots of harmonies, a focus on the lyrics, and room for pauses and silence in the music. Normally, I love collaborating with others, so it was definitely a huge challenge for me, especially regarding production and composition, not having my close partners and their opinions. It was all about trusting myself, my songwriting, my producer skills – and learning, that I am enough.

You mention that some tracks on the EP are introspective while others invite listeners to dance through their insecurities. How did you balance these different emotional tones across the collection?

NikoCorlin: For me, the songs represent different emotional spectra of being both introverted and extroverted, feeling insecure yet strong at the same time. Some of the songs stay true to how they were written in isolation while others were created with my good friends, who contributed their input, and we had lots of fun in the studio. Loneliness on one side and wildness and rebellion on the other.

You’ve collaborated with Julius Amdisen, Milo Duckert Aurvig, and Emil Emborg on this project. How did their involvement help bring your vision to life?

NikoCorlin: I created my first album in close collaboration with Emil and Milo, and I love working with them. They manage to highlight some exciting and very poignant elements in the songs that I wouldn’t be able to bring out myself. Julius is my good old friend and a really talented pop craftsman, so he naturally had to be involved in the more pop-oriented and extroverted songs.

The music on If You Can Dream It, features simple compositions but carries deep emotional weight. What drew you to this minimalist approach, and how do you feel it enhances the themes of the EP?

NikoCorlin: I have always loved pauses and space in music, and I always try to preserve the natural pauses that arise when I write. In three of the tracks on the EP, especially “On My Own,” pauses and minimalism became the entire premise of the song, and it has been maintained just as it was written and produced in New York. The pauses are a reflection of waves, our emotions, rising and subsiding. Everything is always changing, for better or worse, and I tried to captivate that in the natural pauses, and silence. The more introverted songs on the EP are for me similar to one long sigh.

Your music explores the struggles faced by women in the music industry. How has your personal experience shaped your perspective on this, and what changes would you like to see in the industry?

NikoCorlin: I have always been surrounded by men and I work with men, and although I love them and what we have together, I think I’ve always felt a bit on the outside. Both internally with those I make music with and in the larger structural picture where most important and powerful figures are still men. Therefore, loneliness and doubt play a significant role in my songwriting.

What was the biggest lesson you learned about yourself and your artistry during the creation of If You Can Dream It?

NikoCorlin: The beauty emerges when I write and when I’m in a flow not thinking about the product. It’s when I am fully present in the music, as I was for five weeks in New York without interruption, that I am the happiest.

Brooklyn served as the backdrop for this EP. How did the energy of New York influence the music, and in what ways did it push you creatively?

NikoCorlin: New York is the city of dreams and a gathering point for many different people and artists, so the themes of the EP fit perfectly with the city’s vibe. There is a creative drive, courage, and a huge belief that dreams can come true in New York, and that really inspired me— also to believe in myself. Besides that, it was a huge experience to drink coffee on sunny streets, sit in parks listening to demos, and watch dogs running around. I really enjoyed my days there, which in many ways looked quite similar.

How would you say this record has helped you to grow as a music artist?

NikoCorlin: I have tried many different things while working on this EP, and it has definitely given me a sense of what I want to do, and how I can do it, when I’m gonna work on my next project.

With, If You Can Dream It, you’ve pushed your artistic boundaries. What’s next for NikoCorlin, and how do you see your music evolving in the future?

NikoCorlin: I want to focus on the music, the people around it, and the process of writing and producing it. I really want to honor the process and think less about the results— for me, the most important thing is to feel good about what I’m doing, and I do that when I give myself 100 per cent to the music.

— —