INTRO BY ALICIA GRAYHAM
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO BY ALEX KRUK
Nikki Hahn is a talented young lady who is an actress and a singer, who made a name for herself on various TV shows & movies. She has appeared in shows such as iCarly, Jessie, Pretty Little Liars, and The Fosters, just to name a few. She is well known for being in the film Adventures in Babysitting, starring alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Sofia Carson.
Nikki Hahn is definitely a rising star in the making, and following her acting career she went on a new path to become a singer. Her single “In My Head” has been released and has already been making airwaves on the RDYou station, which you can find on the Radio Disney app. When Nikki isn’t acting or singing, she volunteers for different charities, one of those being Kitty Bungalow which is a charity for cats who are in need.
When you first realized what you wanted to pursue, was it acting or singing that came first?
Nikki: “Acting came first when I was about four years old. I didn't even really know I was acting or working, I was just having fun. I didn’t start singing until I was about six or seven. I sang musical theatre first, and then pop at ten years old.”
You recently released your debut single “In My Head”. Can you tell us a little about the song and how it came about?
N: “‘In My Head’ is the first song I have ever written. It actually started off as a journal entry, and was written from there. It took about a year to finish. What I loved most was that I got to have a hand in the direction of the song and production.”
Were you more nervous or excited to release “In My Head” since it is your first single?
N: “I was definitely excited to see people’s reactions. My fans had been asking for original music for a long time, so I couldn’t wait for them to hear.”
Where do you find most inspiration when creating music?
N: “I mostly journal about my personal experiences. Personal experience is where I get my lyrical ideas and concepts. I also love listening to other songwriters I love, like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.”
You will also be releasing your debut EP this summer! What can we expect from this batch of songs?
N: “I’m still working on it but it’s definitely going to have fun, party vibes. Maybe even some acoustic songs.”
When it comes to acting, of all the roles you have portrayed, which one has stuck with you the most and why?
N: “My favorites are Adventures in Babysitting and American Horror Story: Asylum. They’re very different projects but I had a lot of fun working on both. Adventures in Babysitting was the first time I got to work with a cast of kids, so we really did have a real life adventure for two months in Vancouver where we filmed. As for American Horror Story, I have always loved horror, so you can imagine how I excited I was to play a villain. I was about ten when my episode aired, so I didn’t see the whole thing, only my scenes. It’s actually one of my favorite shows now.”
Back in 2011 you starred in a skit on Jimmy Kimmel alongside Tom Hanks that went viral afterwards. What was that whole experience like for you and how did it feel for it to receive so much attention?
PHOTO BY ALEX KRUK
N: “I auditioned for it because I wanted to play a pageant girl. I thought the dresses were beautiful and I wanted to wear the makeup. I was super excited to work with Tom Hanks. Because I was young, I wasn’t really starstruck but it hit me a few years later like, ‘Oh my God I worked with THE Tom Hanks.’ I didn’t know what viral meant until the day after it aired and my mom’s phone was blowing up. It was my first time experiencing that kind of publicity. I never expected any of it. Later the casting director told us that they had auditioned over 70 girls for the role, and Jimmy picked me. It’s just wild to think about and it’s still surreal.”
We learned that you are a huge supporter of the charity Kitty Bungalow. What does this organization mean to you?
N: “As an Angeleno and cat lover, I really love that Kitty Bungalow works to trap, neuter, and release stray cats all around LA. I’ve seen the cats they rescue and I think it’s very heroic.”
Is there anything else we can expect from you in the near future?
N: “World domination. For real. I’m working on it. Still acting and currently recording more music.”