Nick grew up listening to a variety of music that kids his age were not usually listening to. This was thanks to his good friend Conor. Nick and Conor grew up across the street from one another. Around the ages of 8 and 10, Nick and Conor would listen to artists such as Frank Zappa and Green Day in Conor's basement. Nick grew up listening to Aerosmith. The reason for this was because Aerosmith that was the first rock album that Nick ever recieved at around the age of six. Conor and Nick have had a long past together, and becuase of this they have what they like to call an unbreakable bond. Nick started to play the guitar around the age of 9. After a few years of learning on his own, he decided to take up lessons. A few years after this Nick decided to stop his guitar playing, it was not until Conor encouraged him to start playing again that he continued his musical talent. From this, Nick convinced Conor to start singing, and that was when the Merks were born.