WENDY MOTEN
Biography
Still riding high on the momentum of the career Renaissance she’s experienced since her inspiring success as runner up on Season 21 of NBC’s “The Voice,” Wendy Moten has, throughout an extraordinary 2023, continued to conquer her two beloved hometowns – Nashville (where she’s lived for over 25 years) her birth city of Memphis. Three decades after releasing her self-titled debut album and hitting the Top 5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart with “Come in Out of the Rain” – also a #1 hit in Japan and a Top Ten hit in the UK – the multi-talented, genre-transcendent singer is still winning the hearts of fans in the many genres she loves, records and performs in – R&B, jazz, country and pop.
Though Wendy launched her career as EMI Records’ powerhouse answer to Whitney Houston, her many years touring as a backup singer with Faith Hill & Tim McGraw and Vince Gill made her a certifiable and mega-popular country girl. Since making her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 2019, she has appeared there over 30 times, in addition to a performing many times as a special guest at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum (CMHOFM) – including last year’s inductee ceremony and as in September 2023 as part of Hank’s 100th: A Concert in Celebration of Hank Williams, presented by Spotify.
The singer has also been a part of two special events sponsored by Country Music Television (CMT). She co-hosted the “Next Women of Country” Showcase with CMT Senior VP Leslie Fram at City Winery Nashville – dedicated to shining a light on what’s up and coming in the genre – and performed “I Still Believe in You” on CMT Giants: Vince Gill, a tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter which also featured Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Sting and Chris Stapleton. She also toured with Gill and joined him onstage when he opened for the Eagles. During a special moment in the show, she took the spotlight and sang the classic “Ode to Billie Joe.”
Wendy’s Music City activities in 2023 included performing with the Black Opry, hosting the Recording Academy’s Grammy Block Party and returning every Monday night to 3rd & Lindsley as a member of the Grammy winning Nashville swing band The Time Jumpers. She also kicked off the tribute to Ringo Starr’s induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame with a performance of his 70’s hit “Photograph” – an experience she calls “otherworldly.” Down in Austin TX, she participated for the first time in several panels at SXSW.
Just down the road in Memphis, on October 29, Wendy received a coveted brass note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame, joining the legendary likes of Elvis Presley, B.B. King, W.C. Handy, Johnny Cash and contemporary jazz great Kirk Whalum who put Memphis music on the map. “I’ve always wanted to keep a bright light shining on Memphis music and its people,” she says. “I never thought this could ever happen in my lifetime.”
In addition to NYC performances at Birdland and Carnegie Hall (as part of a special symphony and string quartet show called “We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust”), she received a star in front of Halloran Center for Performing Arts in Memphis and sold out the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN. In the midst of all these activities close to home, Wendy hooked up the smooth jazz elite (Boney James, David Sanborn, Gerald Albright, Najee) and performed at the Mexican Jazz Experience in Puerto Vallarta.
A few years after her triumphant run on “The Voice,” Wendy was invited back to honor departing coach (and her show mentor) Blake Shelton on his last show. She joined Cee Lo Green for a medley of 80s hits with other Team Blake contestants from past seasons. A few months earlier, she flew to Las Vegas to perform at Shelton’s groundbreaking announcement of his new club, Ole Red.
Besides her stellar performances which won the nation’s hearts (to the tune of eight million weekly viewers), her participation in the show was something of a fulfilled prophecy as she’s been affectionately known as “The Voice” in various industry circles for years due to her galvanizing versatility as a charting artist, guest vocalist on smash hits for other artists, interpreter of the Great American Songbook and classic country music. Faithful viewers also remember how she persevered her last few weeks in the competition after suffering an onstage fall after a rendition of “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” with Shelton and fellow Team Blake members Lana Scott and Paris Winningham.
“Week after week, with every performance,” she adds, “my mission was to get a message across that artists my age and older still have value. My goal was to encourage myself and others with dreams who feel the deck is stacked against them. They may seem impossible, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Anyone who thought what I did was amazing, I want to tell them that there are millions more like me over 50 working on their crafts and doing incredible things.”
On the recording front in 2023, Wendy was one of the singers selected to participate in A Tribute To The Judds, an all-star recording featuring many legends of country music; she sang “Had a Dream (For The Heart) as a duet with O.N.E. the Duo. Participating in Dalamhati: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective, Vol. 3, a star-studded compilation project helmed by award-winning Filipino producer Troy Laureta, she recorded a soaring contemporary update of her career-launching single “Come In Out of the Rain” with Filipino pop singer Sheryn Regis.”
Wendy also released the country-blues influenced solo single “Don’t Give Up,” a co-write with David Santos inspired by the philosophy that has given her the strength and determination to pursue her dreams in the music industry, through all the ups and downs, for over three decades. In addition, she recently collaborated on four songs with different artists: a burning cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” with The Bar-Kays and Eric Gales; “The Way It Is” with The Justus Brothers; “The Potter’s House” with the contemporary Christian vocal trio Selah; and most recently, “Rhinestone Cowgirl,” a Latin-fired re-imagining of the Glen Campbell classic with Stephanie Urbina Jones.
Prior to these, Wendy reconnected with Mark Nordman, President of Woodward Avenue Records, to record a rousing, gospel, soul and jazz driven version of Stevie Wonder’s classic universal love anthem “As.” Produced by Lew Laing, Wendy and bassist Brandon Brown, the track was recorded in L.A. with an ensemble of fellow Memphis born musicians, some of whom have toured with Wonder and other iconic artists like Britney Spears. Working with musicians from her hometown made the session feel like a soulful and funky taste of home.
For Wendy, the release of “As” marked a thrilling return to the Woodward Avenue eight years after her previous full length release on the label Timeless: Wendy Moten Sings Richard Whiting, a tribute to the deeper catalog of the classic songwriter whose tunes (including “Hooray For Hollywood,” “Ain’t We Got Fun,” “On the Good Ship Lollipop”) helped define the jazz age of the 1920s and film musical era of the 1930s. Showcasing Wendy’s keen and crafty and often sassy musical storytelling talents, the album was produced by Grammy winning contemporary urban jazz hitmaker Paul Brown and featured one track with Dave Koz.
Wendy’s return to smooth jazz radio with “As” also harkened back to a unique stretch earlier in her career when she recorded popular duets with various pop and jazz artists, most notably, a vibrant twist on another Stevie Wonder classic “All I Do” with Kirk Whalum on the saxophonist’s For You Album which became a crossover hit, hitting the Adult R&B Airplay chart. Her other collaborations were with Michael McDonald (“No Love To Be Found”), Peabo Bryson (“My Gift is You”), Larry Carlton (“I Still Believe”) and Julio Iglesias (“Just Walk Away”), the latter whom she toured with for over 15 years.
Testament to Wendy’s ever-evolving artistry and desire to explore her favorite genres, in 2020 she paid homage to Nashville with the release of I’ve Got You Covered, an album of classic 60’s and 70’s country tunes produced by Gill, Featuring her takes on songs by everyone from Ernest Tubb and Bobbie Gentry to George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner, the collection celebrates both her love for traditional country and her many years as a backing singer for genre icons like Faith & Tim (2005-18) and Martina McBride (2014-16).
Over the years, in addition to sessions for country greats like McBride, Brooks & Dunn, Hank Williams Jr. and Neal McCoy, her multi-genre studio credits include Dave Stewart, Michael Lington, Alice Cooper, Bonnie Tyler, Buddy Guy, John Oates and Orianthi. In addition, David Foster produced two tracks on Wendy’s second EMI album Time For Change, which was a huge hit overseas.
“Throughout my career, I have found that my strength lies in being a chameleon,” Wendy says, “because it’s helped create longevity, whereas if I had chosen a one-dimensional route as an R&B singer, I would have been trapped in the 90s. The fact that I can still be in the game at the highest levels and have the opportunity to keep dreaming and acting on those dreams to make them come true is a miracle. I always wanted to be the type of singer that can reach the spirit and soul. Whether I am singing an original or cover song, I want to be a messenger, uplifting people and taking them away from their troubles through my performances. This is a deeply spiritual journey for me. I have a gift but that’s not as important as the way the story of a song reaches the heart.”
AJII
Biography
When Lionel Richie looked up prayerfully and said “Hallelujah,” he captured everything the millions of folks watching Ajii’s American Idol Season 22 audition were feeling the minute the soulful Brooklyn born singer sang the first line of Teddy Swims’ megahit “Lose Control.” On his way to a memorable Top 20 finish, he likewise wowed the crowds with an array of songs that speak to his ever-evolving and genre-transcendent artistry – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” (Hollywood Week), Alex Clare’s R&B/dubstep hit “Too Close” (Showstopper Round), Tems’ Afrobeat track “Higher” (Top 24 in Hawaii), Audioslave’s “Like A Stone” and The Weeknd’s “Call Out My Name.”
In one of Ajii’s most memorable moments during Hollywood Week, Richie asked him why he should be the next American Idol. The singer responded, “I don’t know if I speak for everyone in this room, but I don’t want to die with the music in me.” Like the music itself, it’s what came to his heart and soul in that moment. Another endearing part of his story was his shout out to his friend Claire at the nursing home where he worked the night shift as security guard, front desk clerk and intaker. She heard him singing in the halls numerous times and encouraged him to audition.
Testament to Ajii’s great emotional impact on the competition show, he’s one of the rare contestants eliminated before the Top Ten to sign a deal with BMG Nashville/19 Recordings, the label with exclusive rights to sign Idol contestants. His first single “Rich Man” dropped in October, and his follow-up “Gahdayum” releases on December 13. The songs are co-writes by Ajii and several other songwriters, including the team that produced them, L.A. based electronic music producer Marky Style and Jintae Ko, a Grammy winning songwriter/producer who has worked with mega hitmakers OneRepublic, Jason Derulo, Sabrina Carpenter and many others.
These dynamic collabs came about because of Ajii’s tenacity and continued commitment to his dream, even in the face of his elimination from the show. “I could have gone back home to New York to regroup, but instead I and my friend and manager Tanvir Haider, who accompanied and supported me on this journey, decided to stay in L.A. and seek out all the beautiful people who had reached out to me. I strongly felt there would be opportunities to create something amazing, and we didn’t mind the day-to-day financial struggles to achieve that.
“‘Rich Man’ was literally inspired by a call to my mom,” he adds. “She was concerned about the money, but I told her I could literally feel something so good happening here. I mentioned all the amazing artists I had met in these songwriting rooms and made it clear that I couldn’t come home till I had something. To me, the song isn’t literally about someone trying to be rich, but about the journey of trying to get there, and all the sacrifices required to achieve my dream. ‘Gahdayum’ is the perfect follow-up song, about how I went from streetlights to spotlights in just a few months.”
In addition to writing and recording, Ajii has enjoyed some interesting opportunities to perform and give back, starting with casting producer Audrey Pine Wright’s inviting him to the CMA Fest in Nashville to sing onstage with other Idol contestants as part of “The 19 Takeover.” He has also gigged with 2022 Top 10 contestant Julia Gagnon on her Here in Maine Tour and conducted a workshop for kids on a reservation in South Dakota – part of his commitment to inspiring less fortunate children any chance he gets.
In addition to paying loving homage to his parents, hard-working Pakistani immigrants who worked hard to provide for him and his four siblings, Ajii endeared himself to Idol fans by saying that while there was no money for formal music education, his hometown of Flatbush, Brooklyn was his music teacher. When you walk the streets there, he says, “you’re surrounded by so many different cultures and ethnicities. Everybody embraces their culture and music loud and proud. Over three blocks, you get exposed to reggae from all the migrants from the Caribbean, and then reggaeton, to start with.”
Ajii was also influenced by the Pakistani music of his heritage, including his uncle, a onetime professional singer of Kawali Ghazal Music, as well as the artists his older brothers listened to – including Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Linkin Park, Gnarls Barkley and Eminem, among others. These many inspirations came into play in the years leading up to his Idol audition, from writing and recording rap demos in his late teens to leading the nu metal band TMRW NVR PROMISED for two years, playing NYC venues like Lucky 13 and Bowery Electric, touring regionally and playing several festivals.
“I’m grateful that God blessed me with a good heart,” Ajii says, “because it has allowed me to connect with other people with good hearts and is what has gotten me this far in my life. I’m also thankful for a whole heap of people with pure intentions and goodness who have inspired me to put that kind of positive energy out there. I hope with my music I can be just a little piece of that, helping to make a meaningful change in the world.”
M’LYNN
Biography
The acronym in the title of one of M’lynn’s earliest singles “T.F.I.L” means “To Fall in Love” – and that’s exactly it feels to experience her organic and grounded yet otherworldly vibe for the first time. As her artistry has evolved, the fast-emerging Dallas-born indie neo soul singer/songwriter’s momentum grew single by single - and her fan base expanded to a point where a performance of her biggest hit to date, “Fade Away” created an overwhelming viral moment, with 2M views on Instagram and nearly 1M Spotify streams. The song also reached #3 on the iTunes R&B chart and won in two categories (Best Love Song, Best Easy Listening Song) and declared the overall grand prize winner at the Dallas Songwriters Association awards.
In an impactful video posted on Instagram in July 2024, using her infectious track “Still Got It” as the soundtrack, she writes, “I moved to L.A. in March of 2023 to pursue my music career…this is how it’s been going” over images of her driving a blues sports car on a sunny SoCal street intercut with clips of her singing a recording studio, performing live in various venues, doing a series of video shoots – and perhaps most exciting of all, exulting when she learns superstar SZA likes her music!
Over these compelling images, M’lynn posts phrases capturing her growing accolades – among them, 2 million views, 90K new followers, dreamy sets, collaborations, tiny desk finalist, hotel café show, vintage cars, SOFAR shows, garden series and new friends. She wraps the video with a revealing truth that lies at the core of who she is as a person and artist: “And best of all, I get to make music that feeds my soul.”
From the beginning, she has been collaborating on her songs and overall vibe with Josh Goode, a two-time Emmy award winning Dallas music producer, songwriter, composer, and DJ. Testament to the way her silky vocals and seductive soul-immersing songs have been captivating fans of pop, R&B and urban leaning genres and her growing popularity in various circles, the two have been collaborating since her arrival in Los Angeles with Grammy nominated songwriter/producer Emile Ghantous, who has worked with everyone from Chris Brown, Pitbull and Charlie Wilson to Snoop Dogg, Fifth Harmony, Babyface and Now United.
Ghantous, in turn, has brought in other top songwriters to their sessions. Starting with “Coffee & Cream” in 2023, M’lynn’s fresh collabs with Goode, Ghantous and others include the four singles that were compiled (along with a new intro and title track) on the singer’s 2024 EP Midnight Confessions. She also dropped dynamic “Live at the Garden Sessions” versions of “Better Me” and “Fade Away.” The EP’s other tracks include “Happy, Sad & Single” and “Still Got It.” Still considering herself a singles artist, M’lynn’s current goal is to drop one track per month in 2025.
Proud of her Native American heritage and being a member of the Cherokee Nation, M’lynn attended Booker T. Washington Performing Arts High School, whose alumni include Erykah Badu and Norah Jones, where she studied opera vocal tech, sang in choir and a jazz vocal group. She continued her education at the Frost School of Music in Miami, where she enrolled in the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music songwriter program and earned a BA in Music Artistry Development and Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Music Business and songwriting.
ORIANTHI
Biography
Because it was as if one musical icon was anointing another, Michael Jackson will always be a foundational part of Orianthi’s incredible rise as one of the premiere electric guitarists of her generation. Blown away by her inventive, otherworldly skills with chords, funky rhythms and her inimitable solos, MJ hired her for his 2009 This Is It concert series and she participated in all the rehearsals.
That same year, Orianthi’s solo career started heating up as well, driven by the international success of “According to You,” her debut single as a singer/songwriter on Geffen Records which hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Top Five in Japan and the Top Ten in her native Australia. In addition to being named one of the 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists by Elle Magazine, Orianthi was Guitar International magazine’s 2010 Breakthrough Guitarist of Year. “According to You” remains her signature hit, with over 37M streams on Spotify and 26M views on YouTube.
After Jackson’s untimely passing, the multi-talented artist quickly became one of the industry’s most in demand live performers, touring with, among others, Alice Cooper (three years), Dave Stewart (two years), and most significantly – and sometimes under the name RSO – traveling the world on and off for eight years with Richie Sambora. She appeared on “American Idol,” performed “Fine China” with Chris Brown at the Billboard Music Awards and in 2013 paid tribute at the Kennedy Center Honors to Carlos Santana – ten years after the legendary guitarist first invited her onstage with him to jam when she was 18. For Orianthi, who performed her first stage show for Steve Vail at 15, these whirlwind years also included studio work with Jason Derulo, Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige, One Republic and Michael Bolton.
Amidst all the demand for her galvanizing guitarisma, Orianthi never lost sight of her original goal to be a solo recording and touring artist. In addition to her independently released 2007 debut album Violet Journey and Geffen collection Believe (2009), over the past decade, she has released Heaven in This Hell, O and Rock Candy. She spent most of 2023 touring as a solo artist, including numerous dates throughout the U.S. and several shows in Japan.
Though Orianthi will always be celebrated for her ability to rock studios and packed arenas alike with her blazing style, her signing with Woodward Avenue Records for a series of singles leading up to a full-length album marks an exciting return to her first stylistic love – a more organic, 60s-70s rock blues vibe. Recorded with her longtime band of drummer Elias Malin, bassist Justin Andres and keyboardist Carey Frank, her first 2024 release is “First Time Blues,” which the guitarist describes as “that first time you feel the pain of something different happening to you.” She adds, “You have a childlike love of life and don’t want to lose that innocence, but life can try to take it away from you, so it’s important to hold onto that. It’s a song that can take you back to being excited to wake up and feel grateful and excited about where you are.” Her second lead single is “Bad For Each Other,” an emotional barnburner about being addicted to loving the wrong person.
Reflecting on the full album project, she adds, “The opportunity to perform so many of my own shows this past year has inspired me to reflect more personally on my life and chronicle my feelings in these songs. Some were written a few years ago, some a year ago, and others quite recently – yet they all capture everything what I’ve been through in the past to who I am today, as I’ve gone through different changes. My mindset has shifted significantly based on these experiences, the same way as you’re forever changed from being in a relationship. You’re never the same person you were before.”
Throughout her recording career, Orianthi has benefited from the guidance and expertise of numerous top veteran producers – including Dave Stewart, Ron Fair, Howard Benson. RedOne, Marti Frederickson and Jacob Bunton. On the new songs she’s recording for Woodward Avenue, Orianthi comes full circle, self-producing for the first time since Violet Journey and once again taking the advice of her old friend Prince, who once told her, “You don’t want people putting outfits on you.” That advice could extend more literally to her status as one of rock’s greatest purveyor of alternately classic and loud millennial hippie fashion, topped with hats inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Nicks.
Orianthi says, “I loved working with all these producers, but I’ve also learned there is something authentic about picking up the guitar, getting in the studio with your band and using all my skills as a gear nut that cuts to the core of who I am. There’s something liberating about spending a lot of time alone and fixing my energy on this different wavelength, getting back to myself. I’m grateful for the freedom to do that. It’s the same with clothes. I dress how I want the song to look. My aesthetic is to reflect the energy of the song in what I wear.”
Capping a fascinating journey that began with her taking her dad’s Gibson 125 to school in Adelaide, Australia to play in front of anyone she could, Orianthi has, in addition to four Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars that constantly sell out, a signature Gibson S-J200, which is the second biggest selling artist acoustic of all time next to Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley Signature models. She also has her own coffee line and is developing lines of clothes (naturally) and jewelry in addition to a signature vodka.
“I owe a lot to my dad for shaping my musical sensibilities growing up,” says Orianthi, who studied classical piano before switching to guitar, with his encouragement, at age six. She enrolled at Tafe University in Adelaide at age 10 to learn classical guitar theory. “Through his incredible record collection, he introduced me to Eric Clapton, Cream, Elvis, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Freddie King, Santana, Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys album, and The Beatles. Sports and guitar playing was a way to bond with him. My mum was listening to the Rat Pack, Tom Jones, Richard Marx and Michael Bolton – so I had a pretty wide range of music in my life.
“Besides being grateful to my parents for providing these foundations, I’m honored to call musicians like Steve Vai, Carlos Santana and Billy Gibbons friends and mentors, and am grateful that they’re always around to offer a word of encouragement during the challenging times. I hope as my career progresses, I can continue to live up to the inspiration they have given me for so many years.”
AVA MAYBEE
Press Release
A year after winning millions of hearts via her spectacular Top 14 success on American Idol and gaining more fans all the time from her 2021 viral breakout hit “Colors” (7M+ total streams on Apple Music and Spotify), singer/songwriter Ava Maybee follows her edgy, up-tempo track “Puke” with a blistering power ballad whose one-word title will inspire immediate Googling. The multi-talented indie pop artist’s latest single “Limerence” is set to drop June 9.
Co-written by Ava, Jason Harris and Jon Buscema (KNGDAVD) and produced by Buscema, “Limerence” begins as a soulful acoustic ballad before exploding into a high energy, atmospheric, electric guitar driven anthem. Exploring the many emotions of a complicated relationship, she sings, “Maybe it’s love/Maybe it’s limerence/Maybe I’m too dumb to know the difference/This place is haunted/You’re way too honest. . .Or maybe you’re just sick in the head” before the sweeping, infectious chorus: “Don’t you love me…”
“The song began in my head after hearing the word Limerence in my psychology class,” Ava says. “I love the way the word sounded and its meaning - a state of infatuation or obsession with another person that involves an all-consuming passion and intrusive thoughts. Many of my songs are about relationships where someone has done something to break my heart. Limerence was so empowering to write, as I was able to finally admit ownership for some of my own toxic behavior in relationships. It was so liberating to take responsibility for ‘my side of the street.’”
The three songwriters had deep discussions about the word Limerence, its meaning and how so many people experience the feelings of obsession in relationships but, as Ava says, “probably had no idea there was a word for it.” They wrote the song in a single session. “Working with Jon and Jason was truly one of the coolest musical experiences I have ever had,” she adds. “I hope it will help others to think about the role they play in their relationships.”
Between writing and recording singles these past few years, Ava has been attending NYU’s Clive Davis School of Recorded Music. After graduating this month with a degree in Music Performances with a minor in child psychology, she will hit the road for a monthlong June tour with L.A. based indie pop/alt rockers lovelytheband. Their 14 date U.S. tour begins June 6 at The Observatory in San Diego and wraps June 28 at Webster Hall in NYC.
Previously, Ava has opened numerous other prominent indie pop bands, including Quarters of Change (at The Mint in L.A.) and Phangs on a sold-out East Coast tour, with many in the audience attending because of the ongoing popularity of “Colors.” Having had spine surgery for double scoliosis at the age of 12, she continues her service as ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).
NIKKOLE
Biography
A decade after debuting on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with “Zero” (#7) and “Gonna Get It Right” (#20) from her award-winning international breakthrough album Hallucinations, Nikkole (only first name necessary) has been electrifying the genre anew via a flurry of explosive collaborative tracks with a batch of superstar producer/mixer/DJs. Starting with “Vibe,” a co-write with Dave Matthias (J Lo, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Dua Lipa), the multi-talented, R&B influenced Creole-American singer, songwriter and performer has dropped high-octane collabs with Liam Keegan (“Never Give Up,” “Crazy Love”), Sr Ortegon (a Latin/Reggaeton remix of “Crazy Love”) and Marcos Peon and DJ Frisco, whose song with Nikkole “Romance” hit #1 on the International Dance Chart in December 2024.
Though as a visionary musical storyteller Nikkole considers herself an album artist at heart, she builds on that momentum by kicking off 2025 with a new label (Woodward Avenue Records) and a dynamic powerhouse single “Connect” that marks her first-full on collab with the legendary Grammy winning Dave Audé after his popular remixes of her 2014 smash “Zero” (one of which hit #7 on Billboard) and her 2021 track “All Mine.”
It’s testament to Nikkole’s great success and expanding influence in the genre that she and Audé (Beyonce, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga) are taking their creative vibing to the next level. The two co-penned the infectious, fast thumping, thought provoking track, with Audé (based in Tennessee) producing and he and Nikkole (based in L.A.) co-producing her vocals. “Connect” also features a fiery solo by Nashville based saxophonist Ryan Swinehart.
The bones of the track began with the producer’s observation that many of Nikkole’s greatest influences – Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Usher – are male. Keeping their rhythmic aesthetic in mind, Audé sent her a skeleton of the track that blew her away from the moment she heard it while she was hanging on the beach in Malibu with Wallace Hall, her brother and partner in the label LA International Records. “Even in its infant stages, it was a banger,” she says. “I heard a melody in my head immediately, wrote the lyrics, recorded it in my home studio and sent him the files, which he edited before adding the incredible surprise of Ryan’s sax.”
Though Nikkole began sharing chart space with the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna and Christina Aguilera (“a surreal experience”) when she released Hallucinations, the singer launched her career as an indie artist some years earlier, funding her debut recording Appearances (2001) with her earnings as a model and background singer and later releasing A Girl Like Me (2005), which included songs featuring Melle Mel, the Emotions, Shadii and Wendi & Wyann with Sober. Nikkole heard “Beautiful Colors” from her debut collection in a prominent mattress commercial for years afterwards.
In 2007, she hopped genres into smooth jazz, co-writing and doing a vocal feature on “You Keep Lifting Me Higher,” a track from Grammy winning guitarist Norman Brown’s #1 Billboard Jazz chart album Stay with Me. Further reflecting the diversity of her artistry, Nikkole was featured in the Top 10 of Cosmopolitan Magazine’s search for the Next Female Rock Star of 2008. Her ever-expanding vision of what she could accomplish as an artist included a collaboration with legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on the single “Amazing” in 2011.
Beyond its hit singles on the Billboard Dance Songs chart, Hallucinations received four International Music and Entertainment Association (IMEA) Awards nominations in 2015, with Nikkole winning for Pop Artist of the Year and “Zero” winning Pop Song of the Year. The song also earned two Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) nominations for Best Pop Song and Video which was directed by Ethan Lader. The following year, Hallucinations earned a Best Pop Recording nomination at the 16th Annual Native American Music Awards (NAMA).
Hailing from a predominantly Creole community in the small town of Ahoskie, North Carolina (pop. 4891), Nikkole estimates that her heritage is 40 percent African and 55 percent European, with additional Native American ancestry. After her parents split, her mom moved her and Wallace out to Los Angeles partly so they could pursue their musical dreams. She sang in church from the age of five, “feeling something really deep in the emotion and places it took me,” and began writing songs around that time. She and Wallace, who is six years older, even put together a family singing group that included first cousin, future smooth jazz saxophonist Reggie Codrington.
Identifying primarily as African American growing up, she was surrounded by her mom’s collection of classic soul music, which included The Manhattans, Earth, Wind & Fire, Teddy Pendergrass, The Dells and The Emotions. Among other core influences, she cites Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Perhaps the earliest evidence of Nikkole’s powerhouse husky, raspy vocals is on videos of her singing Dionne Warwick classics at age two. Tapping into her enduring lifelong love of R&B, in 2021, Nikkole released her most recent full-length album Vulnerable, produced by Leon Sylvers, legendary for being part of the family group The Sylvers and for writing and producing for The Whispers, Shalamar, Lakeside, Five Star and Howard Hewett, among other genre greats.
A deeply personal collection, Vulnerable resonated with fans worldwide, reaching #2 on the UK Soul chart and was celebrated as the #1 R&B album of 2022 by Goldmine Magazine. Its 2nd single “We Can Make It If We Try” hit #3 on the U.S. Indie R&B chart and received an HMMA nomination for its video in 2022. Nikkole also received an HMMA nod that year for the lead off track “All Mine” (Best Original Recording).
“I returned to dance music after Vulnerable because I love it, it’s exciting and fun and I never get tired of it,” Nikkole says. “Yet I’m also constantly making R&B music as well. It was an honor to work with Leon and I learned so much from him. He really helped expand my mind with songwriting, which is most interesting because our approach was writing every song on the spot. His sister Pat sings on the album and his brother Foster did some writing, so we became like a family.”
While the singer’s music has been featured in 250+ commercial radio and video outlets and in national commercials, major motion pictures and TV shows, her cultural impact extends beyond those accolades, awards and chart positions. In addition to gracing the pages of Billboard, Rolling Stone and Cosmo, she became co-host in 2022 of “The Vantage Point,” a talk show on Soul Café Radio, and in 2024 she launched a podcast called “Shades of Us,” with her brother Wallace.
Nikkole is also a popular influencer who models and promotes everything from clothing and jewelry to Samson microphones. “I think the success and longevity I’ve enjoyed as an artist is due to my ability to roll with the punches, stay openminded and always be willing to learn from others, including my wonderful collaborators, who have more experience than I do. I’m grateful that after all this time, I still get excited about music and continue to be inspired while looking forward to what comes next.”