DIGITAL COVER: ARGENTINE RAPPER/SINGER NICKI NICOLE

Photographer: Brendan Wixted
Styling: Jacquie Trevizo
Creative Direction: Jacquie Trevizo x Marc Sifuentes
Styling Assistant: Tatiana Isshac
Hair and Makeup: Pablo Rivera
Production: Jacquie Trevizo x Jordan Frazes / Location: Vault Place Miami

Nicki Nicole is set to claim her spot as a wunderkind of the latin music scene. The Argentine rapper/singer’s career is a modern example of how social media has changed the music industry, with over 10 million followers on Instagram and a devoted fan base who in many cases push her Youtube video stream views over 30 million. In the span of two short years, the 21 year old Argentine artist has fine-tuned her musical aesthetic, blending traditional R&B with her trap music roots to create a trademark sound that is all her own. Nicole has already garnered the respect of veteran recording artists jockeying for their place to be a part of her next chart topping musical collaboration. Record industry establishments such as the Latin Grammy’s have honored Nicole with a nomination for Best New Artist and Billboard Magazine charted five of Nicole’s hits in their Hot 100 Chart. All this, in addition to her live performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and her profile piece in American Vogue, help solidify Nicole’s path to her dream of making music from the heart.

For her exclusive Iris Covet Book Digital cover, Nicki chatted with singer-songwriter Tkay Maidza about the women that inspire her, why she took her time producing her upcoming sophomore album, “Parte De Mi” and her post lockdown tour plans.

Listen to the new album “Parte De Mí” from the Latin Grammy nominated artist when it goes live October 28th at 6pm ET on all music streaming platforms! Listen to the title-track and watch the video here.

Corset: Serpenti , Head Scarf: via The Confessional Showroom Miami, Necklace: Betsey Johnson , Earrings: via TATA PR , Jeans: MTSZ via PR Solo

Tkay Maidza: How did you first fall in love with American hip hop music?

Nicki Nicole: I have always listened to American Hip Hop, but I think that I fell in love with it when I was about 15, 16 years old. I saw it for the first time on MTV when I was super young, and since then I’ve always been very attracted to it. But yes, I think I fully became infatuated with it when I was a teenager.

TM: I read that you started rapping around age 15 or 16. Did you ever write or experiment with other types of music before you started rapping?

NN: When I started making music I tried out all types of different styles. But I think I realized that the one that best suited me to evolve in my music was hip hop and freestyle. I started at 15, 16, and I think that was the time where I evolved my style the most as an artist.

Top: Zadig & Voltaire , Pants: Louis Vuitton , Earrings: Tiffany & Co

TM: Do you remember any of your first bars from that age?

NN: It’s difficult to remember specific bars now, but my first song “Wapo Traketero” is part of that first phase in my career where I fell in love with hip hop. I think that song describes perfectly what that moment was.

TM: What made you pick up the pen and actually write your own lyrics for the first time?

NN: I think mainly it was the desire to say things in a different way. It happened to me often that I was very reserved with my inner circle, and when I started writing I became quite open. So I prefered to say things that way, and that eventually led me to make music and made me who I am today.

Pant Suit: ABODE via Brooklyn PR, Bra: Honey Birdette via BLK PR, Earrings: Alexis Bittar

TM: Was there a big life event that happened, which caused you to feel the need to express yourself in a new way or were you just inspired by all the music you were hearing at the time?

NN: At the beginning everything that came out was from different inspirations, because I was very young and had little life experience to talk about. But as I grew older and lived through many different things, I started to write more about my own life.

Bustier: Angelika Jozefczyk via PR Solo, Shorts: Louis Vuitton , Earrings: LILOU PARIS @bemylilou via Brooklyn PR

TM: Who are some of your favorite American acts that influenced you early on in your career? What drew you to their music, persona or both?

NN: The ones I always listen to and that are a constant inspiration to me are Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, and Lil Kim. Beyond their music, I admire how they are as people, how they carry themselves as women, the life they each led and lead currently, they each truly are an inspiration to me in their own way. As for male artists, I really like Drake, Giveon… but out of everyone my favorite is Amy.

TM: How would you compare Argentinian hip hop to American hip hop?

NN: I think it’s impossible to compare the two. They have separate styles, processes, and evolutions that are completely different. They each have their own style and flow. I wouldn’t compare them in any way. They each stand out in their own way.

Corset: Serpenti , Head Scarf: via The Confessional Showroom Miami , Sunglasses: Futuremood , Earrings: via TATA PR

TM: Are there certain styles or techniques that you pick up (or enjoy) more from one or the other?

NN: As for genres of music, I have to say I love R&B, Funk and Jazz. I really love listening and creating those styles of music as well.

TM: In one of your past interviews, you said something really interesting about how you’re “never 100% sure of the music [you] release”, and how you feel like you could keep perfecting as a songwriter, that’s something I really relate to. I also have people around me that I trust to tell me when a song is done. Do you have specific people that you trust to help make the decision to call a song “finished”? Or is it more, “the deadline is coming up, now it’s time to wrap this up.”

NN: Yes. I have many people beyond my work who know me very well and whom I trust deeply. I usually show them my songs because they can give me their honest opinion, and it always helps me move forward in the process. Because of how I am, I feel that I could spend my whole life working on the same song because I get too into the details, and I feel that it is never enough. Therefore, having people I truly trust tell me when to stop, is always very important and helpful to me.

Pant Suit: Jovana Louis via PR Solo, Bra: Honey Birdette via BLK PR, Earrings: via TATA PR

TM: I heard that you’re currently working on your second album. Can you tell us anything about that yet?

NN: The album is coming out this year. It’s quite personal. It’s an album that has many rhythms, and also many different collaborations and special guests. I can’t wait for it to come out, to be able to show all these different sides of me and my music, and how it’s evolved.

Blouse: Simonett Shorts: MTSZ via PR Solo, Shoes: Freelance Paris via Maison Privee PR, Earrings: Lara Heems via @yayapublicity, Socks: Wolford

TM: How are you treating this project differently than your last body of work? It’s been 2 years since your last album, I imagine a lot has changed in your life since then.

NN: The first and second albums are quite different. “Recuerdos” was when I was just starting out, and all I wanted to do was release all the music I was making, without really worrying about having a definite concept or thinking about what could happen next. I just wanted to get my music out so that I could continue making more. With this album that’s coming out now, I was able to work on it with a lot more time. I let each song breath, not listening to them nonstop and obsessing over the details like I usually do. I worked on it and took my time and it allowed me to truly polish it and make it perfect in its own way. I think that’s the biggest difference, and I honestly cannot wait for it to come out.

Bra Top: Anouki via TATA PR, Skirt: Annakiki, Jacket: Louis Vuitton, Socks: Wolford, Shoes: Nike

TM: Now that touring is back (finally!), what are your dream venues and cities that you want to perform in?

NN: Mainly I am super excited to perform in Argentina. It is something that we had to hold off on due to the pandemic, so now that touring is back on I really can’t wait to perform in many cities in my own country. After that I would love to play in Spain, Mexico, and hopefully the US soon as well. I really can’t wait to get back on that stage.

LORENZO “TOTO” FERRO – THE STAR OF LUIS ORTEGA’S “EL ANGEL”

Buenos Aires, 1971. Carlitos was a seventeen-year-old with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face. Together with his friend Ramon, the two embark on a journey of discovery, love and crime in Director Luis Ortega’s breathtaking film “El Angel,” produced by the legendary Pedro Almodovar, a twisted “coming of age” tale based on the true crimes of the “Baby Faced Monster” Carlos Robledo Puch.

Lorenzo “Toto” Ferro plays the titular character of Carlitos in a very memorable and haunting acting debut. Luis Ortega, Lorenzo Ferro, and the talented cast behind the film take us on a beautiful journey into the half-real half-imagined life of one of Argentina’s most famous killers. We had the chance to speak with the young actor about his newfound fame, growing up around the movie-making business, and his future as an actor/rapper.

Interview by Rene Garza
Transcribed by Daniel Gomez

“El Angel” is your first leading role as an actor, as well as your first feature film, how did you find yourself in an audition for this role and were you surprised when you got it?

My father actually told me about the film. He said they were looking for someone to portray “The Angel,” but I really didn’t know his story or who he was. But I did a lot of research and went to a casting the following week. The week after, I got a call that the director wanted to meet with me. I ended up doing seven call-backs until they said “you’ve got the movie,” and that all took about six months.

Were you surprised when you landed the role? Or having gone through seven castings, did you feel that you were going to get it?

Well, I was going to be very sad if they said no. (laughs) Obviously I was surprised, I had dropped everything to be in the movie, without knowing if it would ever happen. It was blind faith.

Good, you have to give it your all.

Yes, you always have to give it your all.

Did you always want to be an actor? Did you have interest in movies or theater growing up?

Acting interested me because my father is an actor. I remember as a kid I went on to movie sets where he was filming. He always showed me movies or took me to the movies. So unconsciously I started to be interested in that world…and obviously the theater too, but more movies. As a kid I would ask my dad to watch three movies a day. I remember that when I was 6 years old I got to see “Kill Bill”, and we went to the cinema to see it. Later, when all this (El Angel) happened, I thought maybe it’s in my blood or something… or, let’s say, it was ingrained in me.

How did you get into the character of Carlitos? Even though in real life he was a notorious criminal, did you relate with Carlitos on some level?

Well…after the initial six months of casting, I worked for another seven months with the director Luis and an acting coach. The three of us met almost every day to read the script, to dance, to shout, to do everything. Luis would put a camera in front of me and say “go and try to break into this house” and we filmed it, we documented it. Then, little by little, the three of us got into the skin of the characters… He is so simple yet so complex, at least that’s how I see him… And it helped listening to Luis talk all the time, all the information he threw at me, and his thoughts on how he saw the character. What I really had to do to get into the character was to get rid of the pressures I put on myself and laugh my ass off, as if there were no problems in life. I was looking at life through rose-colored glasses, more or less how I think Carlitos is.

Are you personally interested in crime? Did you find the material fascinating?

Yes. I mean, I’m interested, but not so much that I’d be a criminologist. Those stories attract because they happened in real life and could have happened to you. And that really draws you in and gives you goosebumps, and it’s very rich material to make movies with. Crime is much better to do on film; unless you want to go to prison. (laughing)

How was your experience working with director Luis Ortega?

The truth is that it was great because of his process. We became friends, we became like brothers, and when we started shooting the film we were like siamese twins. If he was scratching, I was scratching. (laughs) With just a look we already understood what one or the other wanted. Then a bond of friendship formed through the work, it was like getting on a boat in which we only reached land when we wrapped filming, receiving the love from all the people. But the experience was the best, and I think that that is what I take away most of all. Maybe it will never happen again, but for now it’s the only movie I have done, so that’s my idea of what it’s like to make movies.

The main character is a beautiful and famous killer/thief, did the material intimidate you?

Ah no! To tell you the truth, you have to open your wings and let yourself fly like…a proper angel… It did not scare me; it intrigued me more than anything because one tries to understand these kind of people, but one only has assumptions. We will never know how it is, and the good thing is our movie is pure assumption. We did not want to get to the real case; Luis based the story on that picture of Carlitos coming out of the patrol car, the one that looks like a criminal shampoo ad. (laughs) The truth is that it did intrigue, it did not scare me, it made me curious.

Carlitos sees himself as a spy for God, how did you feel about his views of human nature vs Christianity? Did you find it difficult to separate the two?

Yes and no. You see, if you judge the character then things will go wrong. It is better to put on their skin and their shoes, because if there is distance between you and the character then that will be seen in the film. You have to stop judging because otherwise it will be seen in the camera, regardless of whether it is moral or not, you need to understand it. Even though acting is a job, it’s also a game, and if you do not let yourself play…then you have to rethink why you are doing it.

Do you have a role of your dreams?

I’m not sure “of my dreams,” but I would like to do Joker’s childhood for example, eh…and also maybe a gymnastics teacher addicted to heroin.

Do you have a director that you would like to work with?

Here in Argentina, I would like to work with Luis again, maybe with Lucrecia Martel, I’m interested in her films, she has a lot of personality. If we’re speaking in the United States, I do not know; I have a huge list of directors. I saw a new director, who was an actor, called Paul Dano. He made a cool movie called Wildlife, so if I go to the United States I would like to work with Paul Dano.

Many of the actors you worked with in the film are veteran actors. Did some of them take you under their wing and teach you some things? And what was the best advice you received from them?

No, it was not exactly like that, but they gave me all the experience they had through a glance. They did not need to say anything, just watching them I already understood what the situation was like, and at the same time, I helped them too because I had the fresh perspective of a child who had never made movies. It became something reciprocal, we fed off one another, some with the freshness and others with experience.

Did your dad give you advice on acting?

Yes, but not on acting. As every parent gives advice, he did not give me advice on acting or working, but about life. If I try to explain now, it would take three hours or more on the phone.

Pedro Almodovar and his company were the executive producers for “EL ANGEL;” was he on the set?

Not on the set, but he was present in France and in Spain when we screened the film. I had the opportunity to meet him, not in the manner I would have liked, but what little I learned about him is astonishing; you see that magic that he has from afar.

Were you a fan?

Um no, to tell you the truth, no. I don’t know even know if I am now, but I do not have to be a fan of his films. I’m a fan of his career, maybe of his imprint. But I have not seen all of his movies, I saw some, and the ones I saw I like. I would have to see them all to be able to say it, but they have a lot of personality.

In what movies or television programs can we expect to see in the future? Or what upcoming projects can you tell us about?

The truth is that I have enough circling, but I still do not know which ones to say yes. So I better not tell you anything, so I do not lie to you. What I can tell you is that I am currently making rap music with my friends, and between November and December we are going to drop a mixtape. I am the rapper and my friends are producing.

How do you feel about all the attention the movie is getting in Latin America?

It is very difficult, because I became famous over night, and I don’t know if that’s what I want… But hey, it’s also great because people received the movie with a lot of love. On that note I’m very happy, but on the other hand I’m a bit paranoid.

But there have been many actors who also make music, do you think that makes it easier?

I did rap before I made the movie, but after the movie I forgot about it a bit, and once I finished and was able to get the weight of the movie off my shoulders, I started doing music again. I knew I wanted to make music, even before being an actor.

Will you concentrate on one or the other? Or see what comes your way?

I don’t know if something is more important than the other, but the importance that one assigns to something gives it importance. I think both are like therapy.

There’s a phrase in the movie that says “I am a thief by birth” do you think that life is predestined from birth?

Ehh… no. I do not think so…uhh, maybe in my case, yes, but no, no. Like I was saying before, it’s just an assumption, but I don’t think it is destined from birth. I know that everything we do is a gift. There are people who would die to find it and live being a slave of the system.

Carlitos based his life on destiny, what is Toto’s destiny?

The destiny of Toto is: to continue working, to continue being happy, to get together with his friends, and to make more music.

“El Angel” is released in US theaters November 9.