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Nick Bradley is a self-taught piano player who has written songs and jingles, scored movies, and has acted as a producer. Nick has collaborated with brands such as Burger King, Dr Pepper, Honda, and General Mills’ Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You can find Nick on TikTok and YouTube to name a few.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your background? How did you get started in music?
I’m 29 years old. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve always been in the arts just because my father, he’s an actor and he’s also chair of the fine arts department at Spelman College. So from going to different summer camp programs with tap dance and hip hop dance and African dance and then acting and learning different types of music, I’ve always been around it. So when I ended up going to school, music was already something that I was drawn towards and I really just used it as a hobby, such as get away from studying and test and all that kind of stuff. So what ended up happening was I just ended up getting really good at teaching myself how to play the piano, and essentially I would just create covers of me playing different songs that are popular. And what ended up happening was one of the videos that I posted on my Instagram, I put it on my TikTok as well, and I didn’t even know, but I checked back about a week later and it was going viral and I had about 10,000 new followers and about 50,000 views, and I was like, whoa, what’s going on?
Photo courtesy of Nick Bradley.
I think at the time I probably had maybe 50 followers on TikTok when that happened. So it was kind of like, oh, I didn’t even know what to think of it, but I was like, okay, well, something’s going on right here, so let me go ahead and strike right an iron tie and continue to build on that momentum. So that’s when I started posting consistently. And I think from 2021 to about now, I’ve accumulated about half a million followers, roughly three to 500 a day, and I’ve gotten a whole bunch of cool opportunities to work with different companies and brands and artists and labels and directors and all these different opportunities, and it’s been really cool ever since then.
I feel like the jingle is underappreciated these days. I think back to those classic commercials in the fifties, sixties, seventies and so on, and remember the jingles. Do you feel like jingles are underutilized lately?
I think that with social media, everything is kind of fast and typically with music it’s like we’re creating songs for trends and dances and once the hype kind of dies down, they’re looking for the next big thing. And I think that might have a little bit to do with why some companies aren’t really into the jingles like that unless they’ve already been established through television and cable commercials.
But I love jingles. I think that’s how we can remember what your product is. You walk in a grocery store and you see a product that you saw on tv, you might automatically think of the jingle that was coming up when you were on TikTok or watching tv. So I think they are underutilized, and I think the main thing would probably be just finding something that is not just catchy in terms of lyrics and a melody, but also just what can you do visually that will allow the viewer to look at something and say, oh wow, that’s awesome. I want that. Every time you see it, it’s stuck in your head. And I personally think anything nostalgic will be fine. We love that, and that’s like a trend going on as well.
What have been some of your favorite brand collaborations to-date?
I think [out of] my top three, number three I would have [fragrance brand]. It is a fragrance with colognes and perfumes. I’m a big Cologne person, so I was partnered with them for about two years. I have just about all of their products and just being able to have an opportunity to work with something that I personally enjoy. I could spend 45 minutes to an hour in a fragrance department just trying different scents out. So being able to work with them, it was really enjoyable and I got to even pitch ideas to them that they’re doing now. So just being able to be part of that team, it was really enjoyable. The second one I would say is with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, that one was fun because I actually got to create a jingle for them. So writing a song for them lyrics to create the music and have all the different scenes, it was really fun to make.
Photo courtesy of Nick Bradley.
And because they gave me the creative freedom to do all that kind of stuff, just felt good to have a brand of that caliber, trust me, with that kind of responsibility. So it really did a lot for my own confidence and to see it come out and all the feedback that it got. It was really, really cool to witness that, especially being a musician and a songwriter. So I really did enjoy that one. And then the last one, I would have to say it was probably with Honda. Honda was a little bit like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
The only difference was it was more of a concert, so they flew me to Miami and I got to attend a concert for a couple of music groups and whatnot and create content while I’m there. I was there for about three days. I got to meet a bunch of cool people, I got to meet the artists, and it was just a really cool experience to be in a different area, meet a company, I’m not a company, a group of talented artists, and just see what it’s like to just be in a space where there’s a whole lot of success and talent.
That was the first time I was able to do something like that. So that was really cool.
On the flip side, what has been the weirdest pitch that you’ve received from a brand?
I think when TikTok started doing the whole TikTok shop, that’s when things started getting kind of strange, specifically because I would get emails for things that had absolutely nothing to do with what I do as a musician or a songwriter and nothing that I could really, I can’t really work with it because I just can’t relate to it. And that would be things like eyelashes or a jumpsuit, not putting that on. So it was one of those things where it kind of felt like the person responsible for sending out opportunities, kind of just hit the select all icon and just send it to everybody to do their job. But yeah, they pitch ’em all the time and I get ’em, but it’s like, I can’t do anything with this. So those were probably the weirdest ones. And then I think another one was probably when I was working with a certain brand and they gave me the opportunity to create a script for them.
Photo courtesy of Nick Bradley.
And of course they had to approve it, but once they did, they kind of got away from it. So every time I would send them a video or a edit or a revision, they would be like, actually, we want this instead. And I’m like, what’s the point of me getting a script that you approve or you’re just control it? Anyway? So that one was really irritating and it took me a minute to get through it, but I’m a patient person and I just had to look at it as well, they’re the client, so lemme just do what I can to satisfy them and what they want for their product. And then just move on.
Can you tell us a little bit about what’s on tap for the rest of the year in terms of goals you have or anything else you’re releasing?
Earlier this year I worked on a project called an American Anthem. It’s a project that I did in collaboration with Spelman College, and it’s essentially just about a lot of the stuff that was going on in 2020. And the feedback that we got when we shared it in April was very, very positive. We already have one or two theater companies, I believe, that are looking into picking it up. And then this fall we’re going to do an actual production with effects and lights and a stage setting and all that kind of stuff. And we’re bringing back all the actors and actresses. So that should be coming out sometime in the fall, and I’m looking forward to seeing everybody again and fine tuning some of the things that we weren’t able to get taken care of back in April and really putting together a complete project. And I think everybody who comes out to see it is going to be in for a treat.
Note: Influencer Spotlight interviews are edited for time and clarity.
Andrew is the Head of Client Services for Intellifluence and has a background in communications. He is committed to helping brands get the most out of their campaigns and is the co-host of the Influencer Spotlight series.
