Nichole’s musical style has developed over time from headbanging rock with her first band INSANE to folky acoustics with her first album Under the Skin (2001), while her most recent albums Lost Into Experience (2009) and You Are Not Alone (2010) glimpse an evolution into a darker electronic lounge vibe. Along the way, she’s collaborated with dance and pop producers on a number of projects ranging from house anthem “Live So Free” with Swiss American Federation to ridiculous pop songs like “Teaser” with Mark Okoh. Whatever the genre, Nichole has consistently captivated audiences with her intoxicating voice, presence and lyrics.
The lucky product of a quick union: Nichole's straight-A-student mother dropped out her last semester of private college to run off with the long-haired drummer of a rock band she met in Deland, Florida. Hoping to make a positive impression on his new family, Nichole’s father quit his band, shaved his head, and joined the army. The couple married and was stationed in Augsburg, Germany where Nichole was born just a year later. The marriage ended soon after, and as an infant, Nichole was brought back to Florida where her mother worked to support the family and finish her studies. It was in her early years as a latch key kid that Nichole's passion for songwriting emerged.
Nichole began writing songs in grade school, where she tried out a number of instruments including violin, stand up bass, and keyboard. In middle school, she got her first electric guitar and began performing in Central Florida nightclubs with heavy rock band INSANE at age 14. During the summers, she studied music, songwriting, and performance at National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut, where she learned from guitar heros such as Andy Timmons and Nuno Bettencourt. By high school graduation, Nichole had written, recorded, and produced more than twenty original songs and played dozens of live shows.
Determined to transcend the common trajectory for many kids growing up in non-ideal households, Nichole sought balance between her artistic aspirations and academic endeavors, pursuing formal studies in Economics and Education while steadily building her song catalog. She moved to Los Angeles in 1999 with little more than her guitar and a suitcase; something like the scene out of Poison's Fallen Angel video. Like many musicians trying to break into the industry, she started out working a number of day jobs, from managing the marketing department at West L.A. Music to offering tech support for Disney's Consumer Products division. Along the way, she also brought her passion into the classroom, teaching at elementary schools in the challenging areas of South Central and East Los Angeles and elite Pacific Palisades.
Currently, ALDEN creates custom music for film and television, while working on her fourth studio album in the Silicon Beach community of Santa Monica, California.
Sent Away
Nichole Alden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming back
You can't have a holiday when
You've got nothing
You're on the outside
Now how does it feel?
You never wanted to hurt someone
Ask how much I remember, almost nothing
There's a place on the inside to crawl
Never gotten this close to something
Just to get nothing at all
You're on the outside
Now how does it feel?
You could have left it alone
But you didn't
You know you'll never get my permission
I'll give you less than you ask for so,
How does it feel when I send you away?
In Nichole Alden's song "Sent Away," the singer confesses to having sent someone away, but feeling their presence as they try to come back. Despite the attempt to distance them, the singer cannot help but feel their return. The idea of a holiday is mentioned, suggesting that perhaps the singer was attempting to take a break from this person, but ultimately cannot because they have "nothing." This could mean that the person they sent away was someone they relied on or had a deep connection with, leaving them with a sense of emptiness once they were gone.
The chorus of "You're on the outside, now how does it feel?" highlights the consequences of the singer's actions as they observe the person they sent away from the outside looking in. They feel the need to ask how it feels because they acknowledge that they have caused pain to this person who never intended to hurt anyone. The lyrics suggest regret and an understanding that perhaps the decision to send this person away was one that should not have been made.
The bridge of the song talks about how little the singer remembers, supporting the notion that perhaps their decision to send the person away was rash and not fully thought through. The line "never gotten this close to something just to get nothing at all" emphasizes the loss and disappointment felt by the singer. Overall, the song reflects the complexity of human relationships and the pain that can come from separating oneself from someone they care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
I sent you away but I could feel you
Coming back
I tried to push you away but deep down, I knew you would come back
You can't have a holiday when
You've got nothing
You can't take a break or enjoy yourself when you have nothing to work with
You're on the outside
Now how does it feel?
You're no longer part of the group, so now you know how it feels to be excluded
You never wanted to hurt someone
But you did it
Even though you never intended to cause harm, you ended up hurting someone
Ask how much I remember, almost nothing
If you were to ask me what I remember, I would have to say almost nothing
There's a place on the inside to crawl
There's a place deep inside where one can retreat
Never gotten this close to something
Just to get nothing at all
I've never been so invested in something only to end up with nothing at all
You could have left it alone
But you didn't
You had the option to walk away, but you chose not to
You know you'll never get my permission
You're aware that I will never give you my approval
I'll give you less than you ask for so,
How does it feel when I send you away?
I will purposely give you less than what you want, just to make you feel the pain of being rejected and sent away.
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.