By Kelsey McConnell
Daily Bruin Contributor
Little Orphan Annie is all grown up.
Nikka Costa, daughter of producer Don Costa, once was a little
red-head singing as if she was on Star Search. Now, roughly 20
years later, Costa has a new sound and a new album.
“Everybody Got Their Something,” which is slotted to
be released later this year, got a head start when the track
“Like a Feather” was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger
commercial. The commercial went into heavy rotation on MTV and
VH-1, and Costa later appeared on the season finale of “The
Chris Rock Show.” That was her first performance in over
three years.
According to Costa, singing creates an experience that feels
like she is leaving the planet and is totally free.
Costa’s recent success hasn’t come without
significant effort and time spent in the music business. Don Costa
was an arranger, producer and composer for the likes of Tony
Bennett, Sarah Vaughan and Barbra Streisand. A young Nikka hung out
with stars such as Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Sly Stone and her
own godfather, Frank Sinatra. It was with the imprint of these jazz
heavies that she embarked on her musical career.
At age seven, she joined her father’s
orchestra, singing the song “On My Own” in Milano.
A year later, she was opening for The Police in Chile in front of
300,000 people.
Her early records reached platinum status in Europe, Israel and
South and Central America.
After taking a four-year hiatus following the death of her
father, Costa made a record for a small German recording label. Of
this record, Costa said she wasn’t very proud of her
work and released the album strictly out of contractual
obligation.
Flash forward to early 1997 when Costa released something she
was proud of ““ “Butterfly Rocket” ““ which
earned her a Best New Artist nomination at the Australian Recording
Industry Awards. And now, after hooking up with album producers
Justin Stanley and New York DJ Mark Ronson, “Everybody Got
Their Something” is ready to be introduced into the music
world.
During a phone interview from New York, Costa said European
audiences knew her because of the records she made there.
“You work really hard and you never really know,”
Costa said. “You’re making a record, kind of in this
tunnel, and then you just put it out there. So far I’ve been
pleased. People have been really positive.”
Positive is certainly one word to describe her success. Costa
made BET’s “10 Acts to Watch in 2001″ and a song
off her new album is featured on the “Blow” soundtrack,
alongside such epic artists as Bob Dylan and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In
fact, potential Costa fans can listen to her contribution to the
soundtrack on the official “Blow” Web site.
But what does she sound like?
“It’s a bit more on the funk and soul side,”
she said. “I really like funk and I really like rock, so I
wanted to make a record that was multi-dimensional. I don’t
think artists have to be one thing.”
The album is a product of Dominique Trenier’s label Cheeba
Sound, musical home of D’Angelo. It is riddled with neo-funk
bass beats and quirky vocal effects. The songs, all written or
co-written by Costa, are sometimes an autobiographical
transcription of her musical journey. On the track “Tug of
War” she sings, “There are times in our lives/when our
hearts fear our minds/we can’t afford to ignore/what are
hearts are beating for.”
The tone of the album oscillates between the toe-tapping power
of tracks such as “Like a Feather” and the sweet, funk
ballad “Push and Pull.” The 25-second track
“Nikka What?” is a quick bite of groovy scratching.
1970s soulster Jimmy Preston can be heard on the clarinet on the
track “Just Because.” All in all, the record is a
unique mix that alludes categorization into a single genre.
In addition to releasing her album, Costa has been performing in
Los Angeles at such venues as The Roxy and The Viper Room.
“I really like the intimacy of a really packed room, where
it is really sweaty and you can connect with everyone,” Costa
said.
Los Angeles audiences can see her at the Coachella Valley Music
and Art Festival in Indio this Saturday. Though it is not the
sweaty room Costa loves, she is excited for this show too.
“It’s so fun playing outdoors,” she said.
Whether it is live or off her new album, American music fans are
sure to be hearing from Nikka Costa in the near future.
MUSIC: Nikka Costa’s album
“Everybody Got Their Something” will be in stores May
22. Costa is performing live at the Coachella Festival this
Saturday, April 28.