Nikki Jean

Last updated

Nikki Jean
Self-portraitofNikkiJean.jpg
Jean in 2019
Background information
Birth nameNicholle Jean Leary
Born (1983-08-25) August 25, 1983 (age 39)
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2005–present
Labels
Formerly of Nouveau Riche

NicholleJean Leary (born August 25, 1983), better known as Nikki Jean, is an American singer-songwriter. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jean started out as a lead singer of a short-lived Philadelphia band called Nouveau Riche. She was introduced to rapper Lupe Fiasco when he was working on his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco'sThe Cool and achieved initial success as the featuring artist on his single "Hip Hop Saved My Life". Jean continues to collaborate frequently with the rapper.

Contents

After two years of co-writing songs with many highly regarded songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Carole King for her debut album, Jean released Pennies in a Jar in 2011. The album received positive reviews but was a commercial failure. Her solo career continued with three extended plays: the X-Mas EP (2013), the Champagne Water EP (2014), and Beautiful Prison (2019).

Early life

Nicholle Jean Leary was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on August 25, 1983. [1] [lower-alpha 1] Her father was an African American government aid agency worker and her mother was a white labor lawyer. [3] Jean developed an early interest in songwriting after watching Irving Berlin's 100th birthday in 1983, [3] [5] and started learning the piano aged eight. Her mother's interest in folk music led her to learn the importance of writing lyrics that are easy to sing along to. [2] She took the name "Nikki Jean" while in high school to distinguish herself from other people who shared her name. [6]

While attending Howard University, Jean met singer Nona Hendryx. Hendryx recommended she listen to Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, which opened her up to chord structure. [2] She also studied acting. [7]

Career

2005–2008: Nouveau Riche and Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

After graduating in 2005, [8] Jean was invited to perform at a Labor Day barbecue in Philadelphia by The Roots. Their member Dice Raw asked Jean to join his new band called the Disease after hearing her play piano in a studio—the band would be renamed Nouveau Riche within two weeks. Jean accepted the offer and moved to the city, where she lived in the neighborhood of Manayunk. [3] [6] The five-member Nouveau Riche released two extended plays (EPs) when it was active from 2005–2008. As the lead singer, [1] [9] Jean co-wrote many of the band's songs. [7] She uploaded videos on her YouTube channel "nikkijeanproject". [10]

Jean was working with producers Chris & Drop, who played one of Jean's songs to rapper Lupe Fiasco. He called her up and she featured on "Little Weapon" and the single "Hip Hop Saved My Life" on his album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007), the latter of which she co-wrote. She later went on the album tour. [1] [7] Jean's collaborations with Fiasco marked her gaining wider popularity: a Billboard journalist wrote in 2011 that she was "previously best-known for her singing/writing stints on [The Cool]." [11] Jean and Fiasco performed as one of the opening acts in Kanye West's 2008 Glow in the Dark Tour. [1]

2008–2011: Pennies in a Jar

In 2008, Jean sought out producer Sam Hollander for his work on Carole King's 2001 album Love Makes the World to discuss a direction for a future solo career. For her debut album, Hollander suggested that she travel around the United States to co-write songs with "the greatest songwriters" for her debut album. [1] [2]

For two years, Jean wrote songs with writers such as King, Burt Bacharach and Bob Dylan, many of which were popular during the 1970s and 1980s. [12] She believed her lack of wide success actually helped her secure collaborations, allowing her to approach each writer as a fan. [2] Dylan even allowed her to complete "Steel and Feathers (Don't Ever)", a song of his that had been unfinished for over thirty years. [13] She was originally signed to Columbia Records but they dropped her in late 2010 as the music seemed "more mature" than they anticipated; the album was instead released on July 12, 2011 by indie label S-Curve Records, titled Pennies in a Jar . [2] [14] She appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman , Tavis Smiley, Weekend Edition Saturday and Live from Daryl's House to promote it. [11]

While the album received positive reviews from music journalists, [3] [15] [16] its songs failed to chart — except in Japan, where it reached the Top 10 singles. Hollander would later write in his autobiography, "In my mind, I'd totally failed Nikki. [...] I'd under-thought the greatest idea ever and hung her out to dry in the process. She deserved better. This was easily the biggest miss of my career, and man, it stung." [14]

2011–present: Extended plays and further collaborations

Jean later moved to Los Angeles. [17] She released the EP X-Mas EP in 2013, [18] and was a featuring artist on Ab-Soul's 2014 song "World Runners". [19] She featured on several songs on Lupe Fiasco's 2015 album Tetsuo & Youth and 2018 album Drogas Wave . [20] [21] Jean, Fiasco and The Roots performed "Little Death" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February 2015. [22] She and Fiasco also appeared for the first season of Why? with Hannibal Buress (2015). [23]

On October 22, 2014, Jean released the first single from her second solo EP, "Champagne Water", featuring Ab-Soul. [24] Vibe premiered the extended play of the same name on November 19, 2014, containing six songs which concern topics such as police shootings, heartbreak and religion. Jake One, Like, Double-O, Donnie Trumpet and Nate Fox serve as producers. [19] [25]

In 2019, Jean released the seven-track EP Beautiful Prison through Rhymesayers Entertainment, with Fiasco featuring on the Jake One-produced single "Mr. Clean". She also released a short film called Be Free. [26] [27]

Artistry

A soul and pop artist and songwriter who often features on hip-hop songs, [1] Alison Stewart of The Washington Post described Jean as a "parallel universe's offspring of Carole King and Janelle Monae". [28] Pennies in a Jar featured pop and soul music reminiscent of the 1960s–80s era in which many of her co-writers flourished. AllMusic's Andy Kellman said that the songs contained, perhaps, "a modernized hip-hop spin". [12] [15] He added that Jean had "a lithe, quietly potent voice", [12] which other critics characterized as sincere. [2] [8] Her later EP Champagne Water touched on current societal issues. [25] Jean said that since childhood she listened to songwriters rather than singers: "Songwriters were my rock stars." [8]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Notes

  1. ↑ The Wall Street Journal spells her first name Nicolle, [2] while AllMusic's database spells it Nicholle. [1] An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that she was born Nicholle Jean Harvey. [3] Jean tweeted thanking her fans "for the birthday wishes" on August 25, 2011. [4] She was interviewed by Jim Fusilli of The Wall Street Journal in June 2011, who said she was then twenty-seven years old. [2] This places her birthdate on August 25, 1983.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kellman, Andy. "Nikki Jean Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fusilli, Jim (July 5, 2011). "Written in the Shadow of Giants" . The Wall Street Journal . Vol. 258, no. 3. p. D5. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 DeLuca, Dan (August 7, 2011). "Nikki Jean collaborates with stars on 'Pennies in a Jar'" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ Jean, Nikki [@nikkijean] (August 25, 2011). "THANK YOU for the Birthday wishes!! Check out my sis @antoniettecosta she's awesome" (Tweet). Retrieved June 4, 2023– via Twitter.
  5. ↑ Simon, Scott (July 15, 2011). "Nikki Jean: Friends In High Places". Weekend Edition Saturday (Podcast). NPR . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Roy, Melony (November 3, 2011). "Nikki Jean Talks About Recently Released Album 'Pennies In A Jar'". KYW-TV . Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Hamilton-Smith, Summer (March 2008). "Nikki Jean: Sunshine". Clutch . Archived from the original on January 19, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Gerstenzang, Peter (September 1, 2011). "Nikki Jean: The Collaborator". American Songwriter . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ Hoffberger, Chase (March 14, 2008). "Spotlight: Nouveau Riche". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (May 10, 2009). "Publishers Quarterly: Sony/ATV Pairs Newcomer With Legends" . Billboard . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Mitchell, Gail (August 5, 2011). "Newcomer Nikki Jean Works with Bob Dylan, Jimmy Webb and More on Debut Album, Lands Best Buy Ad" . Billboard . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Schlansky, Evan (April 28, 2011). "Nikki Jean Co-Writes With Bob Dylan, Carole King, Burt Bacharach". American Songwriter . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Hear Bob Dylan's unfinished song, with songstress Nikki Jean: 'Steel and Feathers (Don't Ever)' -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly . March 28, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Hollander, Sam (2022). "Riding on the Metro". 21-Hit Wonder: Flopping My Way to the Top of the Charts. BenBella Books. ISBN   9781637741870.
  15. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Pennies in a Jar Review". AllMusic . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Nikki Jean, "Pennies in a Jar"" . Billboard . July 29, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ Pelta-Heller, Josh (July 28, 2016). "The High Key Portrait Series: Nikki Jean". WXPN . Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "NIKKI JEAN – XMAS EP (REMASTERED)". Audiomack. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 Kennedy, John (November 19, 2014). "Premiere: Nikki Jean 'Champagne Water' EP". Vibe . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ Greene, Jason (January 22, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco: Tetsuo & Youth Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  21. ↑ Hyun Kim, Michelle (September 13, 2018). "Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album Drogas Wave". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  22. ↑ Thompson, Paul (February 26, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Performs 'Little Death' on 'The Tonight Show'". XXL . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Why? with Hannibal Buress: A Musical Performance From Lupe Fiasco". Comedy Central . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ Frydenlund, Zach (October 22, 2014). "Listen to Nikki Jean's "Champagne Water" f/ Ab-Soul". Complex . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Kyles, Yohance (December 17, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Nikki Jean Talks New EP, Working With Lupe Fiasco & Ab-Soul + Hip Hop's Role In Changing People's Lives". AllHipHop . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  26. 1 2 Flisadam (December 9, 2019). "Nikki Jean Escaping the 'Beautiful Prison' of Art, Life and Legacy". Envert. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ Clark, Trent (May 25, 2018). "Nikki Jean & Lupe Fiasco Reunite On Jake One-Produced "Mr. Clean"". HipHopDX . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  28. ↑ Stewart, Alison (July 19, 2011). "Singles file: Red Hot Chili Peppers, DOOM/STARKS, Wooden Shjips". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Pennies In a Jar". iTunes. July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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