Carlson brothers record Nik?s song

A SONG Masterton music star Nik Carlson wrote 10 years ago has finally come to life, as the New Zealand Idol runner-up has now recorded his first single in Australia with his brother Shane.
Nik, 28, the runner-up in 2005, invited Shane, 22, to join him on Australia's Gold Coast, where they put together a new version of Inside Out, a song the older Carlson wrote as a teenager.
Shane Carlson raps on the single.
"I probably wrote the song about 10 years ago, but it has changed shape," Carlson said.
To produce the single, he received $10,000 funding from New Zealand on Air ? half for the song and half for the video, which has yet to be recorded.
For a producer, he chose Adrian Stuckey, "the producer who does all the music for Idol".
For the New Zealand Idol series, Stuckey had to arrange songs for all the contestants to tight deadlines, a feat which impressed Carlson.
Previously Carlson recorded I Believe in a Thing Called Love with Stuckey.
When funding came for recording the new single, both brothers headed to the Gold Coast, and "got a bit of a holiday at the same time".
Recording took two days, and "when we went in, everything just happened", Carlson said.
"The chemistry in the studio was great, and the end result ? we loved it. We're really happy and just can't wait to share it with people."
Carlson said working with Stuckey was a great experience.
"He'll say: 'What do you want?' and we'll just tell him, and we'll keep going until something doesn't work. Then he adds his ideas and takes it to a whole new level, makes it sound fresh and new.
"It's just quite cool to have all those ideas in your head, and have him bring them to life. It's good quality. Finally I've got a cool single on my own."
The sound is "definitely R and B pop", with an Asian-sounding instrument thrown in and some flamenco guitar.
Shane Carlson has had less experience than his brother in the spotlight, but "he's got the voice", Nik said.
Even in the recording studio, Nik said, Shane "wasn't really into the whole attention thing that comes with singing".
But "we always like to jam together".
In fact Shane was the main singer in a rap song the brothers performed for Maori Television, with Nik coming in for the chorus.
Shane also performed his first concert with big names Ardijah and Adeaze.
"He pulls it out of the bag."
In the recording studio, Nik often looked to his brother for guidance.
"I'm quite dependent on him for music and beat," Carlson said.
"I trust his opinion."
Meanwhile, Carlson said, others were also impressed with the new single.
"The industry people were quite excited about it, so hopefully there's more to come," Carlson said.
"We're definitely doing a video for this one. We're promoting this single but also looking for a record deal at the same time. If they believe in your sound they'll take that step."