Nicole Dottavio: 'HOT' Is Out, and It Took a Year of Late Nights to Get Here

A Halloween release wasn't a part of the original plan, but sometimes things just fall right into place like that. "HOT," the debut album from Nicole Dottavio, is out now, released October 31 after a full year of singles that turned her release calendar into a sleep schedule gone completely sideways.

Rewind to the start. She showed up in October 2025 with "Ghost In Silence," her first single, and it did not arrive quietly. It came with its own mini video on DistroVid and merch already attached. Most artists wait until somebody is paying attention before doing all of that. She did it first, one single deep, which tells you a lot about the momentum behind Nicole's run.

She started off this year by dropping "Be With You" in January, an energetic pop punk track that embodies that feeling of a love struck obsession. Then in March, she dropped "3 AM", which switches the perspective to the one being obsessed over. All of Nicole's music is just really fun to listen to and these are great examples.

So yeah, her original plan was to drop the full album in June of 2026, but she came up with 2 more songs that just felt like they were supposed to be in on it, "Pixie Dust" and "Glitter Tears". Good things take time, so there was no point in rushing to get it all in by June. All this lead to the release date changing to Halloween 2026, which was actually more fitting than a June drop anyway since its pretty much the most appropriate day for the fun, Punk kinda thing she's got going on with "HOT".

Nicole told us that she isn't entirely opposed to getting signed to a label at some point, but she made the decision to just go the DIY route since it gives her the freedom to make what she feels should be made instead of what a label might dictate. Right now, she's chasing her dreams at full speed, and we love to see it.

All of this was the runway to "HOT." The album is the full statement, filed by Nicole herself under punk, pop, and alt, and the rollout is pure DIY. The cover is her in a spotted fur coat under pink light, her name spelled out with hearts. The merch line covers tees, a hoodie, a tote, a mug, even a fine art poster. She has guested live on The TKR Show and runs her own store. There is no machine behind any of it that we can find. The operation is the artist.

New here? Do it in this order. Start with "Ghost In Silence," still her most played song and the one that kicked the whole year off.

Then go straight to "HOT" and hear where the year was heading. Total time commitment, maybe about a coffee. Total payoff, a debut album that actually feels earned.

Keep up with Nicole

• Instagram: @nicoledottavio
• Spotify: Nicoledottavio
• "HOT" on DistroKid: HyperFollow page
• "Ghost In Silence" on DistroKid: HyperFollow page