From Idol to insight: Nike Sellmar dares to be “So Bad”

Tell us a little about “So Bad” – where did that song begin for you?

It started in a place I know all too well. In that in-between space where you know better, but still stay. I’ve had a tendency to get stuck in those kinds of relationships – where feelings take over reason, and you keep going in circles around something that has already broken.

It has taken me time to learn how to truly listen to myself and respect what I feel. I’m much better at that today, thankfully, but So Bad really comes from that version of me who hadn’t quite learned it yet.

What was most important for you to express emotionally in this song?

Honesty. Completely unfiltered.

I wanted it to feel like a confession – like saying something out loud for the first time, something like: “okay… this is the truth, and maybe I’m not that proud of it”.

There’s something very exposed in that, but also something quite freeing. And I think that’s where the song gets its weight – in the fact that it isn’t trying to be pretty, just true.

Did you immediately feel that “this has to come out now”, or did it grow over time?

It grew slowly, but it really wanted to come out. I knew quite early what it was going to be about – the feeling was there from the start.

But getting it to sound the way it deserved took time. I went back and forth with it for over a year, a bit like the relationship it’s about, if we’re being honest.

And when my producer – who is also my partner – and I found the chorus, it was like everything clicked. That’s when I knew: “okay, now it’s ready”.

How is “So Bad” different from what we’ve heard from you before, such as Been Eating Apples?

I don’t necessarily think it screams change – but it whispers something more true.

It feels closer to me. Less protected. Less shaped by what something is supposed to be, and more rooted in what it actually is.

It might sound cliché, but I feel like my honesty gets to take up more space here. And that makes the song breathe differently.

Is this the beginning of a bigger project, or are you releasing music song by song right now?

This really feels like the beginning of something bigger for me – like a shift in how I want to create and express myself going forward. Not just a single release, but the start of something I want to let grow over time and become really strong.

Right now, I’m releasing music song by song, so each track can carry its own story fully. But at the same time, there is a clear direction in everything I do – both musically and emotionally.

I’m very driven by the idea that this should become the best version of my journey as an artist. To explore my sound, my influences and my storytelling in a way that feels completely true. And somewhere, I hope that the people listening also feel like they get to be there from the beginning of something that actually means something.

What can we expect from you going forward – both musically and live?

Musically, I’ll continue to deepen what I’ve already started exploring. I come from soul, but over time I’ve found a strong home in blues and country – in the storytelling, in the rawness and in what doesn’t feel overly polished. I want the music to be alive and honest, and for every song to carry something that actually feels real.

Going forward, it’s very much about daring to go even deeper into that. Not simplifying or sanding down the rough edges, but rather leaning even more into what feels real.

Live, I want to create something that feels close. Not just a concert, but a meeting. I want there to be a presence in the room – for the audience not just to watch, but to feel part of what’s happening.

And honestly – getting gigs isn’t always the easiest thing. But we’re really doing our best to get me out there and make it happen. And I believe that once things start rolling a bit more, once the music reaches people, those opportunities will also grow naturally.

For me, the most important thing is that there is honesty in the moment. That it’s not about performing, but about sharing something. And if I can make someone feel a little less alone, or a little more seen, then I’ve done what I want to do.

When you look back on Idol – what was the most unexpected thing you learned about yourself?

Wow… that I can actually stand firm in who I am, even when everything around me is trying to shape me.

I went into Idol with a pretty clear mindset: to just be myself. And what surprised me the most was probably that it actually carried me all the way. That I didn’t have to compromise, didn’t have to adapt to be liked – that it was enough to be honest in what I did.

That was quite a powerful insight to take with me from there.

Was there ever a moment when you thought: “okay, I could actually win this”?

No, I actually never did.

I know I was considered one of the favourites quite early on, and that many people around me said it – but hearing that is one thing, and feeling it is something completely different. I was so absorbed in the process, in each week, that I never really allowed myself to think that far ahead.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve fully landed in the fact that I actually won yet. It still feels a little unreal.

What was harder – the pressure from outside or your own expectations?

If I’m completely honest, I never experienced Idol as heavy in that way. I genuinely had fun.

I was 27, in the middle of life with work, studies, bills and all of that – and suddenly I got to step into a world where every day I was doing what I love most. It almost felt like life paused for a little while, in a beautiful way.

Getting to stand on stage every week and communicate emotions… that wasn’t pressure for me, it was a privilege.

If you could redo one performance today, which one would you choose and what would you do differently?

Honestly, none – every performance reflects where I was at that exact moment, and there’s value in that.

But if I had to choose something, maybe I would have made a different choice during the viewers’ week. I chose The Story, which I feel very safe in. But with a little more time, I probably could have taken on Kiwi by Harry Styles – which would have been a more unexpected choice.

At the same time… I believe in trusting your gut. And in that moment, it was the right decision.

What is the biggest myth about winning Idol that you would like to kill?

That everything is “done” once you win.

It’s actually more like that’s when everything really begins. And what many people don’t see is that it takes time to build a sustainable artistry afterwards.

You’re quite quickly put into a box as an “Idol winner”, and that can be both a strength and a limitation. I’ve definitely noticed that there are situations where it has been more of an obstacle than an advantage.

And when people say “what happened to the Idol winner?”, they miss the whole process behind it. This isn’t something that happens overnight – it’s something that grows, step by step.

Did you ever feel that people had a fixed “image” of you that you needed to break free from?

Yes, definitely.

I think that’s quite inevitable in that kind of format – you get labelled pretty quickly. In my case, it became a lot of “the rock girl”, which I understand. I love singing rock and it’s part of me.

But it’s not the whole picture. My artistry is broader and more nuanced than that.

At the same time, I’ve also learned not to completely reject those images. Put me at a corporate event and I can absolutely deliver rock star – no problem.

But in my own creative work, I want to be allowed to be more than that.

What has been the hardest part about going your own way instead of taking the “easy” path after Idol?

I think I’m quite good at reading people – understanding what is expected and adapting to it. And that has sometimes made me compromise a little more than what actually feels good for me.

So the hardest part has probably been finding my way back. Back to why I started making music in the first place – and back to who I am within it.

Entering an environment where music is also a business, where a lot is about what works and what sells, can make you lose yourself a bit if you’re not careful. And I think I came close to that for a while.

But today, I’m in a completely different place. Now it’s about being me – fully. Without compromising away what feels true. And that is a much stronger place to create from.

When did you first feel: “now I actually sound like myself”?

With So Bad – and with what’s coming next.

That was the first time it really felt like everything aligned. Like there was no distance between me and what I was singing. No facade, no filter – just me, all the way through.

And that’s quite a special feeling when you finally land in it. Like something falls into place that you didn’t even really know you were missing.

How do you notice that you’ve developed as an artist – is it in the music or in the way you think?

Time. Truly, time.

I notice that I’m developing in every small part – every song, every melody, every lyric, every story I try to tell. Everything builds on what I did before.

But maybe most of all in how I see myself. I’ve started to believe that I can actually write music. Not just that I’m “okay” or “on my way” – but that I actually can.

And that difference in how you see yourself… it affects everything.

If “So Bad” was a person – how would it behave at a party?

It would be that slightly too happy, slightly too drunk person who just wants to have fun and genuinely means well. Dancing, laughing, talking to everyone – pretty fearless in the moment.

But at the same time, it would have zero self-preservation when it comes to who it ends up with. Says “it’s fine” a few too many times, stays a little too long and trusts a little too quickly.

Not because it wants to end up in the wrong place, but more because it doesn’t quite see that it’s the one creating the same situation over and over again.

You make music at home in the living room… what has suffered the most: cosy sofa time or neighbourly peace?

Cosy sofa time, 100%.

The neighbours are basically never disturbed – we truly have the best neighbours in the world. So we’ve been lucky there.

But cosy sofa time has definitely… evolved a little. It’s not always Netflix and a calm evening; sometimes it’s guitars, recordings and sitting for hours working on one lyric. But somehow, that’s still my kind of cosy.

What is the strangest thing that has inspired a song you’ve written?

I’ve actually written a song that I don’t even know if I’ll release, called What Makes Girls Fall In Love. And the title says quite a lot, hehe.

It’s very much about that strange thing where you’re drawn to the same type of people over and over again – often the ones who maybe don’t quite have their life, their relationships… or their home, if we’re being honest, in order.

And still, those are the ones you fall for. Maybe it isn’t that strange really – but it’s probably one of the more unusual songs I’ve written compared to what I usually do. And maybe also one of the most self-ironic.

If your life was a Netflix series – what would the first episode be called?

Better Luck Next Time.

Pretty fitting, actually. I’ve tried many times, in many different directions, and it hasn’t always landed the way I imagined.

But there’s something beautiful in that too – in continuing, in being a little stubborn about it. And then suddenly something happens that you didn’t quite dare to count on… like winning Idol.

So yes, it would be a pretty honest first episode. A little chaos, a little growth, and an unexpected ending.

If someone played you in a film about your life – who would you cast?

I think I have to say Nina Dobrev.

Partly because I love her, and I’ve absolutely watched The Vampire Diaries more times than I want to admit, but also because someone once said I looked like her… when I had a side part and brown hair.

And I just thought: “I’m taking that with me for the rest of my life, thank you”. So yes – she gets the role.

What is something you are disproportionately good at that has nothing to do with music?

Talking. Like… really talking.

I can analyse everything – emotions, situations, small details – but the best, or worst, part is that my partner is exactly the same. So we don’t even talk each other’s ears off… we enjoy it.

It’s basically two people going: “should we turn this over one more time?”

And then, completely unrelated, I’m also unreasonably fast at eating. Which feels like a strange but very consistent skill.

If you had three minutes on TV – what would you do?

The dream would be to do something that actually makes a difference – not just for one individual, but for society as a whole.

Whether that’s through a song or a well-worded speech doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it reaches people. That there are those few minutes where something lands, where someone maybe stops and starts thinking differently.

I care deeply about giving children and young people better opportunities. Creating more safe spaces, opening up youth centres, giving them places where they can exist, grow and feel seen.

Because in the end, that’s what it’s about – people feeling that they belong somewhere. And if I can contribute to that, even just a little, then that feels truly meaningful.