Watch! Nicole Elocin On Meeting Maphorisa For The First Time & Working With Him. Nicole Elocin started her music career at a young age in a church choir. She started pursuing her musical career by attending studio sessions with local producers Tammy T and Phlexx Roku, and by 20, Nicole had her amapiano debut on the Money Heist EP with the Tyler ICU, decimating on her rendition of the Italian anti-fascist anthem “Bella Ciao” in a way that only amapinao can carry a pop culture reference.
At the age of 20, Nicole released one of the Amapiano breakout albums of 2020 titled “Money Heist” with the talented Tyler ICU.The album included hit singles such as “Bella Ciao” and “Risky”. The “Bella Ciao” audio video has since surpassed two million views on Youtube and was featured on Apple music’s Top 100: South Africa playlist.
Nicole has worked with numerous Amapiano talents including renowned producer and DJ Maphorisa; Kabza De Small; Mas Music; Sha Sha; Nia Pearl and Mlindo the Vocalist.
Speaking on how he met Maphorisa and the experience of working with him, Elocin said she was introduced to Phori by Tyler ICU. “I met Tyler ICU from someone who knew someone who knew him. So it was like a third party who introduced me to him. I had three sessions with him and that was when we made ‘Bella Ciao’ hit single. After that he then spoke to Phori, and one day when I was coming back from church I got a text saying that Phori was to meet me. I was amazed but also happy. I then finally went and when he walked in, he was very nice and even asked if we ate. I was happy to work with him. It was a humbling experience because you don’t just wake up and work with someone like Phori. So I was very humbled and happy,” she said.
