About

“Good songs don’t need a lifetime to write” says Nik Hamby. He reckons they can be written quickly if you’ve had a lifetime of preparation.  

He's had plenty of life experience.  There were several dysfunctional relationships. Many addresses. Serious financial struggles. Various health challenges. Cancer. (He “kicked off” once, a long time ago). 

Nik has extensive experience working with young people, including injecting drug users and incarcerated juvenile offenders. His sense of social justice is felt in much of his music.  Ask about his early employment history and he’ll give a diverse list. Public servant. Labourer. Meat processor. Youth worker. Detention officer. Funeral director ...

He moved to logistics 15 years ago and his employer then moved him interstate. Twice. Those experiences are all part of who he is and where he is now – happily settled in Ipswich, Queensland.  (You might catch him at various open mic venues around Brisbane and Ipswich).

Although Nik played in Sydney covers bands in his 20s, he came to song-writing a lot later in life. His first good song was written in mid-2019, soon after the death of his mother. Being locked down throughout 2020 (working from home due to health concerns) was the catalyst for greater productivity. It was a big year. 17 independent releases. Many of those were played on 3SER in Melbourne. 

There were 13 releases in 2021 and another four in 2022. “I write most of these songs because I feel strongly about something. There are some listeners I connect with and some not so much”. 

Taylor Sappe of US-based Music for World Peace Records connected with “All We Need To Do Is Care”, written after the Black Lives Matter protests. He offered a contract in September 2020 and organised publicity. 

Taylor’s later picked up a second song from Nik. “When Our Children Die” was inspired by media coverage of the Ukraine conflict. It was released in August 2023.

Much of Nik’s music is inspired by his life experiences. “Working and living with so many different people has created an acceptance of so many perspectives and circumstances that fire my creativity when writing. Subjects like love, life and death are mixed with gender issues, mental health, compassion and understanding ...” 

In 2020, two songs were shortlisted in the 40th annual Australian Songwriting Contest (for professional and amateur songwriters). "Breathe, Miss Sunshine" went on to a top-30 list. There was more competition success in 2021. "A Dog's Sadness" also progressed to a top-30 spot. There were two finalists from his 2022 entries. "As Time Goes By" made the Ballad shortlist and "Undercover Killer" was shortlisted in the Rock/Indie category. 

The 2023/2024 competitions were combined.  Nik entered three songs and has just received notification of each being shortlisted in their respective categories.  He's hoping to hear more good news soon.

Nik's first 30 songs were organised into three albums during the latter half of 2021 - "Drifting on the Window Seat", "The Magician" and "Walk My Way".  Four singles were released in 2022, then two in 2023.  There were another three new releases in 2024 - and two re-releases.  There may be more cos the year's not over yet!

Nik's songs received consistent airplay on The Casey Beat (3SER Melbourne) during late 2020 and early 2021. In 2023 101FM Radio Logan started playing his tracks.  Some of his latest releases have been on 4ZZZ and several independent overseas radio stations have also taken up Nik's music.  (More details are on the Air Play tab).

Updated:  27 October 2024