King’s Alumni Releases a Debut Single and a Debut EP

King’s alumni Nathan Hubble (Nice Nath) and his friend Jack Bradley (JB) released their debut single ‘Modern Day Fairy Tale’, followed by their debut EP ‘Greenhouse Romantics’ last autumn. The two artists decided to pursue development in the niche after working together on a film, the production of which was hindered by the lockdown measurements. In an interview with Roar, Nath and JB shared more about their unexpected reunion, their singles and their future plans. 

‘JB & Nice Nath’

While at KCL (2016-2019), Nath followed a BA in English Literature. His strong passion for Poetry and deep interest in the connection between Poetics and Music led him to engage in poetry writing and the creation of his own rhymes. Meanwhile, JB had dived into the music world from an early age. He used to play the guitar and drums, had experience in music production and studied Music Technology at college. However, he wanted to carve his own path into Music. 

Having an interest in the creative industry, the two artists met unexpectedly after being called by a mutual friend during the spring of 2020. They were meant to be working on the production of a film. Together with the mutual friend in question, Nath was working on the script and the production, whereas JB was meant to create the soundtrack. As the project commenced, the two artists found out they went to the same highschool. It turned out they were part of different friendship groups; thus, did not know each other. After six years of no communication, they were reunited:

“We were reconnected, however, nearly 6 years later during the lockdown by a mutual friend in order to create a soundtrack to a film that Nath and the friend were writing and making – JB planned to produce the music, with Nath providing some vocals.”

Both artists shared they felt a bit awkward and anxious at first as they did not know the other person well and which “buttons to push”. Nath shared:

“It was a bit weird. I think what was weird was that we had never seen each other within music before, so we didn’t know what each of us was going to bring to the table.”

Despite their initial anxiety, they turned out to be a great team. After the production of the film had to be postponed because of the pandemic and the restrictions in place, Nath and JB decided to proceed within the music industry. Nath took on the stage name of ‘Nice Nath’ as he “love[s] the alliteration and the word ‘nice’”, whereas JB took his initials. 

Their Projects

Nath and JB are separate musicians, collaborating on a few projects. They both create music in the alternative genre, including Alternative Hip-Hop, Alternative Rap, Chill Rap and Jazz Rap. Inspired by artists like Loyle Carner, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Everyone You Know and 2nd Exit, they believe this type of music allows them to express themselves and tell their own stories, while also experimenting and being fun and modern. JB says:

“We wanted to write about something that was authentic to us, but still down to earth and quite fun, so this rap style set the ground for us.”

Nath adds onto this by explaining they want their music to be “emotionally driven and vulnerable as opposed to the stereotypes about rap”.

“Within this genre, we can speak about things that are involved in our lives. We have tried to find a genre that matched, and we found it. 

“We were experimenting with sounds and different stuff. We are currently working on new sounds as well, as we want to find our preferences and to allow the audience to find theirs.”

The artists share typically finding various sounds online and then mixing and editing them in different ways in order to produce something that lives up to their preferences. They also write their own lyrics and work on the production of their music videos. Their debut single ‘Modern Day Fairy Tale’ was released October 17, 2020, followed by a music video the following week. The artists also released their debut EP, titled ‘Greenhouse Romantics’ on November 21, just a month later. Discussing the name of their EP, Nath says:

“It is an extended metaphor of being in lockdown during the summer. We are quite romantic in the topics, themes, ideals and are trying to make something positive out of the lockdown.”

A promotional video of the EP can be found here.

Plans for the future

With both artists being situated at Basildon, Essex, they are currently focused on expanding on a more local level. Nath says:

“One of our aims is to try to keep it as close to home as possible, simply to build following locally and collaborate with other people’s audiences locally. We will then slowly start expanding.” 

Meanwhile, they are planning to utilise TikTok, as the platform has great potential for popularisation. JB states the “exposure there is crazy”, which can be backed up by the success of their debut single which was featured in a TikTok by a popular influencer. They are planning further collaboration with her. 

In terms of the film, they have shared the script is ready and they are waiting for some of the restrictions to be lifted in order to proceed with the shooting. Both artists share their hopes for resuming with that project this spring. Working as an actor, Nath further explains that the social distancing measurements make it really hard for proper shootings. Featuring in other projects, he says:

“We cannot stay face-to-face because of social distance, so for instance, I had to perform the lines to a tennis ball on a string. It wasn’t fun, as you don’t really get the same emotional feeling.”

Despite the difficulties, Nath and JB remain optimistic, hopeful, passionate and hard-working. They are looking forward to their new projects and suggest we might expect new tracks soon. 

You can find Nath and JB on Facebook or on Instagram: @nicenath_hubble and @jackkbradleyy