Nicholas Hennink Releases "Home"

Nick Murray

Nicholas Hennink has a special claim on helping people. He's an Advanced Care Paramedic.

In Nicholas' line of work, they regularly deal with traumatic situations and witness the every day horrors that most people in civil society would prefer not see; death, disfigurement and anguish. People often don't really realize the struggles that EMS workers take home with them, as a result of this.

A lot of the songs from Nicholas' upcoming album, Redemption, are inspired by his work. "There are a lot of deaths that definitely open your eyes to what the world is actually like" he said.

His most recent single, "Home", which is now available on ITunes, Spotify and Apple Music, has been dedicated to his uncle, Andre Hennink, who took his life after a long fight with depression. It's an ethereal rock song, Nick's voice ringing clear above a lush arrangement of chords and keys: "You scream and cry/ I can hear and feel your pain tonight/ you stumble and lie/ don't lose hope/ I'll lead you through the light."

"I just want to impact one person," he said. "I've dealt with it. I found myself in rehab. I know what it's like. When I came out, my goal was to help other people."

All the profits from the song will be donated to TEMA Memorial Trust (www.tema.ca) "It's a charity that supports First Responders" Nicholas said. 

The Tema Conter memorial trust is Canada's leading provider of peer support, family assistance and, education and training for emergency services, public services, military personnel and their families. Their mission is to help the people who help the people for a living. 

"Every song has meaning and personal connection," he said.

This solo project isn't Nicholas' first kick at the rock'n'roll can. When he was younger he played in a band called Stillseed. They were stationed in Regina. "We did a little bit of touring, we were pretty successful" he said.

But after a little stretch of fun and excitement, life and responsibility kicked in. "We got jobs and careers after that. I had my daughter, then focused on my career as an EMS." 

He takes that career very seriously. He's been known to film live interviews, with radio stations, while still wearing his paramedic uniform.

For the recording of Redemption, he worked with Moose Jaw's Jared Robinson at Nebulus Entertainment. "Jared and I click really well" he said. "It feels like we both inspire each other. It's easy with Jared".

Nicholas in the studio with Jared Robinson

In November of 2017, he released the first single, "Please Forgive Me"; it was met with positive reviews and did well to raise money for mental health awareness. After the release of "Home", we can all look forward to the actual Redemption album release, which is slated to come out during EMS Week at the end of May.

Nicholas intends to continue making music in the future. "Last year I was inspired to do more," he said, adding, with Redemption, he is going to "promote it, tour and then start writing some more songs. See how far we can take this."

Listen to "Home"