Nina Vidal
Encyclopedia
Nina Simone Vidal, is an American
singer-songwriter
and pianist
known best by her stage name, Nina Vidal.
In 2008, Nina released her self-titled debut album, which gained her immense success in Japan
. Within six days of the release, Nina Vidal became the most downloaded album on iTunes
. From there, the album went on to become the number 1 Contemporary Jazz
Album in Japan
, with five of Vidal’s songs on the top 10 most downloaded Jazz songs on iTunes.
In 2010, Nina Vidal released the singles "Cigarette & Wine" and the Paul McCartney
written song "My Love" on iTunes. The singles were songs taken from her second full-length album, The Open-Ended Fantasy which was released in Japan on September 1 and is due out in the U.S. summer of 2011.
In July of 2011 an album of cover songs entitled "Love, Pop & Soul" (The Cover Session Vol. 1) was released and became the #1 Jazz Album in Japan.
, Nina attended a monthly open-mic night. On one such occasion she met musician, producer and composer Caté
. She passed her demo on to him and after hearing it Caté agreed to produce some of her songs. These songs would later by put together in an EP, entitled Do It Again.
In 2004, Nina was contacted by the Japanese label Uni-Village. Executives had heard her songs and wanted to sign her on their label for a full album.
In 2008, Uni-Village released Nina Vidal, which received extraordinary praise. The Soul Express (Finland
) called it “A timeless masterpiece!” Adam Greenberg of Allmusic.com wrote that, “Nina Vidal takes her inspiration from a wide array of classic female singers…she breaks loose with a subdued, smoldering style.”
Nina’s first album toppled Norah Jones
Come Away With Me
as the number one Contemporary Jazz
album in Japan
– a spot Nina would hold for eight months straight. It also became the number 1 most downloaded album on iTunes in September of that year, and five of its tracks made it to the Japanese Top 10 most downloaded Jazz
songs. She was only 25 years-old.
On September 15, 2010 Nina’s album The Open-Ended Fantasy was released exclusively in Japan. It became the #1 Contemporary Jazz Album in that country in less then 24 hours. It had five songs on iTunes Japan Top Ten Jazz Singles simultaneously including the #1 Single "Cigarette & Wine" which was written by Nina. The U.S. edition to be released in 2011.[6]
Nina worked again with Caté who produced her follow-up album, The Open-Ended Fantasy.
In 2010 Nina signed a Publishing deal with Universal Music Japan.
In July of 2011 Nina released "Love, Pop & Soul" (The Cover Session Vol. 1) on the Japanese label Village Again. An album
of cover songs she has again worked with her partner and producer, Caté. On July 28, 2011 it reached the #1 position on iTunes Japan and became Nina's 3rd consecutive album to reach number 1 in Japan.
n audience. Starting in 2004, with the executives at Uni-Village records releasing her first album, and continuing to topping the Japanese Billboard
charts, Nina owes a great deal of her success to Japan
, Singapore
, the Philippines
and other Asia
n countries.
In 2010, Nina’s album, The Open-Ended Fantasy, was released exclusively in Japan
with a U.S. edition to be released in 2011.
In January 2011 Nina began working on a new album covering love songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
It will be released Spring of 2011 through Uni-Village records.
Nina currently resides in New York City.
, Tracy Chapman
, Amos Lee
, Lizz Wright
, Djavan
, Nina Simone
, Anita Baker
, Sade
, Antonio Carlos Jobim
, and Fiona Apple
.
, Jean Caze, Jeff Haynes, Lee Hogans, and Jody Redhage.
Nina was the featured vocalist on the song Moon Child by Japanese artist Kenichiro Nishihara.
Nina has collaborated with producer/composer Caté on most of her recorded work.
The Open-Ended Fantasy - Sweet Mimosa Music (US) tbd, Village Again (Japan) 2010
Best Female Jazzy Tunes - Best Female Jazzy Tunes - Village Again 2010
Nina Vidal Nina Vidal - Sweet Mimosa Music (US) 2007, Village Again (Japan) 2008
Nina Vidal Live Session- Live Session EP - iTunes Japan Exclusive - Village Again (Japan) 2008
Singles:
Cigarette & Wine - Sweet Mimosa Music/CCreatives (US)2010
Driving - Ram Cafe Vol.3 - Lounge & Cillout - Magic Records (Poland) 2008
Compilations:
Life - Moon Child - Kenichiro Nishihara - Life - Unprivate (Japan) 2010
Absolute Voices Driving - S2S (Singapore) 2009
Luv U 100% - Reggae Female Vocal Collection -Village Again (Japan) 2009
True Soul Sistas - Moving Along - Soul UK (Britain) 2009
Addicted To House - Why- Single 7 - SoulStar (Germany) 2008
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
known best by her stage name, Nina Vidal.
In 2008, Nina released her self-titled debut album, which gained her immense success in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Within six days of the release, Nina Vidal became the most downloaded album on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. From there, the album went on to become the number 1 Contemporary Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Album in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with five of Vidal’s songs on the top 10 most downloaded Jazz songs on iTunes.
In 2010, Nina Vidal released the singles "Cigarette & Wine" and the Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
written song "My Love" on iTunes. The singles were songs taken from her second full-length album, The Open-Ended Fantasy which was released in Japan on September 1 and is due out in the U.S. summer of 2011.
In July of 2011 an album of cover songs entitled "Love, Pop & Soul" (The Cover Session Vol. 1) was released and became the #1 Jazz Album in Japan.
Music career
Nina was born in Queens, New York. While a student at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Nina attended a monthly open-mic night. On one such occasion she met musician, producer and composer Caté
Cate
Cate is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Kate. Cate is also a surname. It may refer to:-In film and television:* Cate Blanchett , Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress...
. She passed her demo on to him and after hearing it Caté agreed to produce some of her songs. These songs would later by put together in an EP, entitled Do It Again.
In 2004, Nina was contacted by the Japanese label Uni-Village. Executives had heard her songs and wanted to sign her on their label for a full album.
In 2008, Uni-Village released Nina Vidal, which received extraordinary praise. The Soul Express (Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) called it “A timeless masterpiece!” Adam Greenberg of Allmusic.com wrote that, “Nina Vidal takes her inspiration from a wide array of classic female singers…she breaks loose with a subdued, smoldering style.”
Nina’s first album toppled Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
Come Away With Me
Come Away with Me
Come Away with Me is the debut album of pianist and singer Norah Jones, released February 26, 2002 on Blue Note Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at New York City's Sorcerer Sound Studio and Shokan's Allaire Studios in 2001...
as the number one Contemporary Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
– a spot Nina would hold for eight months straight. It also became the number 1 most downloaded album on iTunes in September of that year, and five of its tracks made it to the Japanese Top 10 most downloaded Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
songs. She was only 25 years-old.
On September 15, 2010 Nina’s album The Open-Ended Fantasy was released exclusively in Japan. It became the #1 Contemporary Jazz Album in that country in less then 24 hours. It had five songs on iTunes Japan Top Ten Jazz Singles simultaneously including the #1 Single "Cigarette & Wine" which was written by Nina. The U.S. edition to be released in 2011.[6]
Nina worked again with Caté who produced her follow-up album, The Open-Ended Fantasy.
In 2010 Nina signed a Publishing deal with Universal Music Japan.
In July of 2011 Nina released "Love, Pop & Soul" (The Cover Session Vol. 1) on the Japanese label Village Again. An album
of cover songs she has again worked with her partner and producer, Caté. On July 28, 2011 it reached the #1 position on iTunes Japan and became Nina's 3rd consecutive album to reach number 1 in Japan.
Recognition in Japan
The recognition Nina received in her home country of the United States is trumped considerably by the esteem bestowed on her by the AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n audience. Starting in 2004, with the executives at Uni-Village records releasing her first album, and continuing to topping the Japanese Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts, Nina owes a great deal of her success to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and other Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries.
In 2010, Nina’s album, The Open-Ended Fantasy, was released exclusively in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with a U.S. edition to be released in 2011.
In January 2011 Nina began working on a new album covering love songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
It will be released Spring of 2011 through Uni-Village records.
Personal life
A frequent traveler to Asia and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
Nina currently resides in New York City.
Sound and Influences
Nina is influenced by Soul, Jazz, Hip-Hop and World music. She has been compared to: Jeff BuckleyJeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Amos Lee
Amos Lee
Amos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...
, Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright is an American jazz/R&B singer and composer.Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia; one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical director of their Church. She started singing gospel music and playing piano in church as a child,...
, Djavan
Djavan
Djavan is a Brazilian singer/songwriter, Djavan combines traditional Brazilian rhythms with popular music drawn from the Americas, Europe and Africa. He can arguably be categorized in any of the following musical genres: Música Popular Brasileira , samba, or Latin dance...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, Sade
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
, Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
, and Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
.
Collaborations
On The Open-Ended Fantasy album, Vidal collaborates with such prominent artists as Lonnie PlaxicoLonnie Plaxico
Lonnie Plaxico is an African American jazz bassist.Plaxico was born in Chicago, Illinois into a musical family, and started playing the bass at the age of twelve, turning professional at fourteen...
, Jean Caze, Jeff Haynes, Lee Hogans, and Jody Redhage.
Nina was the featured vocalist on the song Moon Child by Japanese artist Kenichiro Nishihara.
Nina has collaborated with producer/composer Caté on most of her recorded work.
Discography
Albums:The Open-Ended Fantasy - Sweet Mimosa Music (US) tbd, Village Again (Japan) 2010
Best Female Jazzy Tunes - Best Female Jazzy Tunes - Village Again 2010
Nina Vidal Nina Vidal - Sweet Mimosa Music (US) 2007, Village Again (Japan) 2008
Nina Vidal Live Session- Live Session EP - iTunes Japan Exclusive - Village Again (Japan) 2008
Singles:
Cigarette & Wine - Sweet Mimosa Music/CCreatives (US)2010
Driving - Ram Cafe Vol.3 - Lounge & Cillout - Magic Records (Poland) 2008
Compilations:
Life - Moon Child - Kenichiro Nishihara - Life - Unprivate (Japan) 2010
Absolute Voices Driving - S2S (Singapore) 2009
Luv U 100% - Reggae Female Vocal Collection -Village Again (Japan) 2009
True Soul Sistas - Moving Along - Soul UK (Britain) 2009
Addicted To House - Why- Single 7 - SoulStar (Germany) 2008
External links
- Official Website
- Nina Vidal at AllMusic
- Official Facebook
- Official Myspace