Although many musicians hope to find fame and fortune through their art, there is also a number of people who simply use their love and passion for music to help them navigate their way through life. Falling in this category is Nic Torres, an 18-year-old musician from New Jersey.
Born in the City that Never Sleeps–Manhattan, New York–Nic entered the world and almost immediately delved into her passion for music.
“I started singing since around the age of four,” explained Nic. “I started learning how to play the violin when I was seven or eight.”
Although an interest in singing and playing the violin might seem like regular hobbies for a child to pick up on, for Nic, it was almost as though it were a predestined love laid out before her by her father.
“My dad taught me guitar and I learned piano because my dad bought me one, so I taught myself,” Nic elaborated.
Her father enjoyed music, as well, playing both the guitar and bass. His interest was passed along to his daughter.
Since her toddler years, Nic has loved to sing and even performed in front of an audience at an early age. One of her earliest memories of her singing is of her at five years old.
“[I was] five years old in church, singing Jesus Loves Me for a talent show and then after I was done singing, I said–in an Elvis voice–‘thank you, thank you, thank you very much.'”
Her spunky personality as a child was influenced by her love of Elvis Presley and “oldies songs,” as she describes it. Along with Elvis, Nic also enjoys listening to The Archie’s, The Temptations, Johnny Cash, Frank Valentine, The Four Seasons, and Michael Jackson.
Nic’s musical performances in church didn’t stop after that talent show ended. In fact, music was what drew her to develop a deeper relationship with God and strengthen her faith.
Growing up in a pentecostal Assemblies of God church, Nic was surrounded by music being an important part of how one serves the Lord. The worship portion of Sunday services stood out to Nic.
“I felt a calling to lead worship,” she said. Nic soon answered the call and became a youth worship leader at 14 years old. Her voice–being able to sing as both a soprano and alto–allowed the church congregation to ease into a holy worship. Many who were in the worship services that Nic led often felt as though her voice was able to usher in the Holy Spirit and claimed it was a gift.
Along with leading worship, Nic also likes to write her own music. In her early teen years, she often wrote her own song lyrics and coupled it with music she created on the piano. Lately, however, she has been faced with an unwelcome obstacle.
“Writers block. When I get it, I stop doing a lot of artist things,” she explained, referring to her other artistic endeavors, such as drawing in addition to playing music. However, she hopes that when inspiration strikes she will be able to start up again.
Although her love of music was very strong in her younger years, as Nic got older, she did not feel compelled to pursue it professionally.
“I didn’t wanna be broke,” Nic claimed. “I’m just kidding! I found a greater passion: helping people and science and a fascination of the brain.”
Currently, Nic is in her first year of college, studying biology and psychology, hoping to one day become a neurosurgeon. However, her love for music will always remain a constant in her life, being one of the main things that makes her genuinely happy.
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