For Nikko Ielasi, the “Rebirth” album goes far beyond music. There’s a very touching and inspiring story behind it all. A story of pain and loss but also one of passion, resilience and, finally, victory.

On the morning of August 16th, 2019, while in Italy he woke up suddenly and almost completely deaf on the right side. The immediate diagnosis: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Irreversible. As a result, to this day, Nikko is severely hearing-impaired on the right side. What followed were some of the hardest months he had ever faced. Depression, anxiety and the newly distorted sound perception nearly brought him to a place of surrender. Instead, through patience and faith, he slowly began playing piano and composing music again. The “Rebirth” idea was quickly born.

“Rebirth (The Trio Suite)” is Nikko’s 3rd Album. It stands as a new, dynamic, harmony-filled trio project, featuring Taylor Gordon A.K.A. The Pocket Queen on drums (Fifth-Harmony, Dua Lipa, Adam Lambert, Alfredo Rodriguez) and Dmitry Gorodetsky on Bass (John Legend, Charlie Puth, Harvey Mason, Dionne Warwick). 

The project showcases Nikko’s versatile voice both as pianist and composer. A unique sound capable of bringing together the harmonic and improvisational language of jazz, melodic ideas rooted in the Italian tradition and rhythmic concepts inspired by the history of BAM (Black American Music). 

The record features 11 brand-new compositions (including the solo-piano piece “Fear”) plus 1 bonus track, Nikko’s own arrangement of the 1985 popular hit “Take on Me” by the group A-ha. It was released on August 16th, 2020, exactly one year after Nikko’s sudden hearing loss. A new beginning, the start of a new journey.