This next video in the mini-gig series recorded exclusively for AUK comes from Nikki O’Neill, a singer/songwriter and guitarist based in Chicago, the city she has called home since 2020. Born in Los Angeles, she grew up mostly in Sweden with a Polish mother and Polish/Russian grandmother.
O’Neill has been a professional musician since 2017 and has come into her own with her classic blend of R&B and Americana. She has a voice that is powerful and captivating. She can shout like a 60s soul diva and purr a slow bluesy tune with spine-tingling subtlety.
“The first time I played in public was way earlier,” she recalled. “It was at a youth centre in Stockholm, Sweden way out in the suburbs, but amazingly enough they had a big stage, fancy lights and a smoke machine. I was probably 17 or 18, and had met two brothers from Brazil who played drums and guitar. All three of us were the same age and totally obsessed with Prince, so we formed a band and played that show“.
You may hear more Lucinda Williams in her delivery than Prince, but the choice of material fits her perfectly. O’Neill sings like she’s lived every joy and ache in those lyrics. The song ‘Newcomer Blues’ from her latest album (“Stories I Only Tell My Friends,” Blackbird Records, 2025) tells her story of migration from Sweden. “I’m a traveller with the newcomer blues / cold war shops, people standing in queues / Mama’s got no answers at hand / my fate is in my hands.”
Her band features a stellar group of musicians, including Chris Corsale on lead guitar, harmony vocals; Andy Mirsberger on bass; Teddy Myers on keyboards and Rich Lackowski on drums, harmony vocals. Lackowski, who is also her husband, co-produced the album.
Then there is O’Neill, who has all the chops and a heavy dose of well-envisioned music that leaves you hungry for more. Those earlier albums can be found on the store page of her website or on Bandcamp.
The guitar she is playing is a Fender Telecaster, and there is quite a story behind the instrument, which O’Neill eagerly relates. “I got it in New York City, where I was scrambling to make my living as a freelance music journalist interviewing artists for Swedish newspapers and magazines. One afternoon, a paper sent me out to a theatre to interview Bad Religion. Afterwards, their drummer Bobby Schayer asked me what my favourite music was. I got terrified, because I knew very little about punk, but I was honest and mentioned some soul artists and he really lit up. The next day, he called me and asked if I wanted to look at guitars at Matt Umanov’s shop on Bleecker Street, and so we met up there. He had learned that I’d sold and pawned both of my electric guitars in Sweden before moving to New York, and asked what I’d get if I bought a new one. I looked up at a black Tele on the wall, and he said that he likes friends to be stewards for his guitars in different parts of the world, so that he always has a guitar to jam on wherever he is on tour, and would I like to be the custodian of that Tele. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but agreed and over the next few years I took that responsibility extremely seriously. I’d call him to nervously ask for his permission to change the pick guard, and then to replace various pickups. Finally, he said “duh, the guitar is yours.” I’ve really played it in over the years, and as a result I rarely enjoy playing new guitars.”
On this mini-gig, O’Neill wrote the music and lyrics for the first two songs, which are on her current album. The third song is the title track from her 2017 EP (“Love Will Lead You Home”). Below, she has a little to say about each song you will hear in the 13-minute video, recorded live in her band’s rehearsal space.
- Live Like You’ve Just Begun -” This is a happy breakup song with well-wishing lyrics, but the wah-wah guitar hooks and organ solo will pull at your heart strings.”
- A Space to Dream – “It’s about the fear of what crammed schedules, devices and constant access to information is doing to our imagination and quiet sense of wonder.”
- Love Will Lead You Home – “I co-wrote the song with lyricist Paul Menser shortly after the 2016 presidential election in the U.S.“
