 In the mid–1970s Laurien formed the Nick Nicely Band with some friends, playing mostly rock and acoustic numbers.However, the band was never a serious project, and when the other members gave up making music, Laurien was left with their recording equipment and began to write and record his own songs with it.Showcasing his demo tapes to various companies, he was signed by the Heath Levy publishing group who wanted to use some of his songs for other artists.