No one is going to do it for you. You want it done? Do it yourself. Christian McBride introduced me at the Newport Jazz Festival saying I’m the walking definition of the James Brown song “I’ll open up the door and do it myself.”
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Zuraitis.
Nicole Zuraitis is a GRAMMY-winning and 3x GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader, and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole is a trailblazing artist who is redefining vocal jazz, earning her a place as one of the top artists and “prolific songwriters” (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
I could sing as soon as I could speak, but I didn’t really believe that I could be a professional singer for many years. I loved all types of music and I had a very big voice. This led me strangely into opera, while on the other hand, I was listening to Blood, Sweat & Tears and Ella Fitzgerald. It was incredible to take all the winding roads to find myself here as a jazz singer/songwriter. I was in every type of band you can imagine — folk, rock, pop, wedding lounge, ambient — you name it I did it. I’m proud to be a full-time artist now.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Do you have all day? [laughs] Every single day feels like a mistake! Okay, sorry… I’m a self-taught Pianist, which I think is mostly because I was diagnosed late in life with adult ADHD. When I was trying to learn piano at a young age, it was very difficult for me to focus. And I could play it by ear, so why would I stress out over the notes? This came to bite me in the rear end when I was living in New York City and I audition for a wedding agency. I wanted to be a singer, but I wore glasses and dressed very conservatively. As I was losing the audition for the wedding band as a singer, I said, “You know I also play the piano!” — but really couldn’t. Unfortunately for me, after they heard me play a few notes, they hired me as a full-time pianist. My first ever gig was at the Mandarin Oriental and I lugged my 88-key Casio Privia keyboard on the subway in a gown and through the kitchen. The entire time I was on stage I had the volume off and was fake playing, until, that is, the band leader called out my name during Listen to the Music by the Doobie Brothers and said, “Hey, Nicole! Show me some organ baby!” The drummer laid out for my big raging solo… And all I could do was a glissando, very slowly, from the top to the bottom of the keyboard after I remembered to turn the volume up in front of 500 people. I still turn red when I think about it! I learned a valuable lesson, that saying “yes” to every single opportunity that comes your way doesn’t always mean it’s a good decision. I said yes to so many things and I am grateful for all the opportunities that came my way, but saying yes to something when I definitely wasn’t ready meant that I had to prove myself to those same musicians for years rather than coming in hot and well prepared.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
Success is such a strange word when you apply it to the music business. The business itself of music has the odds stacked against you. Whether you are fighting the algorithm or fighting streaming platforms, there’s a lot that’s not in your control. The one thing that is in your control, though, is your ability to find your own unique voice, to hone your craft to the best of your ability so that you are not imitating others but instead innovating a new voice. I think setting goals for yourself based on the visual of a ladder helped me. The first goal rung was low when I moved to New York — pay my rent. Second rung was pay my rent only through music. Third rung was play at x club, etc. Each rung got more lofty but seemingly closer at the same time because I was climbing the ladder of goals that I had made for myself. When the world came screeching to a halt during Covid, I turned back to education and got an MBA. I think the main problem with struggling musicians is they forget that music is a business and not purely based in luck.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
My husband, Dan Pugach, has made a profound impact on my life. We met in 2009 through mutual musician friends, and he was the first male musician to believe in me, not only as a singer, but as a songwriter and a pianist. While it felt like everyone else in the jazz scene was judging me or not accepting me because I was not the cookie-cutter jazz singer jazz institutions were producing at the time, Dan saw me as a unique and special voice. We bonded through rescuing dogs and our love for all types of music. He’s always been my biggest cheerleader and we share three separate Grammy nominations together. I would not be the musician I am today or as successful as I am today without him being the voice in my ear for the last 15 years, picking me up off the floor saying, “Ignore them, Nicole. You’re doing the hardest thing. Let them learn the hard way that you’re making a new path, not just for yourself, but for everyone.”
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
I take a page from the Nina Simone doctrine. I believe that art is best served with a side of activism. Every album I’ve released has had a social change aspect to it whether it be mental health, environmental, or animal rescue. As a songwriter, I find that writing music based on hard things that I’ve seen helps me filter the pain through a new lens. I’ve written songs about beehives burning in India, abortions, my grandfather, who lived with paranoid schizophrenia, the Rainbow Bridge, which is the folklore of where animals go after they’ve passed, and my album, How Love Begins, was inspired by environmental photography. Right now, and for the last 15 years, we are focused on being a voice for pit bulls and bully breeds. They are inherently good.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
Our current album that’s nominated for a Grammy, Bianca Reimagined, is dedicated to the countless pit bulls that are misunderstood and euthanized every year solely because of their breed. Dan and I have been rescuing and rehabilitating pit bulls for the last 15 years. Bianca was a foster dog of ours that changed our lives for the better. Being a musician is hard enough, and every dog that we’ve brought into our home has made it feel exactly like that — a home.
Little Fears is a song that I wrote with Dan that’s dedicated to anyone or anything that’s ever been held against their will.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
Not necessarily a person, but animals. We’ve currently raised thousands of dollars for dog rescues that we work with in New York City who pull at-risk dogs from the euthanasia list, especially pit bulls. One of those rescues is Pound Hound Res-Q, who’s worked tirelessly and around the clock since 2010 pulling these animals and saving lives. Donna and her team are real heroes. I’m so inspired by anyone who does animal rescue full-time, because it is mentally heartbreaking.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
1. Fostering saves lives. Many people do not understand the importance of fostering. There’s an influx and overflow of animals in our country’s shelter systems. Most dogs are not their true selves when they are in the shelter — they are frightened and need time to decompress. Fostering frees up space and also helps animals get adopted by allowing the foster to learn about the dog and therefore give a better biography to potential adopters.
2. Volunteer at your local shelter, especially if you are in New York City. There are many ways you can help depending on the city, but the animal care and control of New York City, NYCACC, offers borough breaks, day trips, holiday weekends, foster-to-adopt opportunities, etc. so you get some snuggles in while doing a good deed.
3. Share on social media! Follow rescue groups and share the dogs to your page in your stories. You never know who can help and who will bring a pet into their home forever.
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Music to me is catharic. I think it’s a fine line between being preachy and amplifying a cause, but I definitely think that music helps make difficult situations more digestible. And when something is more easily understood, there’s a greater chance of people doing collective good.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
1. No one is going to do it for you. You want it done? Do it yourself. Christian McBride introduced me at the Newport Jazz Festival saying I’m the walking definition of the James Brown song “I’ll open up the door and do it myself.”
2. Practice your instrument every day, which includes working and doing background gigs. Every gig that I did in the back of a club was paid practice.
3. Walking to the beat of your own drum means that you’re also going to take the path less taken, but both clichés are worth it in the end.
4. If you don’t set a goal for yourself, you’re not working towards anything.
5. People you hire are not your friends. This was a hard pill to swallow, but in the long run, it’s best to keep business and friendship separate.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
This is a very tricky question and if I had the answer, I would already be pursuing it ! I think cultivating empathy and teaching how that goes hand and hand with the environment would be a teaching how that goes hand-in-hand with the environment would be a good start.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
Rather than a quote, I’m influenced by the Starfish Fable. The Starfish Fable is a short, poignant story that illustrates the impact of small acts of kindness. In the fable, a person is walking along a beach covered with starfish that have washed ashore. Seeing the vast number of starfish, the person thinks it’s impossible to make a difference by returning them to the ocean. However, as they pick up one starfish and throw it back into the water, they say, “I made a difference to that one.” The fable emphasizes that even though we may not be able to solve every problem, our individual actions can still have a meaningful and positive effect.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Carole King, Sara Bareilles, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Nicole Zuraitis walked into a bar….
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Thanks for having me!
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Nicole Zuraitis Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.