heavy on the heart. “Mr. Know It All”
Heavy on the heart. may be new to the scene, but they are not to be overlooked. Like a rolling fireball, they fill up every venue and acoustic space with fierce energy and infectious melodies. “Mr. Know It All,” inspired by a real-life jerk bags, who was dating multiple girls with the same name at the same time, sends a message to everyone who’s in the dating scene—know your worth and pay attention to red flags. With flaming guitars shooting fire into the sky and lead singer Nikki’s powerhouse vocal that rocks those highly relatable lyrics, “Mr. Know It All” is a heavy hitter, easy to love.
As a debut single from heavy on the heart., “Mr. Know It All” takes something from pop and punk and rubs it with emo. Catchy, loud, unapologetic and full of angst, the song is definitely sending all the jerk bags out there in flame. There’s so much passion in heavy on the heart.’s music. Their sound comes from a place of empowerment and liberation, and even though the track falls into the heavier side, the listening experience is fun-filled and cathartic.
Read our interview with the masterminds—Nikki and Costas and learn more about their separate and collective journeys as musicians.
Punk Head: I love how cinematic and infectiously powerful "Mr. Know It All" is. Is the song inspired by a real-life event/person?
Nikki: Yes, Mr. Know it All was actually inspired by a real person. I was dating a guy that was dating multiple girls with the same name, at the same time so he wouldn’t confuse us when he talked to us or took us out. He acted like the knight and shining armor all women would dream about. He said everything right and did everything right, until he didn’t. One day Costas and I were sitting around talking about how we could write this song from a female perspective and I told him about this guy and he obviously laughed but said it could be super relatable and this incredible song was born!
PH: Is there a particular message or theme you hope listeners take away from this single?
Nikki: The message I hope that is taken away from this song is know your worth! Not another soul on the planet will give it to you. You deserve the best no matter who you are but do NOT put up with red flags from a person that is scum and not worth your time!
PH: How did your band members initially come together?
Costas: Nikki and I began writing music in December 2020. We initially started writing pop songs and were just going to create a little studio project. I was playing in a band known as PRSNA at the time. PRSNA broke up unexpectedly and abruptly in the summer of 2021 and Nikki and I decided to form a band. Initially it was going to be be a duo.
We hit the studio in September 2021 and recorded 6 songs. Nikki got pregnant and we decided to use the time formulate a band and continue writing new material. Our drummer, Nick Kolokathis came along in November 2021 and we instantly clicked. While Nikki was on maternity leave, Nick and I used that time to try out bass players. It wasn’t until October 2022 where Andrew Nicolae came along and really rounded out the lineup.
We spent the next few months working out kinks, writing and rehearsing. We formally introduced heavy on the heart. on January 27, 2023 opening for The Color Fred and Alex Melton.
PH: How is the music scene in Long Island?
Costas: The music scene on Long Island has always been an up and down slope. It is a very “clicky” place. Almost a bunch of smaller scenes running parallel to each other. I personally feel these smaller scenes are alive but they are not thriving the way they should be. I truly believe in strength and numbers and at the end of the day, music is not a competition. We don’t compete for championships. It would be nice to see the gaps bridged between all these sub scenes and I think it would be beneficial to all involved.
If scene 1 is drawing 50 people, scene 2 is drawing 20 people, scene 3 is drawing 100 people, then combining those scenes would bring roughly 170 people. I think we get so comfortable that we forget there are other ways to expand our reach. Only so many times you can rotate the same 10 bands on a bill before the numbers start dwindling. Before it gets “old.”
There are certainly promoters trying to bridge the gap and I truly respect the hell out of all of them for doing it. Long Island breeds so many talented, amazing and unique bands and they all deserve to be seen and heard. We should be making it easier for them instead of being a hindrance.
Another thing that has been plaguing our scene lately is tribute and cover bands. Truthfully, there is nothing wrong with people paying homage to the bands and artists who inspired them to play. Bars, venues and event halls should be splitting the time between tribute acts and original bands. We all play a role in this emergence and while cover bands serve their purpose and have their place, we need to focus on original and emerging artists as well. I think within the near future, we will see a little shift in this momentum though. There is only so many times a venue can book the same tribute band or multiple tribute bands who are paying homage to the same artist. With original music, the sky is the limit to how far it could go. When it comes to tribute acts, there is a finish line with where it could go before they have even played their first show. This is not a knock to anybody. Just my thoughts on the matter. I respect anybody who can get on a stage and do their thing.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Costas: Playing music is something I do to feel complete. To feel whole. To feel normal. To feel like me. It’s one of the few things nobody can ever take away from me. If you are passionate about something, do it. Don’t stop doing it. Keep on doing it. We only have one life and we need to live it to its fullest.
Nikki: Singing is something I am so passionate about. I was a classically trained singer when I was younger when I was 18 I got into a car accident that crushed my larynx and I thought I would never be able to sing again. I went through the next few years still singing in the shower and performing hit concerts in my car to myself however something was still missing. In December of 2020 I decided that I was going to gift my husband an original song and I reached out to Costas for his help. We wrote and recorded the song in just under three weeks. Thanks to Costas guidance and knowledge in the field, a huge flame was relit and I knew that I needed to get back into singing. I finally told Costas this is something I would absolutely love to continue and asked if he would continue working with me. The rest is history. Singing is part of my soul and makes me feel so alive. Especially after having my beautiful son I want him to see that you should never give up on your dreams.
