Nicole Eitner and the Citizens

Artist Information

Biography

English:

* WINNER of the SongDoor 2011 International Songwriting
Contest, category: POP with the song "Witness of Your Life"

* Nicole Eitner was one of the 3 midem off contest winners 2012 and went to play in Cannes/ France

* Nicole Eitner opened for Joan as Police Woman on their tour in Portugal, 2011

* Nicole Eitner was chosen to be member of the jury for 2011' "Cascais CoolJazzTalents" Festival;

* Nicole Eitner opened for SUZANNE VEGA in July 2009 in Sintra/Portugal;

* WINNER of the SXSW Webbchange Hottest Band Competition!

*"Semi-Finalist" award in the UK Songwriting Contest for the songs "Fortune Tango", "Energy Vampires", "Experience of a grown-up child" and "Dinner 41".

* Nicole Eitner and the Citizens were the chosen band to play at the "Hollywood Oscar Gala" 2009 in Lisbon/ Portugal.


There are secrets that ultimately cannot be kept a secret for
long. Nicole Eitner is one of those secrets: German living in
Lisbon, singer, pianist and songwriter.


Nicole Eitner’s first recorded solo, Vampires, dates back to
2007. Already then Nicole claimed a profound originality in
this work, which allowed her to use the disparate influences
of artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Kate Bush, Elizabeth Fraser,
David Sylvian or Depeche Mode to create an original sound,
deep and full of personality. A sound where her piano skills,
with a classical education of twelve years, stand out,
enabling her to create disarmingly personal romantic songs.



It was thanks to this record that Nicole was chosen to
integrate a national "embassy" at the North-American South
By Southwest festival, along with David Fonseca, Rita
Redshoes, Clan and The Legendary Tigerman in March
2009. At that event, Nicole was awarded first prize in the
SXSW Webchange Hottest Band Competition which will result
in a recording session in the legendary Sun Studios in
Memphis, the birthplace of the greatest pop icon of all time
Elvis Presley.


It was at a Suzanne Vega concert at the
Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval in Sintra/ Portugal that Nicole revealed
her charms, thereby revealing the secret and showing
everyone who applauded her performance that she
possesses a unique voice and artistic vision.


Music that flows along an extensive role of influences, which
in her MySpace page ranges from Lenny Kravitz to REM,
Bjork to Pink Floyd and Portishead to Arcade Fire, amongst
many others, and which are truly just simple signs of a
passion that lies in her voice, at her fingertips and that
translates itself into audacious songs sprinkled with magic
and mystery.


Nicole Eitner and the Citizens released their second album "I am You" in March 2011 in Portugal with Nicole on the piano and voices, Miguel Menezes on the double bass, Alexandre
Frazão on drums and Viviena Tupikova on the violin.


In March 2011 they were the opening act for Joan as
Policewoman's tour with 5 dates in Portugal.


Spiritual, romantic, direct, powerful, confessing and
enveloping - Nicole Eitner and the Citizens are capable of
wowing any scene.



::Nicole Eitner also performs as a solo act:: (piano and voice)




Nicole began her singing career at the age of 16 with a
portuguese band called "Delfins". They reached number one
in Portugal in 1997 with 12 platinum records being the
Portuguese band with the most sold records ever in
Portuguese music history.


The band had reached a 20 year career when Nicole
decided to take her own way...with her first solo album
"Vampires", 2007.



GERMAN:

Man kann wirklich sagen, dass alle Schritte, die Nicole Eitner
ging, alle Bühnen, alle Studios, alle Songs und alle Proben
zu dieser Neuerscheinung “I am You” geführt haben. Eine
grosse Premiere als Zenith eines langen und sicheren
Weges, der nun in Begleitung der „Citizens“ weiter läuft.

Nicole weiss sehr wohl, was sie will. Sie sang sich in die
Herzen der Zuschauer in Sintra (Portugal) als Vorgruppe
einer unvergesslichen Suzanne Vega; Sie warf sich in das
legendäre South by Southwest Festival in Austin/ Texas
(USA), zusammen mit den berühmten portugiesischen
Musikern und Bands David Fonseca oder Legendary
Tigerman (u.v.m), fiel auf und gewann Preise. Aber die
Zukunft beginnt hier mit ihrem neuen Album, das Nicole mit
den Citizens aufnahm: Alexandre Frazão mit seinem
milimetrischem Präzisions- Schlagzeug (Maria João,
Resistencia, Dead Combo, Bernardo Sassetti, uvm.), Miguel
Menezes am flüssigen kontemporären Kontrabass (We
Bypass, Zorra, uvm.), Viviena Tupikova mit ihrem
wohlbekannten magischen Touch an der Violine (Rodrigo
Leão & The Cinema Ensemble) und – natürlich – am Klavier
und Mikro – Nicole Eitner selbst.

Sagen wir es einfach noch einmal: Nicole weiss genau, was
sie will – sie spielt und singt, komponiert und produziert,
bringt Visionen, die ihr Kopf verbirgt und verwandelt sie in
Songs. In „I am You“ sind es 13 Songs – „ich bin nicht
abergläubig“, garantiert Nicole. Sie unterstreicht, dass sie
nichts dem Zufall oder dem Glück überlässt, sondern sich
dem Talent der Musiker verschreibt. Dieses neue Album
wurde in einem Studio in Sintra aufgenommen, zusammen
mit dem Tontechniker Jorge Moura, einem langjährigen
Freund, mit dem sie schon lange zusammen arbeitet. „Ich
lernte ihn vor 18 Jahren auf einem „Madredeus“-Konzert in
München kennen“, erinnert sie sich. Die ganze Produktion
dieses Albums geht auf Nicoles Verantwortung. Dennoch ist
es ihr sehr wichtig zu betonen, dass hier absolutes
Teamwork gefragt war, das man auf jeder Bühne spüren
wird.

Als Anfang diente schon die Einladung als Vorband für Joan
as Police Woman’s Tour in Portugal. Nicole gibt zu, dass
Joan eine ihrer grössten Vorbilder und musikalischer
Einfluss sei. „Ich bin ein grosser Fan von Joan und sie
inspirierte mich, als ich sie als Support-Akt von Rufus
Wainwright in Lissabon am Klavier sitzen sah. Sie gab mir
unbewusst den nötigen Kick, um endlich an meine eigene
Musik zu glauben.“

Und die Songs? „sprechen über das Leben, recyceln
gelebte Situationen – das Album ist ein Tagebuch ohne
Fakten“. Und das bedeutet Songs über die Liebe: “Die Liebe
zwischen den Menschen ist meine Inspiration, daher der
Titel de CD – ohne die anderen Menschen bin ich niemand.
Auch deshalb habe ich soviel Respekt vor meinem Publikum
und gebe immer mein Bestes.“

Als wir Nicole bitten, uns ihr musikalisches Universum zu
eröffnen, zögert sie erst, sagt es sei schwierig ihre Musik zu
kategorisieren, doch dann leuchtet sie uns einige Namen,
wie Kate Bush, Joan as Police Woman, Sarah Blasko, Rickie
Lee Jones, Feist... alles Frauen. Wie die Frauen, die sie in
„one Hundred Percent“ besingt, ein Song, der speziell die
Frauen in ihrem Publikum anspricht. Es gibt noch weitere
spezielle Lieder in „I am You“, wie „Love and Melodies“, ein
möglicher Soundtrack für die Erinnerungen einer Liebe. Für
diese „Bürgerin der Welt“, die sich eher europäisch als
Deutsch oder Portugiesisch fühlt, gibt es keine Frage: „Die
Musik ist meine reine Sprache. „ Und alles, was sie
momentan zu sagen hat, können wir in „I am You“
geniessen.

Instrumentation

Nicole Eitner - Piano, voice
Miguel Menezes - Double Bass, &Vocals
Alexandre Frazão - Drums
Viviena Tupikova - Violin and vocals

Discography

Nicole Eitner and The Citizens
released the CD "I am You" in 2011 in Portugal, Iplay (record label)

Singles:
Dinner 41
To Forgotten Places (video)
Witness of your life


"Vampires", debut album 2007,
Independent Records (Portugal) , Dawg Records (worldwide internet)

Single: Love and Melodies (video)

Available on I-Tunes and other digital labels worldwide

www.facebook.com/nicoleeitnerandthecitizens
www.myspace.com/nicoleeitner
www.reverbnation.com/nicoleeitner
www.twitter.com/nicoleeitner

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• reverbnation
• Last.fm

Audio

• 8 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - To Forgotten Places
  Listen  
• 7 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Witness of your life
  Listen  
• 2 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Love and Melodies
  Listen  
• 3 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Fortune Tango
  Listen  
• 1 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - One Hundred Percent
  Listen  
• 9 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Dinner 41
  Listen  
• 6 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Energy Vampires
  Listen  
• 5 - Nicole Eitner and The Citizens - Mind Theatre
  Listen  

Lyrics

• To Forgotten Places
• Witness of your life
• Love and Melodies
• Fortune Tango
• Dinner 41
• Where do the clouds go?
• Energy Vampires
• One Hundred Percent
• Mind Theatre

Video

To Forgotten Places OFFICIAL VIDEO

Private Sessions - Where do the clouds go - LIVE

Photo Gallery

Press

• Nicole Eitner booked by MIDEM [+ Show ]
  

  Nicole Eitner brought a mysterious fusion of modern classical, pop and jazz to Cannes last month. Th...Nicole Eitner brought a mysterious fusion of modern classical, pop and jazz to Cannes last month. This German gal now calls Lisbon her home, but she was able to rally her fans from all over and earn her way to midem. "I think honesty and simplicity always win", Eitner shared. "Fans like to read successes, even little ones". With plans for a new album and tour sounds like Eitner's fans should be hearing a lot more about success in 2012.

• Nicole and Sara at Sintra Misty Festival [+ Show ]
  

  Nicole Eitner returned to Sintra Misty and showed again her excellent voice, her empathy that works ...Nicole Eitner returned to Sintra Misty and showed again her excellent voice, her empathy that works on stage with her msuicians and with the audience and her musical capacity that touches emotionally the ones who listen and watch.
  
  Nicole, owner of a restless and adventurous spirit, is building and enthusiastic audience that vibrates with her. (...)
  
  (translation)
  

• A Portuguese Fiona Apple [+ Show ]
  

  Nicole Eitner opened the night, a lady to mention. Not avoiding any risk in a very secure area and w...Nicole Eitner opened the night, a lady to mention. Not avoiding any risk in a very secure area and with a winning attitude, this Portuguese Fiona Apple showed us a feminine pop music, bathed in a magisterial voice. (...)

• With her second album under her own name, Nicole Eitner seeks to sublime the everyday life in an unpretentious album full of ambition. [+ Show ]
  

  March 25, 2011 Disco Digital, Davide Vasconcelos “I am You”, Nicole Eitner and the Citizens Her...March 25, 2011
  Disco Digital, Davide Vasconcelos
  “I am You”, Nicole Eitner and the Citizens
  
  Her solo path has nothing to do with a familiar or an agglutinate pop idea. Not saying that this German living for long in Portugal doesn’t want to point out in her songs life as a maximum, as it is her inspiration, but this is an album of independence.
  Those intercrossed lines created common stories, treated thoroughly by someone who demands excellence of every single note. This reflects in writing that one would have to classify, due to practice, simply as “songwriter”, but not in a folk style - more as the black and white of the piano keys.
  In this album we are taken from the combative Joan as Police Woman to the sensibility of a Rufus Wainwright and end in the despair of Trent Reznor. “I am You” is both the fragility of life and its sublimation in love stories portraying a common day-by-day to the most sentimental of the mortals.
  Nicole Eitner reflects on simplicity without assuming her own ambitions as a fighter. “I am You” are reports with the destination to create proximity to those who don’t deny melancholy. Not suggesting any political changes, Nicole defends the ideology of affection.
  NICOL E EITNER AND THE CITIZENS
  “I am You”
  Uguru/ Iplay
  

• Review on the song WITNESS [+ Show ]
  

  Witness What a stunningly enchanting production this is in every way. So hard to place this cr...Witness
  
  What a stunningly enchanting production this is in every way. So hard to place this creation because it is quite unique but probably it could be enjoyed equally by lovers of Classical, Rock Opera, Psychedelia or even New age or Folk because the female singer has the soft, sweet voice of a Celtic chantreuse
  
  Everything about Witness is precise and as delicate as a butterfly alighting on water or leaving its tiny imprint on a freshly iced cake. There is a clarity and resonance which rings out as special.
  
  The deftly played piano welcomes the listener and promotes a feeling of anticipation for something good to follow - stringed instruments act as a support to the vocal message, simple and clear "You're so beautiful" - There are passages of whimsy that stop you in your tracks, a section where each word in struck with a thumping pulse to emphasize the emotion "Let me be a witness to your life" The slightest drum roll lingers in the background.
  
  What a carefree abandonment there is to this whole flavoursome composition. The image created is of fairy-like poses to the dancing rhythm, imagine flailing arms and a toss of the head, a spinning, skipping lift that is so spiritually uplifting. But this song also has strength, it grows with an urgent intensity, it peaks with a chorus section as its flower blossoms proudly. Indeed this is a celebration of beauty, exquisitely performed. A stand alone song that should be heard by any aspiring artist as an example of perfection.
  
  ref:779a
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  Witness by Nicole Eitner starts with exquisite simplicity as the singer and piano quickly fall into a groove. I immediately enjoy the quirky orchestral elements and it doesn't take long for the song to become a varied suite that meanders from part to unique part. While first I was a bit disoriented by this dazzling display of diversity, once I knew what to expect I went along for the ride and it was fabulous. I was loving it from about 2:30 on and then it ended so quickly and perfectly, I actually had a physiological reaction a k a goosebumps - majorly disappointed that the song was over (but that's a good thing) and when I looked again at the length of the song I simply could not believe that 3:33 had passed, I was certain the song was 2 minutes or less. Anyway some songs catch you by surprise and Witness left me in a bit of a state. I had to go back and hear every word and figure out what it was all about. When I did I realized I had to give extra kudos to the backing arrangement. It's not that this song was completely without flaws, it's that it was downright daring and the parts that smacked you upside the head overwhelmed any critical impulse. This performer is capable of wowing any scene, and I hope I get to witness that.
  
  ref:779b
  

• SXSW Webbchange WINNER 2009 [+ Show ]
  

  Nicole is one of the highest quality artists on Dawgrecords original acoustic music with brilliant ...Nicole is one of the highest quality artists on Dawgrecords original acoustic music with brilliant songwriting that is proving to have international appeal ‘

• Disco Digital [+ Show ]
  

  "Vampires", Nicole Eitner Half way between Jazz and Pop, "Vampires" is the first album by Nicole ..."Vampires", Nicole Eitner
  
  Half way between Jazz and Pop, "Vampires" is the first album by Nicole Eitner. Ten original songs and two cover versions compose this interesting release of a songwriter to keep in mind.
  
  First seen in concert, now the album "Vampires" appears in every showcase, Nicole Eitner's first solo album. The German, radicated in Portugal, is ideologically a close figure to names like Kate Bush and Liz Fraser. Musically, though, jazz might be the most related sonority of this composer and piano player, accompanied here by double bass and violin.
  
  Nicole composed, interpreted and produced the whole album, which proofs a genuine and uncommon surrender to art, a factor that puts "Vampires" on a podium. The compositions leave space for more ideas to expand, but truth is, that she gathered in this album a hand full of excelent songs that put banality completely aside.
  
  Special mention on the two cover versions on this album: "love is a better word" (originally from Rainbirds) and "You spin me 'round" (by Dead or Alive) - two of the best moments of a release that puts the name Nicole Eitner in your mind. And that is not bad at all.
  

• SongDoor International Songwriting Competition 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  SongDoor 2008 International Songwriting Competition Evaluation For: Nicole Eitner Song: Love and...
  SongDoor 2008 International Songwriting Competition
  Evaluation For: Nicole Eitner
  Song: Love and Melodies
  Scoring: 8 out of 10
  
  Each item is assessed on a scale from 1 -10, with 1 being a strong “no,” 5
  being average, and 10 being “absolutely yes.” (Note that a 10 is reserved for true
  excellence.) The comments are the combined opinions of multiple judges.
  Comments: Strong melodies, interesting chord changes, some pretty clever lyrics in there. :-)
  You have a good grasp on structuring a song properly. Great work making the chorus and
  verse melodies stand apart, with nice, smooth transitions. You know the melody is a good
  one when you can't get it out of your head. Excellent job there. Very well done!
  

• The German/ Portuguese Diva [+ Show ]
  

  The German/ Portuguese diva of Jazz and cool pop music. A grand and unusual voice that melts Nicole...The German/ Portuguese diva of Jazz and cool pop music. A grand and unusual voice that melts Nicole's songs. Original songs with uncommon details. (...)
  
  time out Lisbon / 04-02-2008 nº 27

• An expressive roller coaster [+ Show ]
  

  (...) the German singer, pianist and composer that was born in Germany but chose to live in Portugal...(...) the German singer, pianist and composer that was born in Germany but chose to live in Portugal. She released her album "Vampires" this year (...) full of particular and strong songs that launch you on an expressive mini roller-coaster between classic and jazz, sometimes passing through the exceptional voices of Liz Fraser and Kate Bush (...)

• Nicole Eitner - the singer-songwriter and pianist [+ Show ]
  

  "Without any fear to espose and to confront, Nicole Eitner's music transports us to another universe..."Without any fear to espose and to confront, Nicole Eitner's music transports us to another universe!"

Setlist

Witness of your life
To Forgotten Places
The Yellow Fake Brigade
One Hundred Percent
energy vampires
where do the clouds go?
audio world
poem to the sea
love is a better word
experience of a grown-up child
you spin me round (cover)
mind theatre
everything’s round
fortune tango
love and melodies
dinner 41
mind theatre
I am You here and now
Enjoy the silence (depeche mode cover "I am you")
nothing compares (sinead o'connor)

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