In the Charleston performing arts community, Tonya Nicole is generally known for her talent as an actress. A core ensemble member at PURE, she became a theater teacher after graduating from College of Charleston. But following a cancer diagnosis in 2019 — and, thankfully, a successful treatment — the 43-year-old Nicole made a decision to leave the teaching profession and commit solely to acting and to her original music. Her debut EP, #1996KindaLove, reveals an assured vocalist with startling talent.
A self-professed “preacher’s kid” from Holly Hill, S.C., Nicole grew up on gospel and mostly eschewed secular music. She turned an early love of jazz singers and a flare for performance into a focus on theater. But dealing with cancer and a full time teaching gig during a pandemic were just too much.
“I had to leave the teaching profession because of the stress,” she said. “I realized that I have to do something that’s going to make me happy. So ever since then, I’ve been doing theater and singing. That’s it.”
Blessed with a deep, willowy voice capable of improv-inflected runs, Nicole’s vocals give her music a powerful immediacy whether she’s riding a minimalist funk groove on the poppy 2021 single “Cotton Candy” or a guitar-strumming, languorous R&B riff on her new single, “You Got Me” (with guest bars courtesy of fellow multi-hyphenate talent Manny Houston). “You Got Me” dropped March 11. It’s a collaboration with local producer and Doom Flamingo guitarist Thomas Kenney and is emblematic of Nicole’s style. Working within an easy soulful pocket, she flexes her vocal dexterity and lyrical craft in what amounts to a love duet. The new song fits in line with her previous single, “LIMBO,” a sensual declaration of devotion.
Nicole said her upcoming EP’s lyrical themes are dedicated to her 20-year marriage. She added that Kenney, along with Dries Vandenberg (formerly of local indie rock band SUSTO), are simpatico collaborators because they understand her roots while pulling her sound forward.
“My style is very much R&B, gospel and jazz — I’m influenced by all of that,” she said. “And what I like doing is trying to infuse that old feeling with the new. That’s why I choose producers that are younger. I love working with them.”
Nicole’s debut EP, #1996KindaLove, dropped March 25.
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