Listen to interview
Watch video clips: 1Soulful, inspiring, introspective and melancholy. It’s a string of overpriced adjectives that almost always oversell the artist. Except in the case of Nicole Atkins. The Jersey native doesn’t invite comparisons to other great songwriters from her area (see Springsteen and Bon Jovi), but she doesn’t shy away from them either.
If self-reflection is still an art form, Atkins has perfected the craft. Her commanding, throaty vocal presence, coupled with her sinfully insightful lyrics of love lost and found again offer listeners a crack at discovering music that resonates beyond their iPod. And in an age where digital media has taken the emotion out of buying music, Atkins is primed to bring it back.
Click here to see what Nicole thinks makes for fashionable attire in sunny Orlando.
Atkins – Like the Diet
"I started playing guitar in high school. I was in a lot of bands and, all throughout college, I was the guitar player and backup singer in probably like six or seven different bands. And when I graduated school, I started writing my own songs."
Major Label Checks and Balances
"When you’re doing it on your own, you don’t have a budget and you have to do a sh*&load of work burning CDs for hours everyday to sell at your shows. But you could put out music whenever you want… That was the one good thing. There was a really cool immediacy to everything. But you don’t have to sit at your parent’s computer for hours burning CDs anymore."
Does That Match My Description?
"When I describe my music, I don’t really say, ‘It sounds like this other person and this other person and this other person.’ If I was to describe my music, I would say it’s pop noir."
Inspirations
"Most of the people I’m inspired by put out music like 40 years ago."
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
"Our van got broken into in Birmingham, Alabama. And they could’ve taken like thousands of dollars worth of gear, but they stole my shoes."
It’s My Card. It's My Amex Commercial
"It’s reaching an audience that we probably wouldn’t have gotten to. It’s broadening the spectrum on our goal for world domination."
