Exron Exclusive Interview: NURKO

NURKO has built a deep connection with his fans through music designed to be felt, not merely heard.

Coming from a family of musicians, it was almost inevitable that NURKO, formally known as Jack Leech, would tread a similar musical path. In 2015, he made his initial breakthrough in the scene with the release of his hit track, “Goodbye.”

NURKO would describe himself as an emotional artist crafting songs that evoke deep feelings and comfort in his listeners. The lines in the symbol of his branding is representative of the pillars that form the foundation of his musical storytelling. He describes it as, “Various pillars of the symbol land in different parts of the world. People are now discovering them. The symbol represents peace and happiness. When people come in contact with it, they feel peace.”

This story began with his first EP, “Arrival,” followed by his second EP, “Discovery,” which was released earlier this June. This was accompanied by a huge 22-stop tour across the United States. Back in the studio and riding the wave of inspiration, we had the opportunity to sit down with NURKO and discuss his upbringing, life on tour, and motivation behind producing melodic bass.

Exron Music: Can you share where your stage name NURKO come from?

It’s actually a street that’s in my hometown from where I was born. There is a lot of artists that lived and moved there. So it’s close to New York. My parents are artists, so that’s where I got into music and everything. The street resembles where I come from.

Exron Music: Being born into a musical family and learning instruments at a young age, when did you find yourself making electronic music?

I started out just with drums, piano, and listening to rock music but then I went to a show in New York in 2013. I just went to this concert and I was like, yeah, I can see myself doing this. I connected with it a lot. I wanted to make that kind of music and electronic vibe, so it just went from there.

Exron Music: Out of all the electronic genres, why are you drawn to creating melodic bass music, specifically?

I like to make stuff that’s kind of emotional and connect to people’s feelings. Some people cry, some people listen to it while they’re going through something, whether it’s a breakup or just wanting something to listen to. I guess I found my niche through experimenting with other genres.

Exron Music: You’ve been producing music since 2016, and have had multiple collaborations with people like Illenium and Dabin. What is the dream collaboration, and why would it be so special to you?

I would say Skrillex would probably be my number one. When I first started listening to electronic music, that was when he was starting to pop off. But at that point, I didn’t want to make it quite yet. I was just listening to it. When he does do melodic stuff, it’s pretty insane. His vocal chops are just another level. He’s just all around, production-wise, just one of the GOATs.

Exron Music: What if the melodic bass if the genre didn’t exist, what would you find yourself creating?

I definitely dabble with progressive house. I guess that’s kind of like melodic bass in a way. It’s still very melodic, but it’s just over more of a house kind of beat. I used to make a lot more chill stuff, so I can see going back to that.

Exron Music: Beyond music, do you have any other creative outlets or hobbies that you do to find inspiration or keep a balanced lifestyle as a DJ?

Yeah, during the tour I kind of fell off from exercising because I was so busy, but I try and exercise as much as I can. So going to the gym and and then just playing, playing some video games like Elden Ring and God of war.

Exron Music: Your music has touched the lives of so many fans, being emotional and having this kind of connection that you put into the music. Do you have a song or an artist that does the same for you?

It’s not necessarily electronic music, but Nirvana is a big band that I’ve connected to and Jimmy Hendrix. He has a lot of songs that are pretty personal to me, just from growing up listening to old rock.

Exron Music: Do you pull inspiration from older, non-electronic songs into your music?

Yeah, a little bit. The thing that inspires me with those songs is just the importance of melody. They have some songs where the melody is just so strong that that’s why the song is so timeless. Almost. It’s been like 30, 40 years and people are still blasting a lot of that stuff.

Exron Music: Congrats on wrapping your Discovery tour. How was the whole experience in comparison to your previous tour, and what was your favorite city that you played in?

Thank you. It was definitely a different experience than the first tour. I felt like it was a level up from the rooms and just the amount of people that came out. We also had a VJ who was with us the whole tour. It felt like a big family traveling. I would say that my favorite city would probably be… Webster Hall, New York, because that’s a hometown show and it sold out, which is pretty cool for me.

Exron Music: How was the feeling of playing a sold-out show in your hometown?

It was awesome because melodic bass is not the biggest market there. There are a lot of people wanting more house-y kind of vibe. So I was pretty surprised with the turnout. I also really liked Minneapolis at Skyway. The crowd, just energy, was insane. So yeah, that would be probably my top two.

Exron Music: Now that you’re back home, are there plans for new music on the way? What can you share with us?

Yeah, definitely… My story is going by chapters. So the next chapter would be another EP, and then after that would most likely be my first album. I have some cool collaborations and stuff I’m working on and I’m also experimenting with different genres that I’m not fully used to try it out.