Nikka Costa

Early life

Costa was born in Tokyo, Japan.[1] She was surrounded by music when she was a child. Her father Don Costa was a producer and a musician and had connections with people in the music business. Costa was surrounded by famous musicians at her home and when she was traveling around the world with her father.[1]

Costa got her start early. She recorded a single with Hawaiian singer Don Ho at 5 years of age. Italian producers Danny B. Besquet (Adriano Celentano, The Giants,(I Giganti) Michele Zarillo/Winner New Artist San Remo, Libra) and Tony Renis (songwriter: “Quando, Quando, Quando,”) were working with Don Costa on “Don Costa Plays the Beatles” when they had a brainstorm to produce an album with Nikka. The concept of her singing with her father playing acoustic guitar was a sweet one and well received by the European community, launching her into instant stardom. Danny B. Besquet had just finished producing and performing in the award-winning rock band The Giants and was living on the west coast. Everything fell into place with Nikka’s project and in no time at all she was singing on the White House lawn with Frank Sinatra at the age of 9.[2]

Costa's career as a recording artist with her own name started in 1981, when she recorded the song "(Out Here) On My Own" (from the musical Fame). The single, produced by Besquet and Renis, spent fourteen weeks at #1 in Italy from 15 August; "(Out Here) On My Own" also provided Costa was a #1 hit in France for five weeks and in Spain for nine weeks, also charting in Germany, the Netherlands (#32) and Switzerland (#7).

Subsequently, a self-titled album Nikka Costa was released outside the US in 1981 produced by Danny B. Besquet and Tony Renis. It became a #1 album in Europe and South America and now she traveled around the world to sing.[1] Costa released her second album Fairy tales (cuentos de hadas) in 1983. Unfortunately, her beloved father died of a heart attack soon after it was recorded, but she continued to perform despite the personal loss. Her third album Here I am was released to fulfill a contractual obligation in 1989. Here I am contained sugary pop music, and it topped some charts in Europe.[1]

Costa hadn't found out her own style yet, even though she had become a veteran in the music business. She started to search for her style after she graduated from high school. She began writing and listening to Motown artists, finding her own style in the kind of music she heard a lot at home.[1]
[edit] Career in Adulthood

She made several major moves in her "adult" career, including marrying Australian producer/songwriter Justin Stanley and moving down under. There, she started honing her guitar skills and writing her own songs. She formed her very first band, Little Mona & The Shag Daddies, which played "happy funk" but broke up after four gigs in Sydney.

Her next venture was a four-piece band called Sugarbone, which toured the country in 1994. Nikka describes the experience as "It was really scary to unveil it but the reaction was good. It helped my confidence." [3] Out of Sugarbone, she was signed to the label Mushroom in Australia.

In 1996 she released the album Butterfly Rocket in Australia, and reached the Top 20. The record led to a nomination for ARIA Music Awards Breakthrough Artist in 1996 and Best Female Artist in 1997.[citation needed]

Her song "Like A Feather" was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger television advertising campaign. That exposure coupled with the track's music video helped launch her U.S. music career. The followup album Everybody Got Their Something managed to garner another radio hit with the title track. In 2005, she released her record can'tneverdidnothin'. She toured with Lenny Kravitz who also performed on the record.

The next year, 2006, she and her husband Justin recorded and performed the theme to the short-lived CBS sitcom "Courting Alex", which starred Jenna Elfman.

Costa is currently signed with Stax Records.[4] Her latest studio album, Pebble to a Pearl, was released on October 14, 2008.

She was a guest singer on Mark Ronson's album Here Comes the Fuzz. Who also produced her song "Everybody Got Their Something" and others. [5]

Her song "Push & Pull" from the album Everybody Got Their Something is included in the soundtrack of the 2001 movie Blow, directed by Ted Demme and starring Johnny Depp.

Her song "Stuck To You" from the album Pebble to a Pearl was used in an episode of Grey's Anatomy in season five.
[edit] Discography
See also: List of non-album songs by Nikka Costa

* Nikka Costa (1981) Released in Europe and South America
* Fairy Tales (Cuentos de Hadas) (1983) Released in Europe and South America
* Here I Am... Yes, It's Me (1989) Released in Europe and South America
* Sugarbone (1994) Three track demo tape recorded in Australia, Released only to venue booking agents and promoters
* Butterfly Rocket (1996) Released only in Australia
* Everybody Got Their Something (2001) US Billboard 200 - #120
* can'tneverdidnothin' (2005) US Billboard 200 - #157
* Pebble to a Pearl (2008) US Billboard 200 - #157