“One of the most meditative things about writing is that you kind of forget where you are,” says Nick Hakim. “If you're tapped into it, you're not really thinking about anything else.” On this episode of Object of Sound, Nick recalls the spontaneous 5:00 am recordings and free writing that went into the making of his new album COMETA, out October 21. Plus, Nick treats us to a special sneak peek of Perfume—one of Hanif’s favorite tracks off COMETA—and shares with us the inspiration behind the song, which beautifully captures the excitement of new love. Building on the album's themes, Hanif curates a playlist of songs all about falling in love to close out the episode. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, head over to radio.sonos.com.

Music In This Week’s Episode: 
Vertigo - Nick Hakim
Shoe In - Secret Stars
Fallingforyou - The 1975
I Like It - DeBarge
Caught Up In The Rapture - Anita Baker
I Couldn’t Love You More - Sade
Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer
Darling - Montell Fish

Show Notes:
Nick Hakim’s COMETA is out October 21. The singles, Vertigo and Happen, are available now. 

Check out the poetry of Nick and Hanif’s mutual friend Safia Elhillo, and read Dianne Seuss’ “Romantic Poetry” in the New Yorker. 

This episode is part of our mini series, “The Wonders of Songwriting,” three special episodes on Object of Sound devoted to the art of how songs become songs. Hanif talks to artists Ravyn Lenae, Nick Hakim, and Carly Rae Jepsen to understand where their love of language comes from, how words become images become music, where the ideas begin, and how they morph as they move from the page into the intangible space of melody and vibration.

If you’re a writer or maker in need of a creative refuel, check out Hanif’s recent interview on Creative Pep Talk, which also features lessons from artists we’ve interviewed here on Object of Sound.

Credits:
This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Rhiannon Corby, and by Hanif Abdurraqib. The show is mixed by Sam Bair. Extra gratitude to Joe Dawson and Saidah Blount at Sonos.