About Me
about SAMANTHA NICOLE
passion's fruit...
When you look at some of the greatest, there is always one thing that they all have in common: Passion. When you listen to Samantha's music one can feel the passion that resonates with every single note. Although pop in essence, the emotional content of her music is like your favorite jazz song--rich, soothing and far from superficial. It is this characteristic that separates Samantha from the rest. It is her passion that enables her to take a simple pop beat and turn it into a timeless piece. It is her passion that forces her to "dig deep" when writing any song and not settle for anything less than a "hit".
Likewise, it is also this passion that helped her to realize as a young girl that although she was born to a single Jamaican mother in the ghetto, she did not have to die there. It is this passion that at the age of 8 enabled her to wake up at 6AM every morning so that she could take the 2-hour train ride from the Bronx to Manhattan to get a better education. It is this passion that at the age of 9 enabled her to be the only African American female selected to participate in the New York City Opera Children's Chorus and perform several Opera's at the Met. It is this passion that at the age of 13 enabled her to obtain close to a full scholarship to attend boarding school at one of the countries most prestigious college prep schools. It is this passion that enabled her to be selected for her highschool's Madrigal choir where she would receive vocal training and travel throughout Europe in her Junior and Senior years. It is this passion that gave her the courage to transfer to Berklee College of Music and pursuit a career in Music, although her mother did not approve.
While at Berklee, Samantha applied herself, not only in performance but also in business. Realizing that the industry was at a turning point with CD sales declining and digital taking over, she sought to learn about these changes, so that she would ultimately have leverage over her career. She enrolled in classes with some of the industries greatest veterans and attended panels with some of its current pioneers. However, it wasn't until her internship at Jive Records in New York, that everything started to come together. While at Jive she interned in the A&R department for some of the industries top trailblazer such as Wayne Williams (R. Kelley, Anthony Hamilton, Raheem Davaughn), Mark Pitts (Usher, Ciara) and Memphitz Wright (T-Pain, Bone Crusher). She also gained experience in the publicity department working under Sonia Muckle (Brintey Spears, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys). Although Samantha found the business aspects very interesting, she knew that her passion was to sing and songwrite. Therefore, while interning in A&R she cultivated a friendship with an A&R assistant who gave her tracks to write to. Every evening after work, she would go home and do nothing but write and record songs into her lap top Garage Band. During the weekends when all of her friends were out partying and enjoying NYC nightlife, Samantha stayed at home writing between 1 and 4 songs per night. It was as if something had been ignited in her; she had found her calling, her hustle, and her passion. That summer she wrote so many songs that she had enough material to start a band; and when she went back to Berklee, that's exactly what she did. She selected 12 of Berklee's best musicians and together they hit the streets of Boston on her first local tour. While on tour, an independent producer from Spain saw her performing and invited her to record an independent project in Spain. Immediately after graduating she flew to Spain to record her first album with the Satya Project (now available for purchase on I-Tunes & CD Baby) an eclectic mix of jazz, soul and gospel music and which also features two or her originals. Upon return from Spain, Samantha was offered a position with Universal Music Group Distribution in Los Angeles, where she currently works in Urban Sales & Marketing.
As you can see, when Samantha is passionate about something, it is only a matter of time before her dreams become a reality. Music is her passion and she won’t stop until every melody, chord and lyric as been ripened to its sweet potential. With a diverse array of musical influences like Ella Fitzgerald, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Clark Sisters, Beyonce, Rochelle Farrel, Theolonious Monk, Brian Michael Cox, Rodney Jerkins, Bob Marley, and many more, Samantha has a plethora of voices to draw from. Her music is a masterful mix of all these great musical legends, coupled with her own smooth, rich, sweet sound. Passion’s Fruit—Samantha Nicole--Care to try?
