Junior Nick Meyerson, who composes, arranges and produces his own music, has been working on an extended-play album since 2013. He provides vocals and piano while his friends, including co-producer Luke Darger, help with the rest.

Thanks to his friendships and connections, Meyerson has managed to keep the album low-cost and is “not just throwing money at something just because someone says you have to.”

While he does plan to release the album as a complete product, Meyerson can’t wait to share some of his work. “Old School,” the first single of the album, was released on SoundCloud on March 4.

“It’s always gonna be a work in progress, but it gets to the point where you have to share … I have these stories that I have to share,” Meyerson said.

One way Meyerson saves money is by using unconventional recording spaces. Although he uses a studio for recording percussion, he records his own voice wherever it’s quiet – whether that means his own house or a soundproof room on South Campus.

His resourcefulness, however, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about quality music.

“The art of the story is very important,” Meyerson said. He wants to make sure the music he produces and performs reflects those stories in a high-quality way. “I try to make sure I don’t hit the stage until there’s something worth sharing or worth seeing.”

Meyerson got his creative start simply by listening to music on the radio. Artists Meyerson liked while growing up, such as Missy Elliot and Montell Jordan, have a strong influence on his music.

“I didn’t have a lot to do as an only child in Delano but sit and listen to the radio,” he said. “And during that time, a lot of mainstream music was R&B, and it was really good quality R&B.”

When Meyerson enrolled at St. Thomas, Darger asked him to be a vocalist in his band, Space Exploders. Although the band no longer exists the group still plays together.

“Since (Meyersons) been working on his record, we’ve been getting together and jamming a lot,” Darger said.

Darger played some piano for “NJ” and is helping arranging and producing the album. Darger said he and Meyerson work well together because of their shared musical work ethic and openness to experimentation.

“You just play around with sounds until it sounds good,” Darger said.

Although Meyerson doesn’t classify his music within a certain genre, there is one common theme that runs throughout.

“Everything comes from the soul,” Meyerson said. “It’s soul music.”

Meyerson plans to release the entire EP at the end of the summer. He hopes to perform in smaller venues and eventually at places like the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis.

For now, Meyerson said he feels happier and more creative than ever and can’t wait for the album release. He plans to put “NJ” on SoundCloud first and hopes to make it available on iTunes and Spotify in the future.

“Get ready for some stories,” he said.

Elena Neuzil can be reached at neuz3833@stthomas.edu.