Independent Artist Darling Nikki Releases Debut EP ‘Hippie Soul,’ With Cinematic Single “Stay” Leading Listeners Into Her Artistic World
Independent artist Darling Nikki has released her debut EP, ‘Hippie Soul,’ an entirely self written, self produced introduction to an artist who has spent her career building a sound and a philosophy entirely her own. Blending soul, funk, and vintage pop into a modern retro sound rooted in analog, 70s inspired production, ‘Hippie Soul’ plays out as a full artistic statement, one that Darling Nikki describes not simply as a project title but as a reflection of who she is.
“I make Hippie Soul because I am a Hippie Soul,” she says.
That description carries real weight across the EP. A lifelong free spirit drawn to the values of the hippie movement, Düsseldorf, Germany’s Darling Nikki has built her music around freedom, creativity, and intuition, exploring themes of hope, faith, love, loss, healing, and inner freedom across each of the EP’s songs. Every track tells a personal story while reaching for something universal, an approach she credits to the complete creative control she holds over every stage of the process, from first lyric to final mix. “Music to me is far more than entertainment,” she explains. “It’s freedom, vibration, frequency and raw emotion, allowing something greater to move through me. It reconnects me with my soul.”
‘Hippie Soul’ is also a genuinely international project, bringing together musicians and engineers from Brazil, Turkey, Germany, and the United Kingdom to shape its genre blending journey through groove, grit, and soul. That global collaboration reflects the same reach that has defined Darling Nikki’s career, which began young in a musical family and has since carried her onto stages alongside Dionne Warwick and Larry Graham of Sly Stone and Prince fame, along with television appearances and international features that extended her music well beyond Germany’s borders.
Leading listeners into the EP is “Stay,” a cinematic single that pairs the warmth of Motown with the sweeping grandeur of classic 1960s film scoring. Recorded entirely live and analog, the track sets sweeping strings and powerful horns against a plainly personal story of love and longing, with Darling Nikki singing, “For all I ever wanted is to be with you, this truth I can’t deny, it’s written in the books, I’m yours, you’re mine, stay.” It is a lyric that distills the emotional heart of the EP into a single, direct plea, and a fitting entry point into the larger world Darling Nikki has built with ‘Hippie Soul.’
The accompanying music video for “Stay,” filmed among the striking Capo Testa rock formations in Sardinia, extends that vintage sensibility into a visual world of its own, with Darling Nikki portraying herself as the heroine of a retro, space age comic inspired by 1960s science fiction.
“To me, music is emotion first,” she says. “If a song doesn’t make you feel something, nothing else matters. Stay is about allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to say the words we sometimes wish we had said.”
That willingness to be vulnerable defines ‘Hippie Soul’ from beginning to end. Alongside “Stay,” the EP includes “Elvis,” Darling Nikki’s debut single, which made waves on national radio in Germany and drew attention from international music blogs and media, as well as “Time 2 Let Go” and “On The Other Side,” rounding out a collection built entirely on Darling Nikki’s own vision. With ‘Hippie Soul’ now available, Darling Nikki invites listeners fully into her world, one shaped by freedom, soul, and timeless music.
Hi, NIkki! Good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hi! I’m Darling Nikki, an independent singer-songwriter, producer and the creator of what I call Hippie Soul.
I’m based in Germany, but music has taken me all over the world. I’ve been fortunate to share the stage with legendary artists like Dionne Warwick and Larry Graham ( Sly Stone) , and every experience along the way has helped shape the artist I am today.
My debut EP Hippie Soul is a blend of soul, funk and vintage pop inspired by the sound and spirit of the ’60s and 70s. I love everything about the era—the music, the fashion, the attitude. But I don’t want to be a copycat- I want to keep that spirit alive and add my own twist to it.
I write and produce everything myself – creating music is how I make sense of life, connect with my soul, and hopefully help others connect with theirs.
You don’t just call your music “Hippie Soul”—you say, “I make Hippie Soul because I am a Hippie Soul.” What does that phrase mean to you beyond the music?
It doesn’t necessarily mean long hair, flowers and Woodstock to me, but rather inner freedom.
I’ve always found it difficult to relate to a very conventional idea of life. I questioned rules that didn’t make sense to me. I was a rebellious girl—not because I wanted to rebel for the sake of it, but I wanted to fight for my freedom and for a life that felt true to who I am.
I can relate to the Hippie Movement .. I’ve never been drawn to the idea that success should be measured by status, possessions, or constantly having to achieve more. Doesn’t mean I’m „lazy“ but I struggle with the expectation that we’re here simply to function, to fit in, or to become what society expects us to be. For me, life is about something much deeper than that. It’s about staying connected to your soul.
Sometimes I wonder what the world might look like if more of the Hippie’s peace , love and freedom values had found their way into society. I think we’d live more naturally, with less fear, less comparison, and more compassion.
You wrote, produced, and shaped every aspect of this EP yourself. Was complete creative control always the goal, or was it something you arrived at after learning to trust your own instincts?
It wasn’t planned at all—it happened naturally.
I started out as a studio singer, doing a lot of recording sessions, and I was always fascinated by the production process. When I began writing my own songs and working with different producers, I often found it frustrating because the final result never quite sounded the way I heard it in my head. There were plenty of passionate discussions in the studio.
Then one of my best friends said something that completely changed my perspective: “You are a producer. You need your own equipment.”
She was absolutely right. Until that moment, I had never thought of myself that way. But looking back, I think that the producer’s mindset was already there long before I recognised it. I was always thinking about what the song needed, how it should feel, and what would serve the music best.
So producing my own songs turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I honestly don’t know where the confidence came from. Something changed inside me. Not that long ago, I would have been far too shy or insecure to call some of my favourite musicians and ask them to play on my songs—let alone tell them how I imagined the parts. The same was true for mixing and mastering engineers.
When I finally started producing my own music, everything clicked. I realised that when a sound already exists inside you, you are the source of that vision. My role is to listen to it, trust it, and bring it into the world as truthfully as possible.
Your music feels rooted in another era, yet it never sounds like nostalgia. What is it about the soul, funk, and pop music of the ’60s and ’70s that still speaks to you today?
What speaks to me most is the raw emotion. The groove. The human element. I don’t connect with music that feels too polished or perfect. I need a little dirt, a little imperfection.
I love the sound of real instruments, great musicians playing together, and the feeling that comes from human interaction. For me, the music of the ’60s and ’70s had a certain depth because musicians had to develop their craft, their feel, and their own voice. Their performances carried personality and soul.
Also I’m just a fan analog sound. The equipment itself adds warmth and character—it shapes the music in a way that feels alive to me.
I think the ’70s especially produced some of the most inspiring music across so many genres—soul, funk, rock, and even disco. It was a time full of creativity, individuality, and freedom.
In a world where artists are often encouraged to chase trends, you’ve built something that feels unapologetically your own. Was there ever pressure to be more commercial, and what gave you the confidence to keep following your own path?
It’s not that I never tried … haha. But it never really worked for me.
At one point, I even had offers from major labels to sign as an artist and record songs that were created for me. But something inside me said no. I felt like I would be betraying something essential in myself. The music simply wasn’t connected to who I was or what my soul wanted to express.
So I listened deeply to myself and asked one simple question: “What would actually make you happy?” And my honest answer was: “I think I would be very unhappy if I signed.”
They probably thought I was nuts. And sometimes, when doubts come in, I still wonder if it was the right decision. But I have no regrets.
Authenticity has become one of the most important values in my life…not only as an artist, but as a person. I believe the moment you start creating from a place that isn’t true to yourself, something gets lost. And if you ignore that for too long, I even think it can make you ill.
I believe that when artists chase trends too much, they risk losing the very thing that makes them special. And in a world where technology can create something that sounds trendy within minutes, a true personal voice becomes even more important.
So it might be better to go against the current and create something that stands out. When I look at artists like RAYE , I admire that they stayed true to themselves. They didn’t compromise their artistic identity—and I think that’s a big part of why people connect with them.