What do you get when you take fabulous R&B / Soul rhythms, sprinkle in some pop vocals, and apply a liberal does of business savvy, and just for good measure mix in the tiniest amount of Japanese? Give up yet? You get Nikkole, a Los Angeles native who just happens to be one of today’s most musically and commercially successful independent artists.  By the way, she is not Japanese, but more about that later.

Nikkole’s current single “Breathe,” from her CD A Girl Like Me is receiving airplay in most regions across the country. Radio stations such as the Clear Channel network and regional markets liked what they heard from the singer when her album Appearances debuted in 2001, and now are hooked on the energy infused vibes.

Although many artists will record a couple of alternate mixes for some of their songs, seldom does an artist such as Nikkole do five different mixes for a song, as she did with “Breathe.” Nikkole talks about one of those mixes, “We did a poll at my shows, asking concertgoers what type of mixes they wanted to hear. The feedback that we got included people wanting to hear a neo soul type of (vibe), so we decided to try it. So far, with the release that came out on September 4, radio has been scooping it up. They are really into the mix called “Breathe Inhale-Exhale.” It is a neo soul kind of a vibe. We just decided to do something different, and as an Indie artist, you have that choice. No one is standing over your back saying, ‘You can’t do that, you have to stick to this format.’ This is the third single, and I am still getting the support from the same urban AC commercial stations.”

For her sophomore project, A Girl Like Me Nikkole dipped into another talent pool comprised of the ladies who make up the vocal trio The Emotions, best known for their hit song “Best Of My Love.”  She had worked with The Emotions on some of their previous projects, and now the group returned the favour. “On the album A Girl Like Me, I had a song that I wanted them to sing on, and they were gracious enough to do it. That was the first single which was released from A Girl Like Me, titled “It’s Too Late.” I couldn’t have asked for a better group of ladies to work with. It was a little unnerving at first, to give direction to Grammy Award winners and legends. It turned out the song did really well on commercial radio.”

When I contacted Wanda Vaughn of The Emotions, I discovered that she is just as much a fan of Nikkole as the singer is of the vocal trio, “I think Nikkole’s biggest asset is her heart. You hear Nikkole’s heart and soul in everything that she sings and writes about. Nikkole is magnificent, and I treasure the moments that I have spent with her both as a professional singer and as a friend.”

There are a lot of ways for independent artists to get noticed by music fans, other than MTV or commercial broadcasting networks, such as through American Idol Underground Radio, where the urban tune “Gon’ Bounce,” has received a lot of play.  “My second single “Gon’ Bounce,” debuted at # 1 on American Idol Underground Radio. It is a radio program for independent artists, and it debuted at # 1 on the R&B charts. That was wonderful too. It had such success that it has crossed over into world markets such as the UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. It has been a slow process but it has been steady,” she says.

Nikkole’s music has so powerfully impacted the world stage, something almost unheard of for an independent artist, that there was a strong demand from Japanese fans for her to translate “Over It,” from the CD Appearances, into Japanese. “When I would go over to Japan, I would be asked to sing in Japanese and I do not even speak Japanese. I thought, ‘Am I up for this challenge?’ I decided since there was a demand for it, I would do it. By then I had met Ken Yasuda (her fiancé) who was originally from Japan. He and his mother translated the song into Japanese, then, they wrote it out phonetically so I could pronounce it while I was singing. I practiced it a few times before recording it. Within three takes we had what you hear (the Japanese version of “Over It”). I have been told by Japanese people that they understand exactly what I am saying, love it (the song) and can feel it.”

Besides the language hurdle, the song needed some adjustments so the music would fit the new phrasing. “I adjusted the endings of the verses slightly, by changing the melodic rhythm up, in order to fit all of the words. The same goes for the bridge or “C” section. We also decided to make the backgrounds bigger and add harmonies. We put live drums on the track as well. I think the production of the Japanese version is a bit grander than the original version,” says Nikkole.  Since her music is also being played in Germany, Italy and France, one wonders if other internationally flavoured songs are in the talented singer’s future.

When Nikkole decided to build a solo career, she surrounded herself with some industry heavyweights and trusted friends. She also decided to produce the CD Appearances on her own record label, SE Entertainment Records, jointly owned by herself and her brother Wallace.  Her decision to self produce came about through what one could easily argue is an accurate reflection of the music industry, “It boils down to no matter how good you are, you really have to know someone (to get signed to a label). I decided to do my own CD because I am a good songwriter and I can produce. I had a lot of good friends who were willing to help me, such as producer Lloyd Tolbert, who worked with Lionel Ritchie. I also have a friend who is a sound engineer and he said he would help.  Another friend who owned a very nice studio threw in his time and services to do the mixing. I bought some pro tools equipment and recorded my vocals at home. I collaborated with Lloyd Tolbert. Lloyd, Jon Clark (Vanessa Williams, Isaac Hayes, Coolio) and I did all the tracks for Appearances.

The decision to collaborate with Nikkole was an easy one for Tolbert, who says, “After working with Nikkole for a number of years, I have come to view her as my “go to person.” On any project that I am, developing Nikkole has the talent, skills and work ethic that is required to not only help complete the project, but to help take it to the ultimate level. Her angelic vocals, coupled with her amazing writing ability ensure that my projects turn out the way I envisioned them.”

Knowing that producing demos is costly, the 5’10” Nikkole accepted an offer to become a model. “I would say that modeling allowed me to get my chops together as a singer, because it gave me a lot of time to devote to practicing, rehearsing and just getting better at honing my craft, so that I had something that people wanted to listen to. I had more time to write, because I was making money from modeling, and it enabled me to put out my first CD Appearances.”

After hearing her CD Appearances on CD Baby in 2003, Virgin Free Radio, associated with Virgin Records, invited her to submit her CD Appearances for consideration. Out of the twenty-five thousand submissions that Virgin Radio received that year, Appearances was selected as one of the top CDs.

Nikkole broke new ground once again, proving her business savvy by securing numerous sponsorships with a number of prestigious companies.  In 2001, she struck a deal with the jewelry and clothing kingpin Sergio Valente. “I wrote to them, let them know what I was doing, and asked them if they were interested in supporting an independent artist who was going after her dreams,” explains Nikkole.

After hearing Nikkole’s music Sergio Valente was onboard. Today Nikkole has sponsorship agreements in place with Smashbox Cosmetics, Seychelles Footwear, Joe’s Jeans, the Washington Mutual Bank, Nine West, Fiji Water and LF Stores.

When you talk to Nikkole, you get the sense that you are in the presence of someone on the cusp of greatness. I can honestly say that I can think of very few artists to whom I have spoken over the years, who combine excellence in songwriting, possesses great vocal ability, fabulous business acumen and she is well spoken. What is particularly gratifying from my vantage point is that she is in control of her career and her destiny. I remember many years ago hearing how just a couple of years into his music career David Bowie purchased back the rights to his own music, long before he had become a household name. We all know his story let’s hope the future holds the same for Nikkole.

Interview by Joe Montague for Riveting Riffs (www.rivetingriffs.com) ©

September 2007

All written, photographic and graphic content contained on www.rivetingriffs.com remains the property of Riveting Riffs Ltd., a registered Canadian company, and the contributing writers, artists and photographers. The content on this site is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. The content may not be reproduced in print, appear on other websites or be transmitted electronically without the written permission of Riveting Riffs Ltd.  ©