Tess Keeler's Blog - Posts Tagged "interview"
Coffee with Nixon Brooks
It was a stormy April morning in Nashville. When I arrived at the local coffee shop Nixon Brooks had suggested, I hadn’t expected him to already be there. Usually I got to sniff around a little, eat a pumpkin muffin of sorts, but not today. I appreciated his punctuality. More than that, I appreciated his generosity. A hot chai tea latte and pumpkin muffin later, he was sitting in front of me, a strong black liquid filling his cup. He slid his black ankle boots under the table, his black skinny jeans complimenting his black (almost eggplant) floral shirt well. He looked causally stylish, and I immediately envied how carefree he seemed. I couldn’t wait to dig in.
T: It’s not often I am beaten by my talent. Are you always the first one to arrive?
N: If there’s coffee involved, absolutely. *laughs* I’m perpetually early— if it’s possible.
T: There’s nothing in your coffee, is there?
N: Nope. Black coffee is all I drink. It’s healthy and does the job.
T: Speaking of healthy, you are well known for taking exceptional care of yourself. What inspires you to be active beyond your stage exercise? What motivates you to eat well? I know you have to be surrounded by so much good food from so many areas of the world.
N: Especially now that I’m married to a travel blogger! She knows all the good food places. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up with a dad bod. *laugh* Honestly, being on stage is another level of activity. I feel like you have to be in shape to give your all to the show.
T: So you do it all for the stage and the performance?
N: I like feeling good. And the exercising has tremendous mental health benefits.
T: That makes sense. I admire someone who can go after it the way you can. It’s inspirational really. There was this challenge going around for a while. Did you see it? “Can you complete Nixon Brooks’ workout?”
N: My tour manager told me about it, actually. I was impressed that I inspired others. I just hope they stretched and did proper warm ups so they didn’t hurt or injure themselves.
T: I, for one, didn’t do any warmups. So much regret. *laughs* I know you recently got married. Congratulations. How are you adjusting to married life? Was it what you expected it to be like?
N: Maybe I should have my trainer buddy put out a warm up video! *laughs* Thank you! Ya know, I’m adjusting well. I love being married. It’s really everything I thought it’d be. I hope my wife feels the same way. *laugh*
T: I did a little research on your wife as well. Do you mind if we talk about her for a moment?
N: I don’t mind. I hope she doesn’t either.
(Harper, when you hear about this or see this, I want you to know Nixon made the greatest face after saying this.)
T: *laughs* That’s sweet. I was on her blog for a while, and I noticed she had moved on from her travel blogging status and has taken on more of a lifestyle blog title. Was that always in the plans or was this something she did to adjust to your joint environment as a couple?
N: My wife has sacrificed a lot for me, even though she’ll deny that comment. *laughs* That was her strategy when we decided she would go on tour with me. She seems to enjoy it just as much as travel blogging. Or at least, that’s what she tells me.
T: I love how supportive you two are of each other. It appears very mutual. You’re just radiating now.
N: Yeah, I’m crazy for her. I know it’ll sound cliche, but it was love at first sight for me.
T: It’s definitely believable given your lack of a track record prior to her. I noticed she was posting quite a few family inspired topics. Can we see little ones in your near future?
N: We’ve been talking about starting a family even before we were married, so I would say there will definitely be little Brooks children running around my shows in the not so far off future. And that’s saying I’ll be as blessed as I am now to keep making music that people love.
T: People are ready for your next everything. Anything you’ll give them, they’ll take. You’re so giving to them, too. I noticed it really helps with the strength of trust in your army of fans. You have a new album being released in the Summer, and you’ve got your world tour starting in the Fall. What are you most excited for this year?
N: It’s definitely difficult to pick what I’m most excited for. The new album is exciting in a different way then performing. I’d say I’m equally stoked for both!
T: Are your fans going to be surprised by the new album? How is it different from the last three you have done?
N: I think they’re gonna be a little surprised. There’s a little bit of everything on there. I experimented with a little more pop this album then previously. A lot of my music before has been heavily guitar driven. And it still is, just I’ve got a couple of songs people might be inclined to dance to now.
T: Oh, I love that! Does that mean we will see you dancing on stage without your guitar?
N: I don’t know if anyone wants to see that!
T: Trust me, we do! *laughs* What else do you want your fans to know about this chapter in your life? Anything you want to share with them today?
N: Just that I love them all so, so much, and I’m so pumped to share this live experience with them! I hope they enjoy this next era.
T: How lovely. Thank you for letting me interrupt your morning. I know I speak for all of your fans when I say how excited we are to hear what you’ve created.
N: Thank you. It was great to meet with you!
T: It’s not often I am beaten by my talent. Are you always the first one to arrive?
N: If there’s coffee involved, absolutely. *laughs* I’m perpetually early— if it’s possible.
T: There’s nothing in your coffee, is there?
N: Nope. Black coffee is all I drink. It’s healthy and does the job.
T: Speaking of healthy, you are well known for taking exceptional care of yourself. What inspires you to be active beyond your stage exercise? What motivates you to eat well? I know you have to be surrounded by so much good food from so many areas of the world.
N: Especially now that I’m married to a travel blogger! She knows all the good food places. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up with a dad bod. *laugh* Honestly, being on stage is another level of activity. I feel like you have to be in shape to give your all to the show.
T: So you do it all for the stage and the performance?
N: I like feeling good. And the exercising has tremendous mental health benefits.
T: That makes sense. I admire someone who can go after it the way you can. It’s inspirational really. There was this challenge going around for a while. Did you see it? “Can you complete Nixon Brooks’ workout?”
N: My tour manager told me about it, actually. I was impressed that I inspired others. I just hope they stretched and did proper warm ups so they didn’t hurt or injure themselves.
T: I, for one, didn’t do any warmups. So much regret. *laughs* I know you recently got married. Congratulations. How are you adjusting to married life? Was it what you expected it to be like?
N: Maybe I should have my trainer buddy put out a warm up video! *laughs* Thank you! Ya know, I’m adjusting well. I love being married. It’s really everything I thought it’d be. I hope my wife feels the same way. *laugh*
T: I did a little research on your wife as well. Do you mind if we talk about her for a moment?
N: I don’t mind. I hope she doesn’t either.
(Harper, when you hear about this or see this, I want you to know Nixon made the greatest face after saying this.)
T: *laughs* That’s sweet. I was on her blog for a while, and I noticed she had moved on from her travel blogging status and has taken on more of a lifestyle blog title. Was that always in the plans or was this something she did to adjust to your joint environment as a couple?
N: My wife has sacrificed a lot for me, even though she’ll deny that comment. *laughs* That was her strategy when we decided she would go on tour with me. She seems to enjoy it just as much as travel blogging. Or at least, that’s what she tells me.
T: I love how supportive you two are of each other. It appears very mutual. You’re just radiating now.
N: Yeah, I’m crazy for her. I know it’ll sound cliche, but it was love at first sight for me.
T: It’s definitely believable given your lack of a track record prior to her. I noticed she was posting quite a few family inspired topics. Can we see little ones in your near future?
N: We’ve been talking about starting a family even before we were married, so I would say there will definitely be little Brooks children running around my shows in the not so far off future. And that’s saying I’ll be as blessed as I am now to keep making music that people love.
T: People are ready for your next everything. Anything you’ll give them, they’ll take. You’re so giving to them, too. I noticed it really helps with the strength of trust in your army of fans. You have a new album being released in the Summer, and you’ve got your world tour starting in the Fall. What are you most excited for this year?
N: It’s definitely difficult to pick what I’m most excited for. The new album is exciting in a different way then performing. I’d say I’m equally stoked for both!
T: Are your fans going to be surprised by the new album? How is it different from the last three you have done?
N: I think they’re gonna be a little surprised. There’s a little bit of everything on there. I experimented with a little more pop this album then previously. A lot of my music before has been heavily guitar driven. And it still is, just I’ve got a couple of songs people might be inclined to dance to now.
T: Oh, I love that! Does that mean we will see you dancing on stage without your guitar?
N: I don’t know if anyone wants to see that!
T: Trust me, we do! *laughs* What else do you want your fans to know about this chapter in your life? Anything you want to share with them today?
N: Just that I love them all so, so much, and I’m so pumped to share this live experience with them! I hope they enjoy this next era.
T: How lovely. Thank you for letting me interrupt your morning. I know I speak for all of your fans when I say how excited we are to hear what you’ve created.
N: Thank you. It was great to meet with you!
