By Shamora Evans
S.T.I.L.L.: HOW DID YOUR MUSIC REACH THE EARS OF ROY JONES' "BODYHEAD ENTERTAINMENT"?
NYCOLE: Well, actually, I recorded my first song with the label, and I recorded a few songs for him, and then “Don Perion” played it for Roy Jones.
S.T.I.L.L.: THE TITLE OF YOUR FIRST ALBUM IS INTERESTING. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ENTITLE THE ALBUM "SHE WANTS REVENGE"?
NYCOLE: Well, there’s a song on the album called “Revenge”, and the song talks about this girl who gets her heart broken. So, the whole album is just full of songs that are just kind of an emotional rollercoaster.
S.T.I.L.L.: OKAY, SO YOU WERE BORN IN MISSISSIPPI AND RAISED IN MIAMI. HOW DID YOU ARRIVE IN ATLANTA?
NYCOLE: Yeah, I moved around a lot. But, when I was living in Miami, there was a lot more opportunities for me. So, we moved to Atlanta because we have family here anyway, and the other reason I moved to Atlanta is because it really represents my genre of music.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHAT FEMALE MUSIC ARTISTS INSPIRE(D) YOU TO BECOME A SINGER/ENTERTAINER?
NYCOLE: I would say in the past, as far as growing up, “Janet Jackson” was my all-time idol. Um, I like “Brandy” and “Madonna”. I love “Keri Hilson”, right now. I think she’s amazing as far as a songwriter. I like “Lady GaGa”, too.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU RECEIVED WORD THAT YOU WOULD BE PERFORMING ON MTV's TRL, AND WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AT THAT TIME?
NYCOLE: I was at home, and I remember my manager gave me a call, and then I remember just dropping the phone! (Laughs) And I was like. ‘I really want to be on TRL, that’s what I wanna do’. And, my mom was there and the whole family.
S.T.I.L.L.: IF YOU COULD CHOOSE THREE MUSIC ARTISTS TO WORK WITH IN THE STUDIO, OR FEATURE WITH, WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO RECORD WITH?
NYCOLE: First, is “Timbaland” because he’s the greatest and amazing. “Janet Jackson” because she’s my idol, and “Will.I.am” because he just makes such different music.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHAT ARTISTS HAVE YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLAB WITH ALREADY?
NYCOLE: Well, I’ve worked with “Haystack”, “Armando Colon”, and he is absolutely amazing and a really great guy. I’ve worked with “Jim Johnson” also; he’s a producer from Miami.
S.T.I.L.L.: ARE YOU DOING LIVE PERFORMANCES RIGHT NOW AND, IF SO, WHERE CAN YOUR FANS CATCH YOU 'LIVE'?
NYCOLE: Right now, we’re working on a lot of new changes, and the papers aren’t signed yet. But, we’re working on going overseas, especially Germany, because that’s where I really started to get the buzz to get on TRL. But, everything is updated on my MySpace and Twitter pages. My MySpace page is www.myspace.com/nycolevalentina, and on my Twitter page, it’s www.twitter.com/nycolevalentina.
S.T.I.L.L.: IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT AN ARTIST HAVE A GOOD MANAGER IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
NYCOLE: It’s very important, because at the end of the day, they represent you as the artist. You don’t want a manager that’s just in it for the money. Like, Champ was with me when I was just some little girl with a MySpace page making really horrible music, actually. He was there when there was no money involved, and I think at the end of the day, if someone offered a deal that wouldn’t be good for me, he wouldn’t let it go down.
S.T.I.L.L.: DID YOU EVER ASPIRE TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL IN ANOTHER CAREER FIELD BESIDES MUSIC AND, IF SO, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BECOME BEFORE MUSIC?
NYCOLE: Uh, writing has already been very important to me. When I was really young, I wanted to be a lawyer just because my mother always told me I was good at arguing.
S.T.I.L.L.: ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU?
NYCOLE: I’m still finishing up the album, and I’m working on a mixtape now. But, I’m also trying to get everything in order. I also plan to do a U.S. tour, so when the album is ready to be released, I definitely want to get out there and perform.
NYCOLE: Well, actually, I recorded my first song with the label, and I recorded a few songs for him, and then “Don Perion” played it for Roy Jones.
S.T.I.L.L.: THE TITLE OF YOUR FIRST ALBUM IS INTERESTING. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ENTITLE THE ALBUM "SHE WANTS REVENGE"?
NYCOLE: Well, there’s a song on the album called “Revenge”, and the song talks about this girl who gets her heart broken. So, the whole album is just full of songs that are just kind of an emotional rollercoaster.S.T.I.L.L.: OKAY, SO YOU WERE BORN IN MISSISSIPPI AND RAISED IN MIAMI. HOW DID YOU ARRIVE IN ATLANTA?
NYCOLE: Yeah, I moved around a lot. But, when I was living in Miami, there was a lot more opportunities for me. So, we moved to Atlanta because we have family here anyway, and the other reason I moved to Atlanta is because it really represents my genre of music.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHAT FEMALE MUSIC ARTISTS INSPIRE(D) YOU TO BECOME A SINGER/ENTERTAINER?
NYCOLE: I would say in the past, as far as growing up, “Janet Jackson” was my all-time idol. Um, I like “Brandy” and “Madonna”. I love “Keri Hilson”, right now. I think she’s amazing as far as a songwriter. I like “Lady GaGa”, too.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU RECEIVED WORD THAT YOU WOULD BE PERFORMING ON MTV's TRL, AND WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AT THAT TIME?NYCOLE: I was at home, and I remember my manager gave me a call, and then I remember just dropping the phone! (Laughs) And I was like. ‘I really want to be on TRL, that’s what I wanna do’. And, my mom was there and the whole family.
S.T.I.L.L.: IF YOU COULD CHOOSE THREE MUSIC ARTISTS TO WORK WITH IN THE STUDIO, OR FEATURE WITH, WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO RECORD WITH?
NYCOLE: First, is “Timbaland” because he’s the greatest and amazing. “Janet Jackson” because she’s my idol, and “Will.I.am” because he just makes such different music.
S.T.I.L.L.: WHAT ARTISTS HAVE YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLAB WITH ALREADY?
NYCOLE: Well, I’ve worked with “Haystack”, “Armando Colon”, and he is absolutely amazing and a really great guy. I’ve worked with “Jim Johnson” also; he’s a producer from Miami.
S.T.I.L.L.: ARE YOU DOING LIVE PERFORMANCES RIGHT NOW AND, IF SO, WHERE CAN YOUR FANS CATCH YOU 'LIVE'?
NYCOLE: Right now, we’re working on a lot of new changes, and the papers aren’t signed yet. But, we’re working on going overseas, especially Germany, because that’s where I really started to get the buzz to get on TRL. But, everything is updated on my MySpace and Twitter pages. My MySpace page is www.myspace.com/nycolevalentina, and on my Twitter page, it’s www.twitter.com/nycolevalentina.
S.T.I.L.L.: IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT AN ARTIST HAVE A GOOD MANAGER IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?NYCOLE: It’s very important, because at the end of the day, they represent you as the artist. You don’t want a manager that’s just in it for the money. Like, Champ was with me when I was just some little girl with a MySpace page making really horrible music, actually. He was there when there was no money involved, and I think at the end of the day, if someone offered a deal that wouldn’t be good for me, he wouldn’t let it go down.
S.T.I.L.L.: DID YOU EVER ASPIRE TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL IN ANOTHER CAREER FIELD BESIDES MUSIC AND, IF SO, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BECOME BEFORE MUSIC?
NYCOLE: Uh, writing has already been very important to me. When I was really young, I wanted to be a lawyer just because my mother always told me I was good at arguing.
S.T.I.L.L.: ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU?
NYCOLE: I’m still finishing up the album, and I’m working on a mixtape now. But, I’m also trying to get everything in order. I also plan to do a U.S. tour, so when the album is ready to be released, I definitely want to get out there and perform.