Nikki Lane Is 'Proud' of How Far She's Come in Her Career: 'I'm Soaking That Up'

Nikki Lane has been breaking barriers in the country music industry — and she isn't stopping anytime soon.

The singer, 40, who has been referred to as "The First Lady of Outlaw Country," didn't write her first song until she was 25 years old, but she's definitely made a name for herself, as she's toured with Chris Stapleton and is close friends with Lana del Rey. "A lot of us grew up trying to feel like they're making their family proud, and coming from a small town in the south and then telling my mom, dad and grandpa that I was moving out to California to be a fashion designer and then shifting in my 20s to country music — there was a lot of doubt [about making it]. There have been benchmarks. I've been proud to play the Opry and the Ryman numerous times. When you get to play an amphitheater, you're really on your way," the 40-year-old, who is the recipient of a brand-new custom Indian Scout Motorcycle, built and designed by female vintage bike racer and builder Brittney Olsen, exclusively tells OK!.

Over her expansive career, Lane has gotten the opportunity to work with some country greats — which is something she'll never forget. "I've had a couple of pinch-me moments — getting to stand side by side with Kris Kristofferson. Emmylou Harris and I got close at a benefit once, getting a song on Lana's record was a big moment for me. Those are just the little moments where I'm like, 'The world is full of little surprises, if you're willing to go looking for them.'"

Lane is also grateful to get to be a woman in country, as she feels the genre is shifting and "making room" for everyone.

"We have to keep working hard because it's still not a clear path, but I've definitely felt doors open for me as country has become more popular," the "First High" songstress shares. "It's one of those things where what I play wouldn't be country, it might be indie or outlaw country. I purposely was trying to stand on the outskirts. I was wearing hats that were shaped differently than other people during that time period, like subtle things that I thought would diversify me."

In the meantime, since Lane is paving the way for others, especially women in the country world, it was a no-brainer she was the recipient of a brand-new custom Indian Scout motorcycle, built and designed by female vintage bike racer and builder Olsen.

As an artist whose music hits the sweet spot between rock ‘n’ roll and country, and an avid motorcyclist, Lane may not be your typical female country singer. As part of Indian Motorcycle’s “Forged” custom bike series, the brand is producing compelling lifestyle content highlighting each celebrity influencer, each builder, and how motorcycles fit their lifestyle, and Lane and Olsen are the program's first female duo.

"Throughout my life, I've been a big fan of Indian Scout Motorcycle, however, I've never personally owned one," she shares. "My dad was a motocross racer in the seventies and eighties, and he met my mom at a motocross race. So, I've been a huge fan of Indian and the motorcycle culture for a long time. It's provided me with a really strong community and a lot friends that have commonalities and common interests. I also think it's really important to look different. I wore vintage at 14 or 15 years old to dances and proms. It was because I couldn't afford to keep up with a lot of the girls in my demographic in my community. I'm hashtagging custom everything, and Brittney Olsen, who at the time is an antique motorcycle racer and collector, doesn't know who Nikki Lane is. She found a similar post with a girl that looks reminiscent of her and realizes there's this country singer in Nashville, Tenn., that has also used this hashtag, and that's how we met! 10 years ago she reached out to me and was like, 'I listen to your music while I work in the shop, I'm such a fan.' For the last decade, we've been buddies in passing, sharing stories online, commenting and becoming friendly."

"I knew it was going to be a fully functioning new bike, but I didn't realize how incredible this suspension would be to have the GPS and a large fuel tank, a USB charger, all these modern amenities in a new motorcycle," she explains, adding that she was hoping for the bike to be "new-ish."

"I had a lot of trust in Brittney," she adds of the final product. "For four weeks they were like, 'You need to stop asking Brittney for these pictures and be surprised!' I walked in and saw the bike of my dreams. I was super intimidated at first because its lower wide body stature seemed like something I couldn't handle, but the bike is surprisingly light and just does its job. From an aesthetic perspective, Brittney re-did everything. I fired it up and rode off the second I saw it."

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