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Nikka Costa
by Magdalin Leonardo |
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photo
credit - Debra L. Rothenberg
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At 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, there are just under a dozen
Nikka Costa fans waiting outside the entrance to Irving Plaza
in New York City. By 8:00 p.m., that number has climbed into the
hundreds, with ticket holders wrapped all the way around two city
blocks. Once inside the venue, there is more waiting. One hour to
the opening band. Nearly two hours more until Costa herself graces
the stage. But once she gets there, Costa commands our attention
and won't let go... opening her set with an earsplitting scream
that would make Janis Joplin proud.
With her long, curly red hair and her tiny, orange-tinted glasses,
the comparison to Joplin seems both obvious and well-earned. But
the illusion doesn't last for long. By the time Costa completes
her one and a half hour show, she has belted out a full range of
moods and melodies that are hard to pin down to a single genre.
From the head banging sound of "Hope it Felt Good" and the hand-clapping
favorite "Like a Feather," to bluesy ballads like "So Have I For
You," Costa eases her way in and out of every emotion, breaking
down the walls between rock and funk, pop and soul.
"I get asked the same question by reporters all the time," Costa
admits. "They need me to clarify what I do... (but) we all have
different sides to our personalities, different emotions, different
ways of expressing ourselves. There's no reason why we should put
one word to who we are."
For Costa, one word would never be enough to describe the unbridled
energy and unique history of an artist who began singing at age
5, recorded her first album at 8, and achieved platinum status by
the time she was 9. At 29, Costa's musical storybook past - she
is the daughter of legendary record producer Don Costa - was mostly
an overseas phenomenon. Here in America, her star is just beginning
to shine.
With a brand-new album ("Everybody Got Their Something"),
and a brand-new tour, Costa appears to be on the brink of mirroring
the superstardom of her childhood. And if the audience at Irving
Plaza is any indication, her future success is secure. The mostly
20-something, sold-out crowd is overflowing with energy, from the
balconies on down. And the energy Costa generates is just as powerful.
Working her mic like Mick Jagger, gyrating along to the pulsating
beat of her songs, Costa easily whips the audience into a frenzy.
Her bandmates - a six-piece outfit that includes two back up singers,
a trumpeter, saxophonist, and a DJ--are almost as wild and enthusiastic
as she is.
When she isn't singing on stage, Costa fills in the gaps with lots
of bumps and grinds and four-letter words, looking every bit the
diva. Offstage, Costa is almost shy, very humble and incredibly
down to earth.
WOMANROCK.COM talked to Costa during a tour break in Nashville,
Tennessee, where the band performed on December 14.
WOMANROCK:
In the movie business, it's sometimes hard for child stars to bridge
the gap to adult performer. Was it hard for you to make the switch
musically?
NIKKA:
Well, my switch happened over a long period of time, so it wasn't
really hard. I didn't maintain myself in the public eye; I quit
a few different times.
WOMANROCK:
So you weren't a "true" child star...?
NIKKA:
I was for a few years, but a few years here and there. I made records
when I was 8 and 10 and they were enormous and I couldn't walk down
the street. Then I stopped and went to school in America. But I
didn't release anything in America because all this was going on
in Europe and South America. So I would come home to America and
just be totally normal.
WOMANROCK:
So you had the best of both worlds?
NIKKA:
Yeah, it was a complete balance.
WOMANROCK:
Is it hard being on the road and being married? Do you miss being
home?
NIKKA:
Actually, I'm used to being on the go... I'm not quite used to living
in a bus but I don't mind it. And I'm quite happy that I can bring
my dog (a chihuahua pekinese named Stella). As far as being married,
Justin and I are used to having separations. Next year, we're going
to be touring a lot, I think we're going from February to September.
So I think he's going to come.
WOMANROCK:
Do have any crazy road trip stories?
NIKKA:
I'm kind of mellow and domestic... I just hang out with my dog.
I leave all the crazy road trip stories to my band. I'm sure they
have a lot of stories. We have a "rock bus" and a "mellow bus" and
they're all on the rock bus.
WOMANROCK:
So you have your own bus?
NIKKA:
No, it's not my own bus. There are a few other mellow people in
the camp that want to "chill." To be able to do a show like this
every night, you have to take it easy a little bit, get healthy.
WOMANROCK:
You have much more experience in the music business than most artists
your age (29). What is some of the best advice you could give other
female musicians about the business?
NIKKA:
I think what's really helpful is not to harp too much on the fact
that it's seemingly so much harder for females. It may be that we
get the short end of the stick, but if you concentrate too much
on that, then it will be hard. You'll bring it into your life. It
will present itself everywhere. You'll come up against all kinds
of things. I always get asked 'Oh, is it harder being a female in
the industry? It's so male oriented and da da da, so few females
get signed and blah blah blah and so many male bands get signed
and it's so imbalanced and blah blah blah'. You can sit there and
go through all the numbers and worry about it and get really mad.
Or you could just not think about it and not worry about it and
do your thing... just be on your own path.
WOMANROCK:
Your official Web site, NikkaCosta.com,
is incredibly colorful and unique. I just love seeing you as a cartoon
character. Did you have any input into the concept or design of
this Web site?
NIKKA:
Anything surrounding my record and stuff like that I definitely
have involvement in. But I really wanted the animators to net off...
I told them to do something they thought was really cool in the
animating world because it's not something that I live, breathe
and eat like they do.
WOMANROCK:
Whose idea was it to animate you in the first place? Was that your
idea?
NIKKA:
My management company has a side company called Scribline. It's
a web animation company. I really like it, I think it's cool. I
would love to do an animated video. So it was fun to animate the
Web site.
WOMANROCK:
I noticed some interesting moments during your show at Irving Plaza.
One band member did a Led Zeppelin solo. Another one did a Jackson
5 riff...
NIKKA:
Yeah, with the solo section, we like to break it down a little bit,
have everybody do their solo in a different vibe.
WOMANROCK:
Your band definitely seems like an ensemble. Do you see touring
as a collaborative effort?
NIKKA:
Well, as a solo artist I could be really kind of funny with my band
and say 'just play my songs and it's all about me'... but I think
this way the show is much more fun for me - and I think for the
audience too. The band members have their own personalities and
they are incredibly talented. It would be a waste to have them stand
there and just be my "backing band." I love highlighting them and
letting everybody have their moment to shine. It's really important. |
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_________________________________
For more information visit:
http://www.nikkacosta.com |
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_________________________________
Other features by Magdalin Leonardo include:
The Now of Madonna - Madonna
Breech - For Sale
The Wonder Twins: Tegan and Sara
Lilith Fair - Long Live Lilith
Lilith Fair - Up Close and
Personal
Lilith Fair - Live From Lilith
Lilith Fair - The Lilith Village
Lilith Fair - Who the Hell
is Lilith, Anyway?
Bare Naked Lady: A Nude Attitude
The Naked Truth: Marie-Claire
Montanari
Book Review - Bitch: In Praise of Difficult
Women |
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_________________________________
Magdalin Leonardo is a freelance writer living in New York. |
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_________________________________
Debra L. Rothenberg is an award winning photographer residing in
New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photographic
lllustration/Photojournalism from Rochester Institute of Technology.
She is an accomplished professional whose photographic range consists
of concerts/music, celebrities, sports, CD and book covers, newspapers
and magazines, portraiture, children, weddings and Bar Mitzvahs
and public relations. For more information visit: http://www.rothenbergphoto.com/ |
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