Nikka Costa

Last updated

Nikka Costa
Birth nameDomenica Costa
Born (1972-06-04) 4 June 1972 (age 51)
Tokyo, Japan
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, acoustic guitar, organ, keyboards
Years active1981–present
Labels Mushroom, Stax, Virgin
Website www.nikkacosta.com

Domenica "Nikka" Costa (born 4 June 1972) is an American singer whose music combines elements of pop, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of music producer Don Costa.

Contents

Early life

Nikka Costa was born in Tokyo, Japan to Italian-American parents. She was musically-inspired from childhood, often surrounded by famous and talented artists as she traveled the world with her father, the well-known producer and musician Don Costa.

At age five, Nikka recorded a single with Hawaiian singer Don Ho. In early 1981, two Italian producers, Danny B. Besquet and Tony Renis, were working with her father on his album Don Costa Plays the Beatles [1] [ circular reference ] when they were inspired to record an album featuring Nikka’s vocals, with her father accompanying on guitar. The album would go on to be well-received in Europe, and Costa became known as a child star. At age 9, Costa sang with Frank Sinatra in an appearance on the lawn of the White House. [2]

In 1981, Costa's career as a primary recording artist began when she recorded the song "(Out Here) On My Own" (from the movie Fame ), featuring her father Don Costa. The single reached No. 72 in Germany, [3] No. 7 in Switzerland, [4] No. 32 in the Netherlands, [5] No. 13 in the Flanders region of Belgium., [6] and No. 1 in Italy. The album Nikka Costa was released, outside of the U.S., in 1981. Costa would subsequently tour the world. Her second album, Fairy Tales (cuentos de hadas), was released in 1983. Don Costa died of a heart attack shortly after the album was recorded. The pop album Here I Am... Yes, It's Me was released to fulfill a contractual obligation in 1989.

After graduating from high school, Costa decided to move away from pop music and towards R&B, funk and soul, being especially influenced by Motown artists.

Adult career

In the early 1990s, while already a music business veteran, Costa transitioned away from her childhood of pop music to a more mature soul style. She married Australian producer/songwriter Justin Stanley and moved to his home country; the couple would eventually have a daughter named Sugar McQueen. While in Australia, Costa began writing songs and formed a "happy funk" band called Little Mona & the Shag Daddies, which broke up after four gigs in Sydney.

At age 22, Costa's next venture was a band called Sugarbone, which toured Australia in 1994; of the experience, Costa related that "It was really scary to unveil it, but the reaction was good. It helped my confidence." [7] After touring with Sugarbone, she signed to the Mushroom Records label in Australia. In 1996, she released the album Butterfly Rocket in Australia, which earned her a nomination for the ARIA Music Award for “Breakthrough Artist” in that same year, and “Best Female Artist” the following year, in 1997. [8]

In 2000, Costa's song "Like a Feather" was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger television advertising campaign. That exposure, coupled with the track's music video, helped gain her a foothold in the U.S. music industry. The album Everybody Got Their Something was released in 2001 and entered the charts at No. 120 on the Billboard 200. [9] The title track and "Like a Feather" were radio hits, although the latter did peak at No. 53 in the United Kingdom. [10] In 2002, Costa was the opening act for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the US and Canada. In 2005, Costa released the album can'tneverdidnothin' . She toured with Lenny Kravitz, who also performed on the record. In 2006, she and her husband Justin Stanley recorded and performed the theme to the short-lived CBS sitcom Courting Alex starring Jenna Elfman.

Costa was a guest singer on Mark Ronson (who has produced several of her songs)’s album Here Comes the Fuzz . Her song "Push & Pull" (from the album Everybody Got Their Something) was included on the soundtrack of the 2001 movie Blow , starring Johnny Depp. The track "Everybody Got Their Something" was used in the soundtrack of the 2009 movie All About Steve starring Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper. Her song "Stuck To You" (from the album Pebble to a Pearl ) appeared in an episode of Grey's Anatomy (season five) and in The Peanuts Movie .

Costa is currently signed with Stax Records. [11] She released the studio album Pebble to a Pearl on 14 October 2008. In 2010, she released the single "Ching Ching Ching" in Europe. The song is notable from a genre change from soul/funk to electro-pop. The single reached No. 69 in Germany, [12] making it Costa's first single to chart in Germany since "On My Own" in 1981. A new EP titled Pro Whoa was released in 2011. Costa co-wrote the song "Diamonds Made from Rain" on Eric Clapton's 2010 album Clapton . The album Nikka & Strings: Underneath and in Between, consisting of covers of rock standards, was released on 2 June 2017. [13]

Discography

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
1996 "Master Blaster" ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Single Nominated [14]
1997 "Get Off My Sunshine" ARIA Award for Best Female Artist Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonia (singer)</span> English pop singer (born 1971)

Sonia Evans, known mononymously as Sonia, is an English pop singer from Liverpool. She had a 1989 UK number one hit with "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" and became the first female UK artist to achieve five top 20 hit singles from one album. She represented the United Kingdom in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished second with the song "Better the Devil You Know". Between 1989 and 1993, she had 11 UK top 30 hits, including "Listen to Your Heart" (1989), "Counting Every Minute" (1990) and "Only Fools " (1991). In 1994, she starred as Sandy in a West End revival of the musical Grease, while on television she appeared as Bunty in the 1998 BBC comedy series The Lily Savage Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Amorosi</span> Australian singer-songwriter (born 1981)

Vanessa Joy Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over two million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Marshall</span> Canadian singer (born 1972)

Amanda Meta Marshall is a Canadian pop-rock singer. She has released four studio albums; the first was certified diamond in Canada, with the second and third certified 3× platinum and platinum respectively. She is best known for her 1996 single, "Birmingham", which reached number 3 in Canada and was her only song to reach the US charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boys (Britney Spears song)</span> 2002 single by Britney Spears

"Boys" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her self-titled third studio album (2001). It was written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. A version of the song titled "The Co-Ed Remix" and featuring guest vocals from Williams was released as the fifth single from Britney on June 24, 2002. The new version also served as the second single from the soundtrack of Austin Powers in Goldmember. "Boys" is a R&B and hip hop song, including funk influences. The remix carries a slower tempo than the album version, and both versions were noted by critics to be reminiscent of music by American artist Janet Jackson. Some critics praised Spears and Williams' chemistry, as well as the production on the track, while others did not think the song worked well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noiseworks</span> Australian rock band

Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 albums, Noiseworks (1987), Touch (1988), Love Versus Money (1991) and Greatest Hits (1992). They produced three Top 10 singles, "Take Me Back", "Touch" and "Hot Chilli Woman" before disbanding in 1992. Reunion tours occurred in 1999, 2004, 2007–2008, 2011, 2013. The band later reformed in 2016 and in August 2022, released "Heart & Soul"; their first new song in 30 years. Noiseworks' fourth studio album, Evolution was released in November 2022.

<i>Everybody Got Their Something</i> 2001 studio album by Nikka Costa

Everybody Got Their Something is the fifth album by American pop/soul singer Nikka Costa, released in 2001. Although she had released several albums internationally as a child, this was her first release in the United States, and was released on May 22, 2001 by Virgin Records. It peaked at number 120 on the Billboard 200 in June 2001. As of 2005, it has shifted 250,000 units in United States.

<i>Cantneverdidnothin</i> 2005 studio album by Nikka Costa

Can'tneverdidnothin' is the second studio album by Nikka Costa. The album was released May 24, 2005, by Virgin Records. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.

Russell Elevado is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City.

<i>Pebble to a Pearl</i> 2008 studio album by Nikka Costa

Pebble to a Pearl is the fourth album by the American funk/soul singer Nikka Costa. The album was produced by Costa's husband Justin Stanley, who also worked with Jamie Lidell and Beck. It was released independently on Costa and Stanley's label Go Funk Yourself Records, and distributed by the then recently re-activated Stax Records.

<i>Pro Whoa</i> 2011 EP by Nikka Costa

PRO★WHOA is a six-track EP by the American soul singer-songwriter Nikka Costa released on 21 June 2011. It marks a change in musical direction, from funk and soul toward a more pop-oriented aesthetic. It was the first release on Costa's own Go Funk Yourself Records. Reviewers noted the EP's mix of diverse influences into a pop sound, and called the songs "adventurous" and "freewheeling". A promotional version of the album was released with instrumental versions of the tracks and additional tracks that had been left off of Costa's previous album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimbra</span> New Zealand singer and songwriter

Kimbra Lee Johnson, known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and seven New Zealand Music Awards. Her musical influences range from Prince and Minnie Riperton to Björk and Jeff Buckley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylie Minogue singles discography</span>

The singles discography of Australian singer, songwriter and actress Kylie Minogue consists of ninety-six singles and twenty-four promotional recordings. Referred as the “Princess of Pop” by various media outlets, she has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. In Australia, she has a total of ten number-one singles, twenty-three top-ten hits and forty-seven top-forty entries. In the United Kingdom, with seven number-one singles, eleven singles that peaked at number two, thirty-five top-ten hits and fifty-two top-forty entries, she is the twelfth-best-selling singles artist and the third-best-selling female artist of all time to date, selling over 10.1 million singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana Brown (musician)</span> Australian DJ, singer, and songwriter

Angelique Frances Meunier, known professionally as Havana Brown or DJ Havana Brown, is an Australian DJ, singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. In 2008, Brown signed with Island Records Australia as a DJ for the record company and began releasing her Crave compilation album series, which featured remixes of songs from other artists. This led to her touring with international artists, including Britney Spears, Rihanna, the Pussycat Dolls, Chris Brown, and Enrique Iglesias.

Rozalla Miller, better known as simply Rozalla, is a Zambian-born Zimbabwean electronic music performer who was born in what was then Northern Rhodesia. At the age of 18, she moved with her parents to her father's country of origin, Zimbabwe. She is best known for her three 1991/92 hit singles "Faith ", "Are You Ready to Fly", and particularly "Everybody's Free ", which has been remixed and re-issued several times. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 98th most successful dance artist of all-time.

<i>Armageddon</i> (Guy Sebastian album) 2012 studio album by Guy Sebastian

Armageddon is the sixth album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in digital and CD format on 12 October 2012. A deluxe edition featuring a DVD of a concert from Sebastian's Armageddon Tour was also available. The album reached number one and double platinum certification in Australia, and number 20 in New Zealand. It was Sebastian's seventh top ten album in Australia, and his second to achieve a number one peak. It was the ninth highest selling album in Australia in 2012, the second highest selling album by an Australian act.

"Out Here on My Own" is a ballad from the 1980 musical film Fame, performed by Irene Cara. It was written by sibling songwriting duo Lesley Gore (lyricist) and Michael Gore (composer). The recording was produced by Michael Gore. Cara performed the song at the 1981 Academy Awards, where it was nominated for Best Original Song. The song was released on the Fame soundtrack, which also contains an instrumental version of the track.

<i>Nikka Costa</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Nikka Costa

Nikka Costa is the debut studio album by Nikka Costa. It was released in 1981 by CGD Records in Italy in conjunction with CBS Records when Costa was nine years old, fifteen years before her first album for older audiences was released, and twenty years before her breakthrough album Everybody Got Their Something.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odette (musician)</span> Australian musician (born 1977)

Georgia Odette Sallybanks, who performs as Odette, is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her debut album, To a Stranger, peaked at No. 13 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018 it was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album and Breakthrough Artist – Release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampa the Great</span> Zambian rapper and musician

Sampa Tembo, known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, "Final Form". In the following year she won the same category for The Return, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Independent Release. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the Bee9 and The Return. The artist was based back in Zambia from late 2020, where she issued her second studio album, As Above, So Below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raye discography</span>

The discography of British singer-songwriter Raye consists of one studio album, one live album, six extended plays (EPs), thirty five singles, ten promotional singles and twelve guest appearances. In addition to her own releases, Raye has also been a songwriter for other artists including Beyoncé, Little Mix, Mabel, Zara Larsson, Ellie Goulding and Hailee Steinfeld.

References

  1. ↑ "Don Costa Plays the Beatles". it.Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Nikka Costa : Nikka Costa: Tour Talk – Rhapsody Music Downloads". VH1.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "Nikka Costa feat. Don Costa – (Out Here) On My Own (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "hitparade.ch > Nikka Costa feat. Don Costa – (Out Here) On My Own" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl > Nikka Costa feat. Don Costa – (Out Here) On My Own" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop > Nikka Costa feat. Don Costa – (Out Here) On My Own" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Nikka.Costa". Pollstar. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  8. ↑ ARIA Awards History: Winners by Year – 1997 Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Billboard > Artists / Nikka Costa > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 122. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  11. ↑ "Concord Music Group - Nikka Costa Signs with Stax Records!". Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  12. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Nikka Costa – Ching Ching Ching" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nikka & Strings: Underneath and in Between". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  14. ↑ "Winners by Year 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.