Meet Nikki Buatti

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nikki Buatti. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nikki below.

Nikki , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I’m a singer. I perform live. Been singing since i was 3 years old. One thing that i never did was ever compare myself to any other singer. Because you can’t! This is the advice i give anyone that has felt discouraged as even i do! You can’t compare yourself (even with the way you look) but as for singing, no one has the same tone as you, or vocal timing, or style, nor the same character, or color. Each voice is special and individually different down to the slightest details. I once had a young man come up to me after i was getting off the stage and he said “wow you’re so good! You make me not want to try this business anymore”. So i told him that same advice and i told him please never compare yourself to anyone! Him and I didn’t even sing the same genre of music. Totally different styles and uniqueness.. One thing that i do know is if you compare yourself to anyone else it’s only going to hold you back and hinder you because you can’t compare a rose to a sunflower both are beautiful in their own way. If you compare yourself to anyone else you aren’t going to grow as an artist! The only person i ever compare myself to is my best self and i keep growing and getting better because of that!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My artist name is Nikki Buatti (only one in the world so it’s easy to find my art that is already out there!!) I’ve been drumming since i was 2 years old! Singing since i was 3 years old and acting since i was 4 years old! Painting and other artistic avenues since a very young age as well! But my main focus is music with a side of acting! I have a 10 piece band that i perform with in nyc specifically at legendary venue “The Bitter End” in the West Village of NYC. I’m a songwriter and recording artist! I write all my originals alone with a taste of oldschool soul and Motown kind of flavors as that’ is what most inspires me. Im a soul singer! I currently record/work closely and perform live with some of the biggest most legendary musicians in the world! We record my music at the legendary “Cove City Sound Studios” in Glenn Cove Long Island New York. The legendary Richie Cannata is the owner and founder of “Cove City Sound Studios”. I work closely with Richie and with Brendan Keenan who produces all of my music and with John Arbuckle who does all of my mixing and mastering! I finally just started releasing my music this year March 7th 2025 which also happens to be my mom’s birthday (rest her soul) dedicated to her! It’s a full album of 14 songs! I’ll be releasing a new song every few weeks then putting the entire rest of the album out this summer 2025!! I’m very proud of the hard work that was put into this from everyone! Most of the songs have a music video which i work very closely and alone with William Macaulay owner of Modern Day Auteur LLC! We collab our ideas together and our love of old Hollywood especially Hitchcock vibes! So it’s not just a music video it’s a mini film where i get to use my acting skills and play characters not of myself! My most recent release’s the first is “Retreat” where i play a scorned women out for vengeance! And the second an original written by me is “Not Know You” which is a song everyone can relate to if you have ever lost love. And you can find both music videos on YouTube under Nikki Buatti “Retreat” and or “Not Know You” as well as both songs on Spotify and Apple Music. But keep your eyes peeled for more songs and music videos as my album “Miss LonelyHeart” will be fully out over this summer 2025.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Always be true to yourself! I’ve been told I’m a breath of fresh air because I’m different in my art and as a person! Put you first! Don’t let anyone bully you about your ideas or the way you look or dress or your art! Only you know what works best for you. Never follow anyone. Be a leader. Fake it till you make it!! I’ve had many days since I’m a little girl where I’ve lost all confidence and wanted to quit because of the things people have put me through. I’ve had days where i was crying my eyes out before having to go to a performance. But you put a smile on and you show up and sometimes that horrible day turns into a night of the best performance of your life! Learn to say no and don’t feel bad for it. One of the most important things I’ve had to learn is saying no. And most importantly if you feel uncomfortable or not at ease with anyone around you or who you work with or even who works for you. That is not your person. Your people are out there! Your dream team of pure love and support! Took me a very long time to find mine and it made all the difference

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

Wow I’ve faced obstacles and challenges my entire life even as a little girl having a learning disability. Bullying in school. But the bully happened to be your “best friend”. Bullying as an adult but the bully’s happened to be people you called your “friends”. I learned to cut them out and heal and not look back. And as more time went by the more i healed and the less i cared. I’ve been taken advantage of my kindness and left with nothing because i gave so much. So i learned to say no and have boundaries. I learned to only surround myself with like minded people who are driven and focused and only have my best interests at heart and vice versa. I’ve worked with some really evil people in the music industry. In 2018 i had to cut those people out and at the time i had thought that was as bad as it gets. But then starting in 2022 up until 2024 i was working closely with a few industry behind the scenes people that were illegally withholding my music. Were bullying me about my looks and every aspect of my life. “Their way or the highway” and if i didn’t listen or agree there were repercussions. I stayed in that situation for so long because i thought if i do it their way then ill get my music to release but it never changed. And what they were doing was against the law as i always fully owned my music alone. Drained my money left me with nothing. But worst of all i was so severely stressed out i started having seizures from it all i had to pause my music and pause my performance’s starting summer of 2023. The worst time was early 2024 my last seizure i fractured my back in a few spots during that seizure. Couldn’t walk till summer of 2024 on my own. Had a walker for a while. Started anti seizure medicine to prevent more seizures. And that was a struggle in itself! That medicine made it hard for me to sing as i was getting used to it all of 2024 (I’m a naturalist so that medicine took a toll on my mind and my body). I was having panic attacks and nervous break downs if not weekly then every few days all of 2024 because of the mental abuse i was under. Then early fall time of 2024 i sat down and i decided to stick up for myself and speak out to loved ones. I got rid of the people making me sick physically and mentally. I said i come first and so does my health and happiness from here on out! Starting 2025 i started to slowly feel like me again! I started to sing normally again! It took a lot of rest and me time and healing but i got there! I’m still getting there! Im still struggling. But this summer I’ll be ready to perform live again with my music family! And I’m just so happy i legally got most of my music out so far! I’ll be getting the rest soon as i hired a team to handle that for me. Most of all I’m so happy i finally started releasing my music in March 2025! I’ve been struggling to do that since March 2022. And no one knows about this unless you’re in my very close circle. I’m a very private person! So this is the first time I’m speaking of this out in the public eye. Most people don’t know about the seizures or the back fractures. When i couldn’t walk for a few months when people were asking me to hang out or when id be performing i lied and said i was on vacation not in New York. I even had people asking “why aren’t you releasing your music??” I’d reply with “when the time is right i will!” I teased a release 5 times since 2022 but then i couldn’t go through with it cuz i had someone telling me “no i won’t let you” when it wasn’t their property to say no. On the bright side. I was able to find the silver lining in every bad situation all my life! There is a silver lining in every negative if you only look and are open to it! It’s there! I found all of mine and that’s what keeps me going. Focusing on the positive that came out of it over the negative that i went through and for that i am grateful.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Modern Day Auteur
Bolex studios

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