Before Nicky Costabile was a YouTube sensation she was a high school girl with a heart of gold. I had the pleasure of working with her in several service efforts as one of the faculty members at Immaculate Heart Academy in Bergen County, NJ.  Check her out below jamming at a dance for special needs kids in Spring of 2013 and performing at a Thanksgiving dinner for the local elderly during the Fall of 2011. (Sorry Nicky — I save everything and had to brag about your awesomeness!)

The good news is her heart and her visibility has GONE PLATINUM. She’s garnered over ONE MILLION YouTube views of her performance of the daughter’s response to the dad’s response to the song “Rude” by Magic! (yes follow all of that!) I caught up with Nicky recently and interviewed her. Get Smart Mentoring is super proud of Nicky, and her friend Marisa the lyricist, for amplifying  a powerful message about women owning their own lives, decisions, and power.

Tell us a little bit about you: Where you are from? What you are up to in life?

Hi! My name is Nicky! I spend most of my time playing music or eating pizza. I’m from Hillsdale, New Jersey and am currently studying popular music at William Paterson University. 

What inspired you to create a different version of this song?

Well for starters, I didn’t write it. hahaha! The song was written by my friend Marisa Di Frisco. It was written as a response to Magic’s “Rude” The Dad’s Side of The Story, a dad’s perspective.

Did you expect that this would go viral the way it has? Why or Why not?

I didn’t expect it to get this many views at all. It was just a video I made on my iphone in my bedroom, while sitting on my bed. My mindset was far from viral, but that just goes to show that anyone has the ability of making a video that could be seen by a lot of people!

What do you hope every woman takes away from this song?

I hope it brings a smile to anyone’s face because in the end I am just trying to put music out into the world that can inspire and empower people. For this song in particular, I know people interpreted it in many different ways, but to me that is so special because it shows how passionate people are towards what they believe in.

What next? Has this effort opened up new opportunities for you?

I’m currently performing as much as possible and in the process of recording my first EP. I’m so excited for people to hear the songs that I have been writing and working on for a long time now.  Because of the video’s success, it has given me exposure and opened doors for me to connect with some great people in entertainment.

Is there anything else you want to share about yourself or the song?

If anyone reading this needs any type of inspiration I’ll spin a little here. I think that we all have a passion for a reason. Figuring out that reason at times may be difficult, but I believe if you go with what you’re passionate about, then everything will fall into place the way it’s meant to be. If you want to try something then try it! Just do it and stop letting fear get in the way. Life is too short for any of that nonsense!