Williams' earliest memories as a young girl in bustling Port Elizabeth, South Africa, feature her performing—belting it out in church at four years old, providing the evening entertainment for her parents and their friends at age 7. But hers was hardly a picture-perfect youth. When post-apartheid crime ravaged her hometown, Williams' parents decided to pack it in and start anew elsewhere, in Nashville of all places. ("My family grew up listening to country music, so why not?") At 16, Williams found herself over 8,000 from home, a flame-haired Afrikaner in the land of the Grand Ole Opry. The transition was as tough as it sounds. "It took me a long time to adjust," she recalls. "Everything from the size of the fast food portions to the fact that people didn't understand what I was saying. I always had to repeat myself 10 times."
Not long after the move, her parents divorced—she and her kid sister stayed with her mom in Nashville, while her dad returned to South Africa. Williams took their split hard. Who can blame her for falling in with the wrong crowd? "I didn't see their divorce coming," she says. "I started rebelling, hanging out with an older crowd, drinking Southern Comfort, going out to bars."
In a city thick with teased-and-tousled glam-girls, Williams, a Ravenwood High School hellraiser, looked like she'd arrived to Nashville by way of CBGB with her heavy eyeliner, ripped tights and combat boots. But she found respite from her turbulent youth in writing. Every day after school, she'd deep-dive into marathon country songwriting sessions and quickly discovered she was brilliant at it. Influenced by a gamut of old-school and contemporary country-Western icons, from Alan Jackson to the Rascal Flatts, Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift, Williams poured her restlessness and soul-searching into her lyrics. By her junior year in high school, she'd locked up a publishing deal with Sony ATV. By 18, Williams was supporting herself. Her song "Fly Again", which was featured in Country Song (starring Gwyneth Paltrow), was inspired by an older boyfriend who helped foster her career and confidence. She co-wrote "Like My Mother Does," which was performed in 2011 by American Idol finalist Laura Alaina. Over and over again Williams was approached by Nashville heavyweights eager to cut a deal. She rebuffed them all. "I never wanted to be a country artist," she says plainly.
Williams relocated to Los Angeles when she was 21, and shortly after signed with Breyon Prescott of Chameleon Entertainment (a joint venture with the Island Def Jam Music Group). "Working with Breyon Prescott along with Aaron Phillips is literally the best thing that's ever happened to me," Williams says. Under their guidance, she has emerged as a sultry new voice on the pop-rock scene. She has already notched collaborations with a string of Grammy-winning hitmakers including Sandy Vee, Dallas Austin, and Rodney Jerkins.
Typical of many young women, Nikki has been through some personal challenges and bad relationships. Nikki used those experiences as motivation to truly express herself as an artist. Williams throws herself into her work, exorcising her pain and sadness in the recording studio. The results are achingly beautiful. She first released "Kill, Fuck, Marry," a haunting single by Sia and produced by Stargate, which has already captured the attention of critics and fans alike. ("Nikki Williams…is poised to be a breakout star," declared Cosmopolitan Magazine.) Her as-yet-untitled album, slated for release this spring, is already generating buzz among critics and music bloggers as one of the mostly hotly anticipated new releases of the year. "Glowing", her first single, is a chest-thumping dance floor anthem that showcases the many sides and powerful vocals of Nikki Williams!
Williams is currently on the road, sampling her music before a voracious crowd hungry for her trademark candor and explosive stage presence. She'll be hard to pin down for a while, she says, but that's a good thing. "I'm still working stuff out," Williams confesses. "But if you want to find me, I'll be in the diviest bar of whichever city I'm in."
Kill F**k Marry
Nikki Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love drives me crazy but my bullets pass right through
And passion feeds lust when the trust is questioned
And the going gets tough when the pain is lessened
But how is it that I don't scare you
You know my mind, you live inside it too
To keep me from a padded cell
No, I don't scare you cause you know me
And your face keeps me from a living hell
Don't know what I should do
Kill, fuck or marry you
Kill, fuck, marry are the things I wanna do to you
But my insane love doesn't threaten you
And passion feeds fury and the pain gets too much
But I won't let it go, I'm gonna hold on to my love
But how is it that I don't scare you
You know my mind, you live inside it too
No, I don't scare you and that is all I need
To keep me from a padded cell
No, I don't scare you cause you know me
And your face keeps me from a living hell
Don't know what I should do
Kill, fuck or marry you
And you got me out of my crystal mind
Fragile like a damaged child
Like a damaged child
I must say it all, it all…
But I don't scare you and that is all I need
To keep me from a padded cell
No, I don't scare you cause you know me
And your face keeps me from a living hell
Don't know what I should do
Kill, fuck or marry you
Kill, fuck, marry are the things I wanna do to you
The lyrics of Nikki Williams's song "Kill F**k Marry" depict a complicated relationship between the singer and the subject, who she wants to either kill, f**k, or marry. The song explores the intense emotions that love can evoke, including lust, passion, and fury, as well as the mental turmoil that can accompany these feelings. Despite the violent and sometimes disturbing nature of the lyrics, the subject of the singer's affections seems unfazed, which is a source of comfort and stability for the singer. The lyrics suggest that the love between the two is chaotic and dangerous but also incredibly strong and enduring.
One interpretation of the lyrics is that the singer is struggling with mental illness or instability, as evidenced by lines like "To keep me from a padded cell." She relies on the subject of the song to keep her grounded and maintain her grip on reality. The lyrics "And passion feeds lust when the trust is questioned / And the going gets tough when the pain is lessened" suggest that there are trust issues in the relationship that have led to intensified feelings of lust and passion. The singer seems to be torn between the desire to harm the subject and the desire to protect and love them, which creates a tension throughout the song.
Overall, the lyrics of "Kill F**k Marry" are raw and intense, exploring the dark side of love and the ways in which it can be both exhilarating and destructive at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
Kill, fuck, marry are the things I wanna do to you
I have strong desires to end your life, engage in sexual intercourse with you, and commit to a lifelong relationship with you.
Your love drives me crazy but my bullets pass right through
Your love for me makes me feel insane, but I cannot physically harm you even though I want to.
And passion feeds lust when the trust is questioned
When doubt arises in our relationship, my desire for you only increases.
And the going gets tough when the pain is lessened
Our relationship becomes difficult when the emotional pain between us lessens.
But how is it that I don't scare you
Despite my intense feelings, I am surprised that you are not afraid of me.
You know my mind, you live inside it too
You understand the workings of my mind and you are intimately connected to me.
No, I don't scare you and that is all I need
Your lack of fear is enough for me to not feel completely insane.
To keep me from a padded cell
Your acceptance of my thoughts and feelings keeps me from being institutionalized.
And passion feeds fury and the pain gets too much
When our relationship becomes too difficult, my passion turns to anger.
But I won't let it go, I'm gonna hold on to my love
Despite the challenges we face, I refuse to let go of my feelings for you.
And you got me out of my crystal mind
Your love pulls me out of my distorted and confused mental state.
Fragile like a damaged child
My mental state is vulnerable and easily broken, like that of a wounded child.
I must say it all, it all…
I need to express all of my intense feelings for you.
And your face keeps me from a living hell
Just seeing your face prevents me from experiencing a true living nightmare.
Don't know what I should do
Despite my overwhelming feelings, I am unsure how to respond or act.
Kill, fuck or marry you
I am left with the strong but conflicting desires to kill, have sex with, or marry you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MIKKEL ERIKSEN, SIA FURLER, TOR HERMANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andreweastwood2074
This song just ran across my mind. Can’t believe it’s been 7 years
@leeg8973
Same here lol
@ientity3605
10 years now…
@makaylahumphries2964
10*!!! ❤❤❤
@TokinTaylor
I've never heard a song so relatable to love in my life. Four years later and it still affects me as if it were the first time I was hearing it <3
@Cristiandenis8
same !
@placeoh
The power of music...
@PC3ful
This song should have put her on the map.
@danielinthemaiden9039
C Cu Glowing should have.
@jimmypok
She deserves a succesfull carreer. :(