When Panic! At The Disco concluded their final show on March 10, 2023, in Manchester, England, Nicole Row felt a bittersweet mix of emotions as she closed out her five years in the band. Unsure what her next move was going to be, she decided she’d enjoy a little downtime and focus on her own playing. But as she arose the next morning to catch her flight home, a friend alerted Nicole that Mike Einziger of Incubus was trying to get ahold of her. “It was such crazy timing for that to happen when it did,” she says. “He asked if I was interested in coming out to play with the band. I asked for a day to recover from jet lag after coming off that long tour. A few days later, I was flying out to California to meet them and jam with them. It was pretty surreal.”  Nicole made an immediate impression on guitarist Einziger, vocalist Brandon Boyd, drummer José Pasillas, and DJ Kilmore, as they asked her to join on as their full-time bassist. Longtime member Ben Kenney had left Incubus after recovering from a brain tumor, and Tal Wilkenfeld momentarily filled the position. Nicole’s pedigree in rock and alternative, combined with her background in R&B and soul, made her the perfect fit. With only weeks to woodshed the entire eight-album Incubus catalog, Nicole got to work on mastering the bass lines authentically and dialing in the many tones of Kenney and founding bassist Dirk Lance. After hitting the road and receiving a warm reception from diehard Incubus fans, Incubus asked if she would record on their 23th Anniversary Edition of the seminal album Morning View [2001, Epic]. Having now had some experience with the music onstage, Nicole agreed and put her distinct touch on the songs — most notably via her chordal playing on the intro to “Nice to Know You,” her seismic electric bass and synth work on “Under My Umbrella,” and her deep grooves on “Are You In?” As the band now begins to write material for a new album, Nicole feels right at home in the tightknit group that welcomed her into their family. And her journey to getting there is proof that when one door closes, another one opens. Photo by Sid Moro I mourned [the end of Panic] a little bit, but I felt positive. I’ve taken some strange risks in my career in regards to moving on without anything coming up, and seeing what happens. Obviously it worked out really well this time. When the end of Panic! At the Disco was revealed, what was your reaction?  I kind of saw it coming, but it was still a shock when I found out. Fortunately, my whole life prior was always rolling into the next thing. I’ve hopped around to different artists and doing my own thing on the side, too. When Brandon [Urie] let us know what was going to happen, I was more so sad that I wasn’t going to get to see those people as much anymore, because they’re such a fun group and we had the best time. I mourned a little bit, but I felt positive. I’ve taken some strange risks