Releasing her first single in five years, renowned local performer Nicki Gillis has returned with a bang as she climbs the UK music charts.
Her single, ‘In The Daylight’, has entered the Hotdisc chart in England at number 14.
Ms Gillis is proud of the achievement and thrilled that people are enjoying the new track.
“For it to go straight into the charts first week of release, especially the top 20, is amazing,” Ms Gillis gushed.
“I got welcome back messages from a lot of the DJs. I wasn’t expecting it.”
Through September, Ms Gillis is set to return to the UK for her ninth tour.
“I have some really amazing fans, incredible fans in the UK,” she said.
“There’s a lot of songs to still record, and that’s what I love doing. I love writing, I love recording and I love performing. I’ve been really lucky to be able to spend most of my life doing that.”
Her biggest joy is the “indescribable” moment when someone sings her lyrics back to her.
“The first time it happened, I was just about in tears,” Ms Gillis said.
“You write songs, you put them out there and you hope people will love them.
“Most of my songs that I have written are about my own life or my friends, so to then have that connection is incredible. It’s really surreal.”
The lyrics to her new single came almost effortlessly as Ms Gillis found inspiration when her best friend was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
“She’s the strongest person I know,” Ms Gillis said.
“The day she was diagnosed we went back to her house, had cheese, biscuits and wine and thought ‘stuff the world’ and I looked down and there was a hole in my shoe.”
That moment became the opening line to her song that embraces the idea that “life is hectic”.
“A lot of people can relate to it, it’s a very familiar story,” Ms Gillis said.
With a love of performing covers as well as her own material, Ms Gillis will bring to life Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ album at the Blacktown Workers Club on Saturday, October 28.
With many songs written over the last few years, the best is yet to come from Ms Gillis.
“For my own stuff, 2018 – watch this space,” she said.
Emily Newton
Emily Newton is the Weekender's police and political reporter. Emily is also the Weekender's Senior Journalist.