Interview with Nicolle Maroulis | By Kelley O’Death
“I’ve always been a part of music: playing it, attending shows, etc.,” says Nicolle Maroulis, the mastermind behind Montclair, New Jersey-based one-human-band Hit Like A Girl. “I’ve spent the last few years trying to help my friends’ bands thrive. I’d help book shows, tours, offer marketing advice. I never felt like my music was ‘good enough.’ Then, I finally realized that music was the one constant in my life and I should pursue it, as it is the only thing that fulfills me. I believe in my songs, and I’ve got to believe other people will too.”
Hit Like A Girl’s debut full-length, You Make Sense—set to be self-released on Sept. 16—will not only make those who hear it believe in Maroulis’ vision, but also help them believe in themselves. Though the record’s eight poignant tracks are deeply personal odes to love and love lost, Maroulis uncovers a stirring strength through their vulnerability that they hope will aid listeners in finding their own voices. The musician also inspires as the primary founder of a nonprofit organization called No More Dysphoria, which raises funds to help trans and non-binary individuals pay for major elements of their transitions. Even Hit Like A Girl’s name itself is intended to inspire. “The band’s name is definitely meant to inspire and empower people to embrace their femininity,” Maroulis explains.
Though Maroulis identifies as non-binary and uses they/them/their pronouns, they are unconcerned about using what may, at first, seem like a gendered moniker. “I thought about how the name might coincide with my non-binary identity, but then realized it doesn’t really matter,” they share. “I’ve noticed there are band names that are gender-specific that don’t identically match the genders of the band members, but I also don’t really believe gender exists at all at the end of the day. I’m hoping to have this whole ‘Rosie The Riveter’ feel to us.”
The record’s title, You Make Sense, is very personal for Maroulis, but it also conveys a simple, affirming message to fans who may feel embattled or caught in-between in a world of manufactured binaries and creeping self-doubt. “The name of the record actually has a short story behind it,” Maroulis reveals. “I used to live in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, which is a very pretty town. One day, I rode my bike to the nearest Starbucks to get some coffee and just clear my head a little. There’s a little creek that runs behind it that I’d like to sit down by and drink my coffee. I was there one day, and I looked up at the wall, and written in very small text was: ‘you make sense.’ It all clicked in my head. I went home immediately to touch up all the songs I’d started but never finished. Some of these songs are a few years old, but most of them I wrote for the record, and they’re all mostly about some girl—typical. I was only with this girl for about a month, and we never even established a physical relationship, just an emotional one. I felt like she was the most compatible person I’ve ever been with, so when she decided to call it off, it really messed me up.”
One such song is the seventh track—and Maroulis’ personal favorite—on the album, entitled “Let You Go.” “I think the simplicity in the beginning is beautiful, but when it picks up toward the end, it really pulls at your heart strings,” Maroulis says of the track. “I wrote this song about that girl—typical, again—not even intending to write a love song, but more so how I know she’ll never give me a chance ever again, and I have to forget about her and move on, despite the fact that I don’t want to, because I felt like she was ‘the one’ for me. [The lyric] ‘So many things I wish that you knew’ signifies how I wish I had opened up to her more and really explained to her why I was in the current situation I was in at that time in my life. ‘So many things that I just couldn’t do’: there were a few specific things she asked me to do before we took our relationship to the next level, and, at the expense of hurting someone else who was important to me, I just couldn’t find the strength to do it for her. ‘So many times I wish I said I loved you’ [is] pretty self-explanatory. Maybe if I was more honest with how I felt about her, things would have worked out differently.”
“Let You Go” may be Maroulis’ favorite song, but they chose “It’s Always You” as You Make Sense’s first single, releasing the song and its accompanying music video exclusively through New Noise on Sept. 1. “The reason I chose ‘It’s Always You’ as the single was because everyone who’s heard it before has always told me, ‘That’s it. That’s the hit single,’” they share. “When recording the song, [producer] Levi [Miller] turned to me and said, ‘I can see this song being in a commercial.’ It’s the most ‘catchy’ song on the record, and I think it can appeal to a large-spread demographic of listeners.”
“Making the music video was a lot of fun!” they add. “The video was shot and produced by Eric DiCarlo of SquareUp Studios in Pomona, New York. When we were discussing ideas, I couldn’t explain what I was thinking, so I doodled it for him, and that turned the lightbulb on in his head for the whole premise of the video. The video is simple, but it’s about how expressing a thought or a feeling can be difficult sometimes, but luckily, there are so many different creative outlets to convey emotions and express yourself.”
You Make Sense was recorded with Miller at Front & Center Recordings in Martinsburg, West Virginia. “The recording process was definitely a positive experience for me,” Maroulis says. “I met Levi a few years ago through his old hardcore band, Threads, on their tours and stuff. I came to Levi with just acoustic songs, and he really took the reins on molding them into the full-band songs they are now. I cried when I got the first mixes back, because it was the first time I heard the songs for what they’re truly capable of.”
“I’d also like to shout-out my friends in the band Forever Losing Sleep,” Maroulis notes. “During the recording process, I’d send them mixes, and they would give me really helpful feedback [and] opinions on the songs, and [they] even made suggestions for a few parts.”
The album’s gorgeous cover art—which features two haloed barn owls with human arms reaching out from their chests—is evocative, but what the image signifies is open to interpretation. “The album art was all done by Sarah Bogosh from Chicago, who plays in a great band called Typesetter,” Maroulis says. “Her work is all stunning across the board, and she was a pleasure to work with. When I sent her the songs, she listened to them and said the way they made her feel was what she designed—which sounds like a really cool experience to feel as an artist.”
When asked how they want You Make Sense to impact those who hear it, ultimately, Maroulis just hopes “that listeners can connect with the songs on a personal level, and that they will mean something to them.”
“I also hope to inspire young LGBTQ+ listeners to be open about who they are and be confident in their skin,” they add. “I hope listeners will feel inspired to pursue whatever it is in life they are the most passionate about no matter what. Don’t ever feel like you aren’t good enough or worth it, because as long as you believe in yourself, then everything will fall into place!”
For now, Hit Like A Girl remains a solo project, but Maroulis assures, “I’m absolutely trying to build a full band at the moment. I feel like most of my musician friends are too busy in their primary bands to join me. Being a solo artist, I feel, impacts my experience playing music tenfold. It makes writing super difficult, because I have no one there to bounce ideas off of or even get second opinions from. I also feel like it makes booking shows and tours difficult, because if I can’t find fill-ins to play full-band, then I have to play solo—which I don’t mind, I just can’t help but feel like showgoers typically prefer to watch a full band at a show over an acoustic act.”
Maroulis will surely build their dream lineup soon, but in the meantime, Hit Like A Girl will be playing with Sorority Noise in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Sept. 23 and doing a small tour in November to support the release of You Make Sense. “Members of Forever Losing Sleep will be accompanying me and playing the songs with me!” they say. “We also have plans in the future to tour a lot in 2018 and release another music video. Hopefully, some of [you] can make it out to a show and connect with me!”
“Also, I love you all, and thank you to everyone who has helped me accomplish these goals!”
Catch Hit Like A Girl at one of the following dates, and pick up your copy of You Make Sense on Bandcamp today! For more information on No More Dysphoria, read on!!!
09/23 – Hoboken, NJ – Stevens College Jacobus Lounge (w/ Sorority Noise)
11/17 – Richmond, VA – TBA
11/18 – Boone, NC – TBA
11/19 – Nashville, TN – Sunnyvale
11/20 – Lexington, KY – TBA
11/21 – Cincinnati, OH – The Hub
11/22 – Columbus or Akron, OH – The HiveMind
Making a Difference With No More Dysphoria
“No More Dysphoria is a nonprofit organization whose primary goal is to help transgender individuals pay for major aspects of their transitions,” Maroulis explains, “including—but not limited to—gender therapy, hormone replacement therapy, and/or gender reassignment surgery.”
“The organization started about two years ago,” they continue. “I was talking to a trans friend of mine, and she initially thought of the idea and the name, expressed the idea to me, and I absolutely loved it. I told her, ‘We’re going to make this happen.’ So, I took it and ran with it. I got some more friends onboard to help get it off the ground, and we’ve been doing great ever since. That friend of mine dropped out of being a part of it with us due to a lot of personal interferences in her life.”
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Maroulis shares. “People really like to see us around and tell me all the time that what we are doing is great. Some notable success stories would be [when] we donated a large chunk of money to the Pulse Orlando victims and to the No More foundation. We’ve also donated to a few people for gender reassignment surgeries—one of whom has been able to get their top surgery, which is awesome! People will even email me from time to time just looking for someone to talk to about their gender dysphoria, and I love that I can be someone’s shoulder to lean on, you know?”
Of course, one can’t have great successes without facing a few challenges along the way. “One of our biggest challenges is funding all of the ideas and projects we want to do,” Maroulis admits. “Almost everything we do is funded right out of my pocket, and it limits us on what we can do. Anytime we have a decent amount of money we raised, we tend to donate it right away, so we need to find a way to be able to keep ourselves above water. Luckily, a lot of people have been very generous!”
“Our plans and goals for the future are to definitely get more success stories under our belt,” Maroulis says, looking ahead. “I’d like to throw some more benefit shows for us. I’ve thrown two so far, and they were both very successful and a lot of fun! We’re also trying to think of ways to get more bands [and] artists involved. People always want to help us on the operational side of things, so trying to think of new ways to get people involved is definitely on the table.”
Finally, does Maroulis have any advice for others looking to take action within their communities? “Honestly? If you have a great idea that can make a positive impact on your community, then pursue it,” they say. “It may seem daunting at first and like a lot of work—which it is—but in the end, it’s all extremely rewarding. Find friends who are just as passionate as you are, and go for it!”
“If anyone reading this has an idea that they want to see become a reality, I’m always open to giving personal advice [and] opinions if you reach out to me!”
To get more information, contribute to No More Dysphoria’s cause, or contact Maroulis with your own world-changing ideas, visit NoMoreDysphoria.com!
