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Nikki Jean

Nikki Jean 's Genre:

Neo-Soul, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock

Biography

Vocalist and songwriter Nikki Jean, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, was a member of Nouveau Riche, a Philadelphia-based group featuring Roots affiliate Dice Raw. The group released a pair of EPs and never achieved lift-off, though Nikki did some outside work during that time, including the lead vocal on a cover of Sting’s “Be Still My Beating Heart,” recorded with ?uestlove of the Roots' Randy Watson Project for Ubiquity’s Rewind! 5 compilation. She gained wider exposure in late 2007, when she contributed vocals to two tracks on Lupe Fiasco's The Cool -- “Little Weapon” and the single “Hip Hop Saved My Life,” the latter of which she also co-wrote. The following year, she performed with Fiasco as one of the opening acts on Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour. She subsequently focused on her solo career and forged a close alliance with producer Sam Hollander; she sought him specifically for his work on Carole King's Love Makes the World. Hollander and Nikki conspired to gain songwriting input from a a number of legends, most of whom peaked during the '60s and '70s. Though Columbia signed Nikki, the label didn't see the project through and dropped her in October 2010. S Curve swept her up and released the album, Pennies in a Jar, in July 2011. The diverse set of throwback-oriented songs, all custom built by Nikki Jean's light yet powerful voice, counted King, Thom Bell, Lamont Dozier, Paul Williams, Burt Bacharach, Jeff Barry, Jimmy Webb, and Carly Simon among its staggering list of co-composers. The album also featured “Steel and Feathers,” a song intended for Bob Dylan's 1981 album Shot of Love that had been left incomplete and unrecorded for three decades. ~ Andy Kellman

AOL Radio Stations Nikki Jean is Featured on (1)

Nikki Jean

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Drake, Lil Wayne, LMFAO, Black Eyed Peas, Far East Movement, Maverick Sabre, Ayo, Joss Stone, Paloma Faith, Sy Smith and more.

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Nikki Jean 's Selected Discography (1)

Pennies in a Jar

201112 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Nikki Jean (50)

	Drake	Known initially for his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Toronto, Ontario, native Drake (born Aubrey Drake Graham) stepped out as a rapper and singer with pop appeal in 2006, when he initiated a series of mixtapes.
	Lil Wayne	A game-changing artist and an impervious celebrity, Lil Wayne began as his career as a near-novelty -- a preteen delivering hardcore hip-hop -- but through years of maturation and reinventing the mixtape game, he developed into a million-selling rapper with a massive body of work, one so inventive and cunning that it makes his famous claim of being the "best rapper alive" worth considering.
	LMFAO	An electro-rap duo from Los Angeles, CA, LMFAO made their major-label debut in 2008. Comprised of producers, DJs, and clothing designers Redfoo and SkyBlu (the son and grandson, respectively, of Motown impresario Berry Gordy), LMFAO worked the club circuit for years before making their major-label debut in 2008 with the single "I'm in Miami Bitch," a song inspired by their first experience at the Winter Music Conference.
	Black Eyed Peas	The Black Eyed Peas transcended hip-hop to become one of the most commercially successful pop groups of the 2000s.
	Far East Movement	Electronic pop-rap group Far East Movement made their major-label debut in 2010. Founded in 2003, the group was originally a trio comprised of high-school companions Kev Nish (born Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), and J-Splif, all of whom had grown up in downtown Los Angeles.
	Maverick Sabre	Multi-genre singer, rapper, and guitarist Maverick Sabre was born Matthew Stafford in the London borough of Hackney.
	Ayo	Folk-soul chanteuse Ayo emerged as one of Europe's biggest new pop stars of 2006 with her breakthrough debut LP, Joyful.
	Joss Stone	British singer Joss Stone was only 16 years old when she hit the mainstream in 2003, armed with a powerful voice and a vintage, soul-based sound.
	Paloma Faith	A familiar presence on the London underground circuit for several years, the multi-talented Paloma Faith eventually broke into the mainstream thanks to her theatrical image and retro-soul sound.
	Sy Smith	R&B songstress Sy Smith majored in psychology at Howard University, sang with a Washington, D.C.-based go-go band, and was a backup singer for Whitney Houston before appearing on Ally McBeal and a series of Gap commercials.
	Chrisette Michele	In a very short span of time, R&B singer/songwriter Chrisette Michele shot from small-time performer up to one of Def Jam's most promising talents, purely based on her unique instrument -- a gorgeous and effortlessly versatile singing voice colored with Billie Holiday-esque inflections of vocal pop and jazz.
	Ricki-Lee	Ricki-Lee Coulter was born on November 11, 1985 in Australia. After a brief foray into an athletic lifestyle, she was forced to find a new passion after a leg injury.
	Geri King	Geri King dedicated the majority of her life to singing, launching her solo career in the late '90s.
	Christine McVie	With her naturally smoky low alto vocal style and a knack for writing simple, direct, and memorable songs about the joys and pitfalls of love, Christine McVie has had a long and productive musical career while seldom insisting on being center stage.
	Tawiah	Championed by British tastemakers Gilles Peterson and Mark Ronson, London-based neo-soul singer Tawiah found herself in the media spotlight well before she'd released her official debut album.
	Kristina Train	Singer/songwriter Kristina Train is a soulful vocalist with a bent toward earthy country- and R&B-inflected pop music.
	India.Arie	One of a handful of neo-classic soul artists to emerge following the late-'90s success of artists like D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill, Atlanta's India.
	Stephanie McKay	A former member of Brooklyn Funk Essentials, as well as a seasoned session vocalist who has collaborated with Tricky, Soulive, Talib Kweli, and Chocolate Genius, Stephanie McKay debuted as a solo artist with 2003's McKay -- an album that featured extensive assistance from Portishead's Geoff Barrow (aka Fuzzface) and Adrian Utley.
	Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents
	Raheem DeVaughn	The son of jazz cellist Abdul Wadud, Maryland-based R&B vocalist Raheem DeVaughn kicked his career into gear after initiating a series of independent releases, aided in part by the cash reward earned from winning a talent contest.
	Jesse Dee	Boston-based vocalist/guitarist Jesse Dee is a retro-soul singer/songwriter with a bent toward quirky, indie rock-inflected R&B.
	Leela James	Like almost all other musicians hit with the neo-soul tag, the primary inspirations of Leela James -- a gritty-voiced singer and songwriter born in Los Angeles, California -- dated no later than the late '70s; Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner were regularly cited.
	Bad Rabbits	Influenced by disco, funk, and new jack swing, Boston’s Bad Rabbits formed from the ashes of Eclectic Collective, a live-oriented ten-piece that sometimes performed as Slick Rick’s backup band.
	Glashaus	German neo-soul trio Glashaus emerged in 2000 when producers Moses Pelham and Martin Haas began work on the proposed solo debut by singer Cassandra Steen, previously known for her work with the hip-hop group Freundeskreis.
	Charles & Eddie	This US vocal duo, comprising Charles Pettigrew (b. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 6 April 2001, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) and Eddie Chacon (b.
	Alice Russell	Soul era-inspired U.K. vocalist Alice Russell, if anything a child of Chaka Khan, became increasingly known throughout the early 2000s with her contributions to recordings from Bah Samba, Quantic, TM Juke, and Nostalgia 77, and she also released some ambitious albums for the Tru Thoughts label.
	Melinda Doolittle	Although her third-place finish on American Idol's sixth season introduced Melinda Doolittle to a new audience, the neo-soul singer already boasted an impressive résumé, having spent the better part of a decade singing backup for the likes of Aaron Neville, Jonny Lang, Charlie Peacock, and CeCe Winans.
	Victoria White
	The Stylistics	After the Spinners and the O'Jays, the Stylistics were the leading Philly soul group produced by Thom Bell.
	VRS
	Victor Redwood Sawyerr
	Hilary Mwelwa
	Rita Wilson	Rita Wilson has enjoyed a long and successful career in show business as an actress, producer, director, and writer, but it wasn't until 40 years after she made her television debut that she branched out into a new line as a pop singer.
	Dionne Bromfield	Soul vocalist Dionne Bromfield began making headlines in 2009 when her debut album cracked the Top 40 in England.
	Sara Ramírez	Before releasing her debut EP in 2011, Sara Ramírez began her career as a Tony Award-winning actress, scoring major roles on Broadway while enjoying sporadic work in film and television.
	Seal	Seal emerged from England's house music scene in the early '90s to become the most popular British soul vocalist of the decade.
	Kellylee Evans
	Hil St. Soul	Hilary Mwelwa moved from Lusaka, Zambia, to England when she was five years old -- just in time for kindergarten.
	Anthony Hamilton	A soul singer who drew comparisons to such classic vocalists as Bill Withers and Bobby Womack, Anthony Hamilton struggled for the better part of the 1990s as two of his albums went unreleased.
	The Outfield	Ironically, given their obsession with America's favorite pastime, the Outfield got their start in London's East End.
	Ledisi	Ledisi Young (her given name meaning "to bring forth" in Nigerian) was born in the Big Easy, where she sang with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra when she was eight years old and spent many adolescent hours watching her mother perform with a local R&B band, often in a nearby park.
	Max Mutzke	Heavily influence by America's '70s funk, Max Mutzke got his start in music drumming for the German funk band Project 5.
	Nneka	Born in Nigeria and based in Germany, Nneka is a stylistically diverse, politically inclined English-language neo-soul singer reminiscent of Erykah Badu.
	Lizz Wright	Vocalist Lizz Wright delivers a sultry R&B performance that's divinely layered in gospel and jazz, and keenly similar to the work of Oleta Adams and Jill Scott.
	Sunshine Anderson	Though she sang in musicals and talent shows throughout her childhood, Charlotte, NC native Sunshine Anderson was discovered while she was waiting in line in a cafeteria at North Carolina Central University, the institution where she earned a B.
	Donnie	The smooth style of modern day soul singer Donnie is comparable to such other similar sounding artists as Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Seal, and Maxwell.
	Allen Stone	Singer and songwriter Allen Stone describes himself as "a hippie with soul," and his music reflects both sides of this formula; his vocals and melodic style show the clear influence of classic soul and R&B of the 1960s and ‘70s, while his lyrics reveal an idealism and passion that recall the folk-inspired singer/songwriters of the same era.
	Emily King	Born in New York in 1986, singer/songwriter Emily King grew up surrounded by music, as her parents are jazz vocalists Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti.
	Lira	Lerato "Lira" Molapo was born in Daveyton, South Africa, on March 14, 1979. After winning a competition for young singers and songwriters, Lira started performing live at the age of 16, singing both cover versions and self-penned songs.
	The Stepkids	Connecticut’s the Stepkids are a trio of songwriters/vocalists consisting of Jeff Gitelman (guitar), Tim Walsh (drums), and Dan Edinberg (bass and keyboards).