Nicole Willis

Last updated

Daniele Willis
Nicole Willis 1997, Charmed Life.jpg
Daniele Willis fka Nicole Willis, Charmed Life 1997
Born
Nicole Daniele Willis

1963 (age 60–61) [1]
New York City
Occupationscriptwriter / director / visual & sound artist / singer / songwriter / producer / vocal coach & mentor / A&R
Years active1983–present [2]
ChildrenPhoebe Lehto, Astrid Lehto
Musical career
OriginNew York City
Formerly ofRepercussions, Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators

Daniele Nicole E. Willis, aka/fka; Nicole Willis and/or Daniele Willis (1963) [1] is an American visual & sound artist, scriptwriter, singer-songwriter, producer, and director. Willis lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. [1] [3] [4]

Contents

Biography

Early career

Willis contributed vocals in London, United Kingdom in 1985 with Washington Week in Review. Prior to that she was a member of The Hello Strangers and Blue Period with Spike Priggen, Jean Caffeine and Mark Mulcahy performances at Munson Diner and Danceteria's No Entiendes, based in New York City.

Nicole Willis was the lead vocalist of the neo soul group Repercussions. Singles and albums were released on Mo' Wax, Reprise/Warner Records USA, Pony Canyon Japan. The single Promise Me Nothing from the debut album of Repercussions LP Earth and Heaven, peaked at number 6 in the Hot Dance Music, Club Play chart of Billboard magazine on March 18, 1995. Together with Curtis Mayfield, the band recorded a version of Mayfield's Let's Do It Again in which Willis sings a duet with Curtis Mayfield in 1994 released on Reprise/Warner Records. The group also released an album on Pony Canyon Japan, titled Charmed Life in 1997.

Willis has collaborated with Leftfield singing and writing lead vocals for "Swords" on the Rhythm and Stealth LP in 1999 on Hard Hands/Higher Ground/Sony BMG Records, [5] which was also featured on the soundtrack for the film Go released 1999. The LP Rhythm and Stealth received a Platinum Sales Award in the United Kingdom.

Art 2005 - 2014

After moving from Barcelona, Spain to Lahti, Finland with her family, Willis began study at The Institute of Fine Arts at Lahti University of Applied Sciences in 2005. She graduated in 2009. The university has been since replaced by LAB University of Applied Sciences, incorporating campuses in Lahti & Lappeenranta whilst the LAB Institute of Design & Fine Arts incorporates campuses in Lahti (Institute of Design) & Imatra (School of Visual Arts).

Willis collaborated with artist Sophie Calle for her installation Take Care Of Yourself with a performance in time-based media in 2007, which exhibited at the French Pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2007. Willis also contributed vocals to time-based media performance Rinologia of Barcelona-based artist group Los Rinos who are artists Marcel.lí Antúnez, Pau Nubiola and film director, Sergi Caballero. Rinologia was performed at the BEM Festival in Burgos, Spain in March 2007.

Willis contributed 10 jewel cases, painted in acrylic and one musical track, of ten musicians/visual artists musical contribution, Do the Watusi (written by Jimi Tenor, Pete Toikkanen & Nicole Willis) to curator/artist Jaakko Tuomainen's group exhibition Soundtrack for Painting from September 1 to 30, 2012, at the Lahti Modern Art Kiosk, in Lahti, Finland.

Willis had two of her first solo exhibitions of oil paintings, in 2012, first of which were in March 2012 at Galleria Kingi Kongi in Helsinki, Finland and in November 2012 at Pirkko-Liisa Topeliuksen Galleria, also in Helsinki, both titled Gatherings.

Willis has contributed a painting to a group exhibition to be shown from July 18 to August 11, 2013, in London, United Kingdom's A Side B Side Gallery, curated by artists Chloe Mortimer & Harry Pye, titled ELVIS: I Love You Because of which the subject is Elvis Presley.[ needs update ]

Willis had a solo exhibition at Gallery Emil in Tampere, Finland titled Talking Trash; February 2, 2014 – February 28, 2014.

Puu | Sähkö Recordings - Timmion Records - Herakles Records

On Puu/Sähkö Recordings, Willis released her first solo albums Soul Makeover 2000 and Be It 2003. [6] In 2005 Willis collaborated with the Soul Investigators and released Keep Reachin Up on Helsinki's Timmion Records. [7] The LP Keep Reachin' Up was critically acclaimed. Their song Feeling Free was chosen 2006 Worldwide Winner on the Gilles Peterson's BBC show. [8]

The title track of the album Keep Reachin' Up was chosen by US president Barack Obama, as one of many songs on his Re-Election Campaign Spotify Playlist, in February 2012. [9] The track If This Ain't Love(Don't Know What Is) was placed in the USA TV channel ABC's show Brothers & Sisters in season 2, episode 1 in 2007. The track No One's Gonna Love You was placed in Showtime's Ray Donovan in season 1, episode 3, Twerk in 2013.

Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators released an album, titled Tortured Soul in 2013 on Timmion Records in Finland, France, United Kingdom and other regions in the EU & North America. Tortured Soul received 4 out of 5 stars in a review at Helsingin Sanomat's Nyt magazine. [10] [11] Tortured Soul entered the Official Finnish Music Charts in its first week after release at number 8 in week 7 of 2013. [12]

On May 10, 2013, Willis and Jimi Tenor released album Enigmatic by their project Cola & Jimmu on her new record label Herakles Records, Finland. Cola & Jimmu went on to release a follow-up titled I Give To You My Love & Devotion in 2014. The single Open Up Your Chakra peaked at position 21 in Japan's J-Wave HOT 100 Chart in June 2014.

Timmion Records released the third Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators album titled Happiness in Every Style in October 2015, produced and written by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators. Happiness in Every Style received 5 out of 5 stars in Helsingin Sanomat. [13] Singles One in Million and Let's Communicate were released in August and October 2015.

Willis announced on April 16, 2017, that she will no longer be collaborating with the instrumental group The Soul Investigators on Facebook. [14] [ non-primary source needed ]

Persephone Records - Present

Willis released on her new sublabel Persephone Records (Herakles Records) the EP Big Fantasy (For Me) / Tear It Down, a collaboration of Willis, Jimi Tenor and Jonathan Maron (electric bass player) on March 31, 2017. [15]

She announced the release date of her next LP My Name Is Nicole Willis, the second release for Persephone Records as September 29, 2017. The album is a collaboration with UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (credited as UMO Jazz Orchestra), composed of songs written by Willis, guitarist Pete Toikkanen and Jimi Tenor as well as from her catalogue with The Soul Investigators. Ian Svenonius is featured on the prologue as well as epilogue tracks of the album. [16] My Name Is Nicole Willis received a 4 star review in Helsingin Sanomat. [17]

In February 2019, Nicole Willis released an album called My Soul Sensation with a hand picked line up titled Banda Palomita, recorded at Suomenlinna Studios, as well as a digital release of the instrumental album version Banda Palomita's My Soul Sensation.

The digital release of "Polymer or PARA [Seasoned]" was added to Willis' Spotify profile as the first release (Sampson Records 2022) under the name Daniele Willis. [18] Seasoned, an electronic, neo-classical, city garden music, "Seasoned", to be heard at Pehr Kalm Revival (Jan-Erik Andersson), in part of "Listen to a mushroom, listen to a bicycle", curated by Galleria Titanik, Turku, Finland (2020).

Willis recorded the first vocal single of the Finnish electronic group Aavikko Space Disco Muysic, written by Willis and the members of Aavikko.

Willis returned to performance art at Hunajanjyvä, Salama ja Maa on October 7, 2023, at Mad House in Helsinki, Finland. [19] Phobos & Deimos Contemplate Reception in 2 acts of dramatic monologue, scripted, voice acted and performed by Willis along with recorded music produced by Willis. The curators of Hunajanjyvä are artists Sadet Kirsimäki and Eero Pulkkinen.

On July 12, 2024, Willis released "My Name Is Nicole Willis, Instrumentals" on Persephone | Herakles sublabel, Goliath Records. [20] The album is available for digital sales and on streaming platforms. The instrumental versions of the album "My Name Is Nicole Willis", by Nicole Willis featuring UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (Persephone Records 2017) was composed by Pete Toikkanen and Nicole Willis, and arranged, composed and scored by Jimi Tenor. Additional instrumental versions of tracks written for the original version album as well as tracks written by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators from the album "Happiness In Every Style" (Timmion Records 2015) are featured, as well arranged and scored by Jimi Tenor.

In 2024 it has been decided that future tracks featuring Nicole Willis as a vocalist will mainly be released on label Goliath Records.

Education

With study rights for the Open University and to Pursue Non-Graduate Studies at the Department of Film, ELO, at Aalto University, Willis took courses from 2021 to 2023.

Willis graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from her studies at Lahti Institute of Fine Arts, Lahti University of Applied Sciences in Finland, and Erasmus studies at Sir John Cass Department of Art, London Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, in 2008 & completed in 2009. Willis' concentration in her studies were Oil Painting, Time-Based Media and Performance with professors Markus Heikkerö, Mika Karhu, Inari Virmakoski & Hyun Joo Min.

Willis graduated from the High School of Art and Design in 1980.

Early life

Willis was born at Brooklyn Women's Hospital in Brownsville, Brooklyn where she lived with her family at Blake Avenue Houses till age 3. The hospital closed in 1978.

Willis lived the next 10 years in Remsen Village, East Flatbush attending P.S. 219, Kennedy-King School, after which she moved several times while living with her mother after a divorce.

Solo exhibitions

Sound and performance art

Scripts

Films

Artist Collaborations

Discography

Singles under Laissez-Affaire

Singles under Garland & Jemima

Albums

Singles

Collaborations

Albums with Cola & Jimmu

Singles with Cola & Jimmu

Albums with The Soul Investigators

Singles with The Soul Investigators

Albums with Repercussions

Singles with Repercussions

Music videos

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Mattlar, Mikko (December 22, 2023). "Nicole Willis jätti musiikin ja vaihtoi etunimensä Danieleksi – "Ei ollut mielekästä pitää kiinni vanhoista asioista"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators" . Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Nicole Willis biography". AllMusic . Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ Wang, Oliver. "Finnish Soul That Fuses the Past and Present". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ Potts, Diana "Nicole Willis Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2011
  6. ↑ Potts, Diana ""Soul Makeover" Review", AllMusic
  7. ↑ Hoffman, K. Ross "Keep Reachin' Up Review", AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2011
  8. ↑ Lowe, Zane. "GILLESPETERSON". BBC. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Coplan" Coplan, Chris (February 9, 2012). "Obama releases Spotify playlist". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  10. ↑ ""Tortured Soul" – Out on February 8th 2013 | TIMMION RECORDS". Timmion.com. January 10, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ Aaltonen, Mikko (February 7, 2013). "Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators tekee soulille Tarantinot". Helsingin Sanomat. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Musiikkituottajat – Tilastot – Suomen virallinen lista – Albumit". Ifpi.fi. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  13. ↑ Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine [ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators". Facebook .
  15. ↑ "Kudos Records".
  16. ↑ "Kudos Records".
  17. ↑ "Helsingin Sanomat". October 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Spotify". Spotify .
  19. ↑ "Instagram".
  20. ↑ "Kudos Records".
  21. 1 2 3 Steffen Hung. "Discography Nicole Willis". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
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