Nicole Collins
Brooklyn, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Her vocal ability along with her well crafted songwriting is appealing to the ear at a time when vocal and songwriting these days is hard to come by mainstream." - Women in Entertainment newspaper
"Very hushed, conversational .... the right emotional setting. ... Detailed nicely with the shades and nuances of real life that make this ring true." - Unisong
" 'Not This Time' has strong and lively tracks accompanied by Nicole's signature vocals (melodic and harmonic). I started to list some of my favorite tracks here, such as: Maria (Hold On), These Days, I’m Doing Fine, August and then I realized that I was about to list all the titles, just in a different order. Have you ever listened to an entire cd and thought you were listening to a greatest collection? WELL!!! This is one of those masterpieces ... She paints lyrical pictures and sings you into a musical journey."
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"The surprise of this album is not how well Nicole sings. That we have known for a long time. But her songwriting, her arrangements and her growth as an artist comes as a particularly pleasant revelation. These songs have really grown on me, to the point where I find myself singing them on the train, the sidewalk, in the kitchen. That's always a good sign." - (real fans!)
Listening to the music of Nicole Collins is like watching a movie with a very human story and a spectacular soundtrack which goes straight from your ears to your heart. The images fill themselves in easily within your mind, as Nicole’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of her emotional world. From the weariness of a long train ride home after work in “Brooklyn Bound” to the emotional ups and downs which occur after a break-up in “I’m Doing Fine”, Nicole is able to clearly tap in to her own perception of the world and articulate it so that her listeners can understand it as well. When she details the moments leading up to a double-suicide in “The Edge”, your heart can’t help but race and then break with the characters which she brings to life with her description.
Although it is the lyrics that paint the perfect picture and let the visual movie run through your mind, it is the combination of her strong, sensual voice and the strength of her band’s musical support that bring that extra added intensity that propels your heart to feel the emotions which she describes in her stories. Nicole’s voice has the strength and self-assurance of a strong female singer-songwriter, ranging from near-pop fun to deep soul rhythm in sound. Her band lends subtle musical background to support this changing voice, highlighting Nicole’s strengths in the way that the right lighting can enhance the picture of a film. -Kathryn Vercillo - Indie In-Tune
Discography
"The Chores Can Wait," June 3, 2010
"Not This Time," June 9, 2006
"Leave It Behind," June 29, 2004
Photos
Bio
She doesn't look like your typical guitar-toting songstress, what with all that hair ("The bigger, the better," she'll say with a grin). The music is folky, yes, but sprinkled with rock and tempered ever so slightly by the soul in her voice. The mixed signals just keep coming as her set list slides from weepy ballads and existential angst to sarcastic snarls to joyful breeziness.
Suffice it to say, it's hard to pigeonhole Nicole Collins. A natural singer since she could speak, NC ran the gamut of musical discovery as a youngster: talent shows (Mariah covers, if you must know), choirs (first soprano), orchestras (viola) and finally, secret low-fi recordings of her first songs that she guarded with her life.
But she was not so shy about her music for long. All grown up, Nicole followed her dream to New York, creating a niche all her own: "pop/rock with soul," she calls it. Touring has taken her from New York stages The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall and Central Park among them to the rest of the Northeast, the South and Midwest. Overseas, she's performed in Germany, France, Spain, and Denmark, where she moved the crowd at Tivoli Gardens (capacity 3000+) with rockin' anthem set a world away in the New York City subway ("Brooklyn Bound").
Fast-forward to today, with her third album still resonating. Don't miss "As I Am," for the one who really gets you, "Pretty Girl," a bit of tongue-in cheek social commentary -- and of course, "Take Your Time," which all but drags you out for "a nap in the sunshine."
When not behind the mic, NC can be found racking up the miles on the park's running trails or curled up blissfully with pen and guitar; "the chores can wait for some grayer day," after all.
A few highlights from her career:
Collaborating with Alain Nkossi Konda, the Afro-pop artist/producer and John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner, Nicole worked her vocal magic in "I Will Sing," by world-famous soukous artist Kanda Bongo Man.
She won honorable mentions in the 11th Annual Unisong Awards for her rock/alternative hit "Brooklyn Bound" and her acoustic/folk ballad "The Edge," also signing a licensing deal for Not This Time with Noteborn Music.
NC's recording of Alains song "Fading Spirit" was featured on the Diaspora for Africa, a U.N- backed project raising funds to end world hunger.
She has been featured on "15 Minutes of Fame," a New York TV show, and Yleisradio, a Finnish TV station with 5 million viewers.
Contact: (718) 637-3159 / info@nicolecollins.net
Band Members
Links
