Nicole Atkins

Nicole Atkins is known for her mix of traditional vocal styles and introspective lyrics that made her a standout performer in New York City’s anti-folk scene. She honed her sound with help from friends including David Muller (occasionally a member of Yoko Ono’s band, Fiery Furnaces and Fischer Spooner) and eventually found herself in the middle of a bidding war between Columbia and Roadrunner Records. Columbia won and released her debut album, Neptune City (named after her hometown in New Jersey) in 2007. It landed at number 20 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. Prior to the release, Atkins and her band, the Sea, filmed a television commercial for the American Express credit card’s “Are You A Cardmember?” The track “Maybe Tonight” has been used in two TV spots / web minisodes for the Old Navy Summer 2008 Spotlight Collection. Atkins has made several appearances on late night television shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman. She not only performed her own tune, “The Way It Is,” but returned to join a chorus backing up Canadian singer-songwriter Feist on “1 2 3 4,” along with members of Broken Social Scene, The National, Grizzly Bear and The New Pornographers, and Mates of State. Keep up with her at www.NicoleAtkins.com.