E-mail a friendNikka Costa
airdate May 27, 2005
Singing sensation Nikka Costa has a natural love of music. She spent her early days in the recording studio of her famous father - producer, conductor and arranger Don Costa - meeting such greats as Quincy Jones, Sly Stone and Sammy Davis Jr. Costa took to the family business early and, by age 10, had released her second international hit. She made her grown-up debut in '01 with the acclaimed 'Everybody Got Their Something.' Her new CD, "Can'tneverdidnothin,' includes a tribute to her dad.
Nikka Costa
Tavis: Nikka Costa is a talented singer-songwriter who earned critical acclaim back in 2001 with her U.S. debut CD 'Everybody Got Their Somethin'.' The disk featured her hit song 'Like a Feather,' but this week, her latest CD is out in stores, and it's called 'Can'tneverdidnothin'.' Gotta love these titles, huh? Later on, she'll be joined by her band--some of the band--for a special performance, but first, here's Nikka performing in concert.
Nikka Costa, singing: I wish I could tell ya how much I love ya, fooled ya, babe, I fooled ya, but I'm a fool, oh oh-oh, now I'm gonna cry before you, babe, oh, I'm gonna cry before you, baby, fooled ya, babe, I fooled ya, baby, I'm goin' crazy, I'm goin' crazy.
Tavis: Nikka, nice to meet you.
Costa: Nice to meet you, too.
Tavis: Glad to have you on. I looked up the word "prede--"where's Jonathan. Thank you, Jonathan. I looked up the word "predestination" in the dictionary, Nikka, and this is what I saw. It was a picture of your CD cover. 'Predestination.'
Costa: Wow.
Tavis: I say that seriously because with a father like Don Costa, legendary producer, a godfather named Frank Sinatra--
Costa: Right, right.
Tavis: Sly Stone playing piano in your living room.
Costa: I know. It was crazy.
Tavis: Did you have any choice other than this?
Costa: Well, I didn't see anything else around, so it would have been really weird if I decided to become a doctor or something 'cause it wasn't in my, you know, in my reality growing up, but, you know, as a kid, you don't really-- You don't really know who's who and what they do and how they got there and that whole thing, so kids are kind of...
Tavis: Speaking of kids, when do you recall--I mean, it's one thing for the resume or the bio or the handlers, the press people to put out something that sounds really cool about when you were, you know, in your mama's womb when you were singin'. You know, they'll say stuff like that, but when do you consciously remember that this music thing was something that you enjoyed?
Costa: I was really young. I always wanted to do shows, for, you know, my dad's friends and my mom's friends. Like, any time any company would come over, I'd hassle to, you know, "Let me do a show," and get up on the fireplace and just make up songs and just be an absolute obnoxious ham, you know? And that was pretty young. I mean, that was, you know, at like 2 or, you know, 2 or 3. I mean, you know, I just--I just had fun with it and really always loved it, so...
Tavis: How have you gone about-- I've been waiting to ask you this--how have you gone about developing your own style? There are so many people out there now who do this music thing. You know, we see them. They come and they go. I would think it's a challenge, though, to come up with something that is different, something that's original. I mean, you've pulled it off, but how have you developed your own unique sound and style?
Costa: Well, I think it's, I mean, ever-evolving, you know. I never want to repeat, you know, an album that I've done. I don't want to really repeat a style. But, you know, I'm just hugely influenced by so many of the greats that have come before me, and I want to, you know, learn as much from them and, you know, kind of take--take the inspiration that they have given, and then kind of just be open to channeling whatever, you know, I'm here to kind of do. I try not to be super conscious about it, but I just go on my gut, and, you know, sometimes I have to kind of fight--fight to do something a little bit different from what's kind of the norm of the industry and whatever. But I'm quite happy to do that 'cause it's, you know, you have to really feel what you're doing.
Tavis: But it's risky, I would think. Risky...
Costa: It totally is.
Tavis: Yeah. Risky being an original in that what radio wants and what record companies want is the same old same old, do they not?
Costa: Yes, that is true, and that's kind of where 'Can'tneverdidnothin'' comes in. I mean, you know, I always get--even with the last record, I got told, "Oh, you can't sing like that. You can't scream like that. You can't, you know, sweat like that on stage. You can't..." so many kind of limitations that people want to kind of put on you 'cause it's all this perception and whatever, but I think audiences get it when you're being real, and they can tell.
Tavis: Yeah. Well, what do the A&R people know? What do they know?
Costa: You know what I'm saying? They just want to keep their BMW. Ha ha ha!
Tavis: All right, speaking of this CD, 'Can'tneverdidnothin',' for those of us who are from down south, we've heard that before.
Costa: Yeah.
Tavis: But for those who are not, 'Can'tneverdidnothin'' don't make a lot of sense. So you want to explain that?
Costa: Well, my mom is from Atlanta, Georgia, so "can't never did nothin', neither did couldn't" is basically what she used to say to me when I would, you know, be a kid and be like, "I can't ride a bike," or, "I can't..." anything, you know. Anything. And it's just kind of like, "Yes, you can. Stop putting, you know, those obstacles in front of yourself and just go for it." Why not?
Tavis: How do you define your music? I mean, I made the comment earlier about Sly Stone literally playing the piano in your living room.
Costa: Yeah.
Tavis: Frank Sinatra is your godfather. You're performing at the White House when you were 8 years old. With those divergent sounds that your daddy exposed you to, it's a wonder your stuff sounds as good as it does. Could have been kind of screwed up. I mean, Sly and Frank are awfully good, but they ain't nothin' alike.
Costa: Well, who knows? Maybe they were hangin' out in my living room together. I don't know, you know. But, you know, I mean, I was very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing musicians, and even if I wasn't really aware and kind of studying at the time when I was at sound checks or wherever, you know, it kind of--it kind of filters in, and I love old-school blues and jazz and, you know, standards and that whole kind of era, you know, with Frank Sinatra and all that. And then, you know, as I grew older, I started getting my own records together, and, you know, funk was a huge--like Chaka Khan.
Tavis: You can hear the soul in your voice. You can hear that.
Costa: Thank you. And then, you know, there's rock, like Zeppelin and AC/DC. I just want to just throw it all in...
Tavis: So you are screwed up, like I said?
Costa: Totally screwed up.
Tavis: Ha ha ha! All right, I got a few seconds left. The bandmates are standing by. You're gonna perform 'Fooled Ya Baby' in a second here. Tell me about the song.
Costa: This was one of the very last ones that we recorded for the record, and I just wrote it kind of about a situation where you're kind of shy to speak your mind to someone that you might be digging.
Tavis: It cracks me up how sometimes the last songs on the record are the ones that are hits.
Costa: It's always the way. Yeah, it's crazy.
Tavis: Anyway, Nikka is here, as you can see, voice intact. The band standing by here as well. Up next, a special performance from Nikka Costa, 'Fooled Ya Baby.' That's the--how many cuts on this CD total?
Costa: I don't know. 10? 11?
Tavis: 11. There, 11. I could have looked. There are 11, but I really like this one. You'll hear it in a moment. Stay with us.
From her brand-new CD 'Can'tneverdidnothin',' here is Nikka Costa and her band performing the song 'Fooled Ya Baby.' Enjoy. Good night from Los Angeles and keep the faith.
Back to May 27, 2005