Wilmington musician lands a song on former President Obama's summer Spotify playlist

A Wilmington-based musician is receiving some high-profile props because Barack Obama selected one of his band's songs for the former President's annual summer Spotify playlist.

Nicolay, a Dutch-born producer and songwriter who has lived in Wilmington since the late 2000s (his birth name is Matthijs Rook), is one half of the Grammy-nominated R&B duo The Foreign Exchange. The other half is Nicolay's longtime musical partner, Raleigh-based vocalist and songwriter Phonte Coleman.

The Foreign Exchange song Obama selected for his sixth annual summer playlist is "Better," a track from the group's 2013 album "Love in Flying Colors." The track features North Carolina-based cellist and songwriter Shana Tucker and the rapper/singer/producer Eric Roberson.

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"Better" kicks off with a groovy, bouncy piano line from Nicolay and features The Foreign Exchange's signature blend of R&B, jazz, hip-hop and other flavors.

It's one of 144 songs on the wide-ranging playlist, which has gotten considerable media attention and puts The Foreign Exchange shoulder to shoulder with such musical luminaries as Beyonce, Harry Styles, Wet Leg and Kacey Musgraves. Also included are old-school artists like Joe Cocker, Al Green and Prince.

"For both of us, this was just out of the blue," Nicolay said Monday during a phone interview. On Wednesday of last week, when the playlist was announced, "My phone just started going crazy with notifications on Instagram and Twitter."

"We instantly saw a boost on Spotify, for whatever that's worth," he added, joking that "we'll make 10 cents more next month or whatever it is."

But while inclusion on Obama's list likely won't result in much of a financial boost,  "It says that people continue to discover our work," Nicolay said. "What makes it really great is, not only is it a 10-year-old song, but it's not the beaten-path choice."

Nicolay said he's perused Obama's list in the past, and "I've always known it to be a cool playlist. He'll have some middle-of-the road stuff but there's also some flavor."

The Foreign Exchange formed in the early 2000s when Nicolay, who was still living in the Netherlands at the time, and Coleman, formerly of North Carolina hip-hop standouts Little Brother, began a musical collaboration via the internet, emailing tracks back and forth between them.

They earned a cult following for 2004 debut "Connected," then drew more mainstream notice in 2010 when "Daykeeper," a song from 2008 album "Leave It All Behind," scored a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

More: Nicolay relishes Grammy nomination

Nicolay also does solo work, and just last year released three EPs of layered, largely instrumental electronic music under the collective title "Analog Dreams."

More: Grammy-nominated Wilmington musician Nicolay ends 2020 with 3 new EPs

The Foreign Exchange has been a independent act from the get-go, so "we've always been kind of an underdog," Nicolay said. "It's a position that suits us."

Which makes the flurry of playlist-inspired attention even more valuable to The Foreign Exchange than it might be for the household names on Obama's list.

"It's great for us, great for the state. An unexpected moment in the sun," Nicolay said, joking that "it is 2022, so next week we'll all move on."

The fact that Nicolay is a fan and supporter of the former president "makes it just that much more cool," he said. "It has given us motivation to keep going. We were very flattered, but what mainly made it really special is the reaction of friends and family and fans and stuff."

In his introduction to the Spotify list, Obama wrote that, "Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies. It’s an example of how music really can bring us all together."

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com. 

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange has song on Obama's Spotify playlist