Like A Feather

Background:

American singer and songwriter Nikka Costa, the daughter of deceased producer/arranger Don Costa, got her start as a successful child singer thanks to the European No. 1 hit single “Out Here On My Own” (1981). She also released a string of successful albums during this period, including “Nikka Costa” (1981), “Fairy Tales” (1983) and “Here I Am... Yes, It's Me” (1989). As an adult, Costa began her recording career in Australia with the Top 20 hit album “Butterfly Rocket” (1996), from which she nabbed nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Artist at the ARIA Music Awards. However, she did not come to the attention of the American public until her song “Like A Feather” was featured in a Tommy Hilfiger ad in 2000. She has since released the albums “Everybody Got Their Something” (2001), “Can'tneverdidnothin'” (2005) and “Pebble to a Pearl” (2008). A new studio album, “PRO WHOA,” will be released by Virgin Records in February 2011.

Costa has been married to producer/songwriter Justin Stanley since 1992. The couple has one daughter named Sugar McQueen Stanley, who was born in 2006.

Domenica

Childhood and Family:

Nikka Costa was born Domenica Costa on June 4, 1972, in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, Don Costa (born July 10, 1925, died January 19, 1983), was a pop music arranger and record producer best recalled for his work with Frank Sinatra, who was Nikka's godfather. Her mother's name is Terry Ray Costa. Nikka has two siblings, Taco and Nancy Costa, from her father’s side of the family.

In 1992, Nikka married Australian producer/songwriter Justin Stanley. She gave birth to her first child, daughter Sugar McQueen Stanley, on September 13, 2006.

Out Here On My Own

Career:

The daughter of noted musician/producer Don Costa, Nikka Costa was introduced to the music industry at an early age and by age 5 had scored her first gig by serving as an opening act for the Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho. After impressing hundreds of Police fans in Chile, 9 year old Costa performed with Frank Sinatra. In 1981, Costa recorded the song “Out Here On My Own,” a song from the musical “Fame,” with her father. Produced by her dad's colleagues Danny B. Besquet and Tony Renis, the single was a chart topper in Italy, France and Spain and also charted in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Costa and her father were planning a follow-up when he died of a heart attack in New York in 1983.

After the success of “Out Here On My Own,” Costa launched a self titled debut album in 1981. The album went to No. 1 in Europe and South America. She followed it up with “Fairy Tales” (“Cuentos de Hadas”) in 1983 and “Here I Am... Yes, It's Me” (“Loca Tentación”) in 1989, which topped some charts in Europe. In 1990, she performed “All for Love,” an English version of “Vattene amore” by Mietta, at the Sanremo Music Festival.

After marrying Aussie producer and musician Justin Stanley, Costa moved to Australia and began improving her guitar style and writing her own songs. She founded her first band, Little Mona & The Shag Daddies, and they secured four gigs in Sydney, but broke up shortly after. She went on to form a four piece band called Sugarbone, with whom she toured the country in 1994. She recorded the songs “Everybody's On This Ride (Get Yourself A Little Head Space),” “Let Me Be Your Love Child” and “Ain't No Mountain To Be Climbed (Put It Down)” with the group for the 1994 self titled demo tape “Sugarbone.” She left the group and signed with a Melbourne based record company, Mushroom Records, in 1996.

Under Mushroom Records, Costa released her first adult album, “Butterfly Rocket,” in 1996. It made the Top 20 on the Australian Albums chart. The album contained 11 tracks, which Costa primarily wrote with her husband, who also produced the album. For her work, Costa was nominated for the Australian Recording Industry Awards (ARIA) in the category of Best New Artist in 1996 and Best Female Artist in 1997.

In 1997, Costa recorded a cover version of The Leaves' “Hey Joe” for the compilation “Not With That Clown: Songs Of Sexual Jealousy,” which was released in Australia. The same year, she also sang a Faces cover called “Stay with Me” and The Beatles' “Yer Blues,” which were available on the “Live at the Bridge” bonus CD.

In the new millennium, Costa signed with the Aussie label Cheeba Sound. Also in 2000, the singer received major exposure when her sensual song “Like a Feather” was used in a Tommy Hilfiger television advertising campaign, which helped establish her career in the United States. She then signed with Virgin Records and released “Everybody Got Their Something” on May 22, 2001. The album, which she co-produced with Mark Ronson and her husband, marked her first American release despite the fact that she had released a number of albums internationally. It peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200. “Like A Feather” was released as the first single of the album. It rose to No. 53 on the U.K. Singles chart while the title track, “Everybody Got Their Something,” was used in the pilot of the television series “Arrested Development” and other places. The song “Push & Pull” was featured in the Johnny Depp film “Blow” (2001) and was covered by Prince for his direct to video concert “Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas,” while the song “So Have I For You” was used in the Britney Spears movie “Crossroads” (2001).

On May 24, 2005, Costa resurfaced with “Can'tneverdidnothin',” her sophomore effort with Virgin Records. The album peaked at No. 157 on the Billboard 200. She wrote and/or co-wrote 10 of the 12 tracks included on the album. They are “Till I Get To You,” “Can'tneverdidnothin',” “Fooled Ya Baby,” “I Gotta Know,” “Around The World,” “Swing It Around,” “On & On,” “Happy In The Morning,” “Hey Love” and “Fatherless Child.” Costa supported the album by touring with one of its guest stars, Lenny Kravitz.

Costa parted ways with Virgin Records in 2006 and signed with the Tennessee based Stax Records two years later. The album “Pebble to a Pearl” was released on October 14, 2008, on the new label and was produced by husband Stanley and Costa herself. It rose to No. 157 on the Billboard 200 and the first track, “Stuck To You,” was used in an episode of “Grey's Anatomy” in season five. Costa left Stax Records in 2009 and was reunited with Virgin Records the next year.

In 2010, Costa released the single “Ching Ching Ching” in Europe. The song earned negative responses from fans but managed to enter the German charts at No. 77. It became Costa's first single to chart in Germany since 1981. Her new studio album, “PRO WHOA,” was slated to be released on September 3, 2010, but was delayed until February 18, 2011. The song “Not The Only One” was selected as the second single of the album. Although it is available as a digital download at many of the German music stores, the song, unfortunately, failed to chart.

Awards:
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