Look up costa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Costa may refer to:

• Costa (surname), including origin of the name and people sharing the surname
• Costa, scientific term, from Latin costa "rib" (plural costae)
  • In botany, the central strand of a bryophyte leaf or thallus
  • In entomology, the leading edge of the forewing in Lepidoptera and other winged insects in the Comstock-Needham system, as well as a part of the male clasper
  • In vertebrate anatomy, a rib
• Costa!, a 2001 Dutch film from BNN
• Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Award, a literary award in the United Kingdom
• Costa Coffee, a British coffee shop chain, sponsor of the award
• Costa Cruises, a leading cruise company in Europe
• Costa's Garden Odyssey, an Australian television gardening program hosted by landscape architect Costa Grogiadis
• Costa-Gavras (born 1933), Greek-French filmmaker

Places[link]

In general, "Costa" (or simila) is a common Romance toponym indicating a coastal location. Places named "Costa" without specifiers are:

• Costa, Haute-Corse, a commune on the island of Corsica
• Costa, Mozambique
• Costa, Orkney, a village on Orkney Mainland, Scotland
• Costa, Portugal, a parish in the Guimarães Municipality, Portugal
• Costa Head, a headland near the above Scottish village

See also[link]

• Costas (disambiguation), a name of Greek origin
• Costal (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (July 2010)

Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole performing in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Natalie Maria Cole
Born	(1950-02-06) February 6, 1950 (age 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B, soul, pop, soft rock, jazz, quiet storm, adult contemporary
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, pianist, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1955–present
Labels	Capitol (1975–1981) Epic (1982–1984) Modern (1984–1986) EMI-Manhattan (1986–1990) Elektra (1991–2001) Verve (2001–2007) DMI / Rhino (2008–2010)
Associated acts	Nat King Cole
Website	www.nataliecole.com

Natalie Maria Cole (born February 6, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", "Inseparable" and "Our Love". After a period of failing sales and performances due to a heavy drug addiction, Cole reemerged as a pop artist with the 1987 album, Everlasting, and her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". In the 1990s, she re-recorded standards by her father, resulting in her biggest success, Unforgettable... with Love, which sold over seven million copies and also won Cole numerous Grammy Awards.

Early life[link]

Natalie Cole was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of crooner Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Cole. Raised in the affluent Hancock Park district of Los Angeles;^[1] regarding her childhood, Cole has referred to her family as "the black Kennedys" and was exposed to many great singers of jazz, soul, and blues. At the age of six Natalie sang on her father's Christmas album and later began performing at age 11.

Cole grew up with older adopted sister Carole "Cookie" (1944–2009) (her mother Maria's younger sister's daughter); adopted brother Nat "Kelly" Cole (1959–95), and younger twin sisters Timolin and Casey (born 1961).^[2][3]

Her paternal uncle Freddy Cole is a singer and pianist with numerous albums and awards. Cole enrolled in Northfield Mount Hermon School, an elite New England preparatory school, at age 15 afer her father died of lung cancer in February 1965. Soon afterwards she began having a difficult relationship with her mother. She enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She briefly transferred to University of Southern California where she pledged the Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She later transferred back to the University of Massachusetts, where she majored in Child Psychology and minored in German, graduating in 1972.

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Following graduation, Cole, who grew up listening to a variety of artists from soul artists such as Aretha Franklin to psychedelic rock icon Janis Joplin, began singing at small clubs with her band, Black Magic. Initially welcomed to the clubs due to her being Nat King Cole's daughter only to be disappointed when she began covering R&B and rock numbers. While performing, she was noted by a couple of producers in the Chicago area, Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, who then approached her to do records. After cutting several records together, they passed off the music to several record labels. Most labels turned them down with one ironic exception. Capitol Records, her father's label, heard the records and agreed to sign her.

Cole, Yancy and Jackson went into studios in Los Angeles to polish the recordings they had shipped, resulting in the release of Cole's debut album, Inseparable, which included songs that reminded listeners of Aretha Franklin. In fact, Franklin later contended that songs such as "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", "I Can't Say No" and others were originally offered to her while she was recording the You album. Franklin turned most of the songs down but agreed to record the title track for her album. Cole also recorded "You". Released in 1975, the album became an instant success thanks to "This Will Be", which became a top ten hit and later winning Cole a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. A second single, "Inseparable", also became a hit. Both songs reached number-one on the R&B chart. Cole also won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards for her accomplishments. Due to the media's billing of Cole as the "new Aretha Franklin", it inadvertently started a rivalry between the two singers.

Initial stardom[link]

Becoming an instant star, Cole responded to critics of an impending sophomore slump with Natalie, released in 1976. The album, like Inseparable, became a gold success thanks to the funk-influenced cut, "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)" and the jazz-influenced "Mr. Melody".

Cole released her first platinum record with her third release, Unpredictable, mainly thanks to the number-one R&B hit, "I've Got Love on My Mind". Originally an album track, the album's closer, "I'm Catching Hell", nonetheless became a popular Cole song during live concert shows. Later in 1977, Cole issued her fourth release and second platinum album, Thankful, which included another signature Cole hit, "Our Love". To capitalize on her fame, Cole starred on her own TV special, which attracted such celebrities as Earth, Wind & Fire, and in 1978, released her first live album, Natalie Live!

In early 1979, the singer was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, she released two more albums, I Love You So and the Peabo Bryson duet album, We're the Best of Friends. Both albums reached gold status in the U.S. continuing her popularity.

Career detour and resurgence[link]

Following the release of her eighth album, 1980's Don't Look Back, Cole's career began to take a detour. While Cole scored an adult contemporary hit with the soft rock ballad "Someone That I Used To Love" off the album, the album itself failed to go gold. In 1981, Cole's personal problems including battles with drug addiction began to take public notice and her career suffered as a result. In 1983, following the release of her album, I'm Ready, released on Epic, Cole entered a rehab facility in Connecticut reportedly staying there for a period of six months.

Following her release, she signed with the Atco imprint, Modern Records, releasing Dangerous, which started a slow resurgence for Cole in terms of record sales and chart success. In 1987, she changed to EMI-Manhattan Records and released the Everlasting album, which returned her to the top of the charts thanks to singles such as "Jump Start (My Heart)", the top ten ballad, "I Live For Your Love" and her dance-pop cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac". That success helped Everlasting reach one million in sales becoming Cole's first platinum album in ten years. In 1989, she released her follow-up to Everlasting, Good to Be Back, which produced the number two hit, "Miss You Like Crazy", which also achieved international success reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom.

Cole released her best-selling album with 1991's Unforgettable... with Love on Elektra Records, which saw Cole singing songs her famous father recorded, nearly 20 years after she initially had refused to cover her father's songs during live concerts. Cole produced vocal arrangements for the songs, with piano accompaniment by her uncle Ike Cole. Cole's label released an interactive duet between Cole and her father on the title song, "Unforgettable". The song eventually reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the R&B chart, going gold. Unforgettable...with Love eventually sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone winning several Grammys including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for the top song.

Cole followed that success with another album of jazz standards titled Take a Look, in 1993, which included her recording of the title track in the same styling that her idol Aretha Franklin had recorded nearly 30 years earlier. The album eventually went gold while a holiday album, Holly & Ivy, also became gold. Another standards release, Stardust, went platinum and featured another duet with her father on a modern version of "When I Fall in Love", which helped Cole earn another Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Later works[link]

In 1999, Cole returned to her 1980s-era urban contemporary recording style with the release of Snowfall on the Sahara on June and second holiday album The Magic of Christmas on October, which recorded with London Symphony Orchestra. A year later, the singer collaborated on the production of her biopic, Livin' For Love: The Natalie Cole Story, which featured Theresa Randle in the role of Cole. She also released the compilation Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 to fulfill her contract with Elektra. She changed to Verve Records and released two albums. 2002's Ask a Woman Who Knows continued her jazz aspirations, while 2006's Leavin' again featured Cole singing pop, rock and R&B standards. Her cover of Aretha Franklin's "Daydreaming", became a minor hit on the R&B charts. In 2008, seventeen years after Unforgettable... with Love, Cole released Still Unforgettable, which included not only songs made famous by her father but other artists, including Frank Sinatra. The album later resulted in Grammy wins for Cole.

In April of 2012, she appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Television and film[link]

Cole has carved out a secondary career in acting. She has also appeared several times in live concerts or other music related programs, including the 1998 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute with sidemen Richard Campbell, Jeffrey Worrell, Eddie Cole and Dave Joyce. In 1990, she (along with jazz vocalist Al Jarreau) sang the song "Mr. President" (written by Ray Reach, Mike Loveless and Joe Sterling) on HBO's Comic Relief special, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. After Johnny Mathis appeared on a special of Cole's in 1980, the two kept in contact, and in 1992, he invited Cole to be a part of his television special titled "A Tribute To Nat Cole" for BBC-TV in England. It had high viewer ratings and was successful. From that project, an album with the same name was released, and featured several medley and solo numbers.

In 1992, following the success of the Unforgettable: With Love album, PBS broadcast a special based on the album. Unforgettable, With Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat "King" Cole received emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program; and Cole received a nomination for Outstanding Individual Performance, losing to Bette Midler.

In 1993, she was among the Guests of Honor attending Wrestlemania IX at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. She was interviewed by television staff after the conclusion of the Money Incorporated vs Megamaniacs tag team match regarding her upcoming work. The same year she performed at 65th Academy Awards performing medley of two Oscar nominated songs: "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing", both originally performed by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.

Cole has made a number of dramatic appearances on television, including guest appearances on I'll Fly Away, Touched by an Angel, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2006, she made a memorable guest appearance on the popular ABC show Grey's Anatomy as a terminally ill patient. Her character visited Seattle Grace Hospital to have a fork removed from her neck that her husband had stabbed her with during a mishap; the couple had been having sex in public.^[4]

Cole has also made several appearances in feature films, most recently in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely. She has appeared in several made-for-TV movies, most notably as the lead in Lily in Winter. Cole was featured on Macy Gray's album Big, singing "Finally Make Me Happy".

In 2001 she starred as herself in Livin' for Love: the Natalie Cole Story, for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television, Mini-Series of Dramatic Special.

She also sang the national anthem with the Atlanta University Center Chorus at Super Bowl XXVIII.

On December 2, 2006, Cole performed for the first time in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, as part of the annual Cayman Jazz Fest.^[5]

On the February 5, 2007 episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Cole sang "I Say a Little Prayer" at a benefit dinner for Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson).

She can also be seen in the last scene of Nas' music video for "Can't Forget About You". The song uses a sample of her father's song "Unforgettable". Cole is sitting at a piano in a cabaret-style lounge mouthing her father's song with Nas standing beside her.

Natalie Cole also performed "Something's Gotta Give" on American Idol on April 29, 2009.

In September 2010, Cole performed with Andrea Bocelli in a concert at the Kodak Theatre, for his album My Christmas, in which she recorded a duet with him, and on December 10–13, 2009, she appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in their annual Christmas concerts. Both were videotaped for presentation on PBS in December 2010.

On July 22, 2011 Cole appeared on the reality television series, Real Housewives of New York City.

Filmography[link]

NOTE: this filmography is not yet completed

Personal life[link]

Cole has been married three times. She married Marvin Yancy, songwriter, producer and former member of the ’70s R&B group The Independents on July 31, 1976. She has a son, Robert Adam "Robbie" Yancy (born October 1977); he is now a musician who tours with her. Marvin was her producer, and an ordained Baptist minister who helped reintroduce her to religion. Under his influence, Cole changed from a lapsed Episcopalian to become a devout Baptist.^[6] Cole and Yancy divorced in 1980 before Yancy died of a heart attack in 1985, aged 34. In 1989, Cole married record producer and former drummer for Rufus Andre Fischer; they divorced in 1995. In 2001, Cole married bishop Kenneth Dupree; they divorced in 2004.^[7]

Cole has been active in the Afghan World Foundation cause, supporting Sonia Nassery Cole.^[8]

Drug abuse and recovery[link]

In 2000, Cole released an autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, which described her battle with drugs during much of her life.

• In the book, Cole admitted to using heroin and crack cocaine.
• Cole said she began recreational drug use while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• She also disclosed that she was arrested in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for possession of heroin in 1975.
• Cole continued to spiral out of control – including one incident where she refused to evacuate a burning building, and another where her young son Robert nearly drowned in the family swimming pool while she was on a drug binge. She did eventually enter rehab in 1983.

In concert with the release of the book, her autobiography was turned into a made-for-TV movie, Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, which aired December 10, 2000 on NBC and re-aired October 26, 2011 on Centric TV CTRC.

Health problems[link]

On July 16, 2008, Cole announced that she was diagnosed with hepatitis C (a disease affecting the liver) likely caused by her drug use: "I've been so fortunate to have learned so much from my past experiences. I am embraced by the love and support of my family and friends; I am committed to my belief in myself and in my abiding faith to meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination. This is how I intend to deal with this current challenge in my life." Dr. Graham Woolf, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA/Cedars Sinai Medical Center, said that Cole "had a terrific response to her medication and is now virus negative. This gives her an increased chance of cure. But, she has also suffered significant side effects from the anti-viral medicine, which is the only FDA authorized treatment for hepatitis C. Her side effects include fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration but she is recovering from these. On September 19, 2008 she was rushed to the hospital due to her Hepatitis C medications.^[9][10]

Cole has also had struggles with kidney disease. Before receiving a kidney transplant on May 20, 2009, Cole had been receiving kidney dialysis three times a week.^[11] During her March 31, 2009 appearance on Larry King Live "dozens of emails flooded the CNN studio" with offers for replacement kidneys.^[12]

As of June 2009, Cole had received a kidney transplant. The news of the organ came on the same day her sister Carole died from cancer. Natalie attended the memorial services and continues to heal and grow stronger with her new kidney.

She made a triumphant stage comeback on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in LA. In December 2009 she achieved a life-long dream of performing at the Christmas Extravaganza with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Selective awards and recognitions[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Cole has received nine awards from twenty-one nominations.^[13]

Other Awards[link]

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Natalie Cole

• Official website
• Natalie Cole at Allmusic
• Natalie Cole at the Internet Movie Database
• Natalie Cole interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' September 2008
• Natalie Cole biography and updates at Soul Tracks

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (April 2011)

Matt Costa
Matt Costa performing at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Background information
Born	(1982-06-16) June 16, 1982 (age 30)
Genres	Indie rock, folk rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Piano, Harmonica
Labels	Venerable Media, Brushfire
Associated acts	No Doubt
Website	MattCosta.com

Matthew Albert Costa (born June 16, 1982) is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California. He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.

Life[link]

Matt Costa, who is of Portuguese descent, states that his father worked in the airline business.^[1] In early 2003, Matt's homemade demo reached No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont, who offered to record more demos for Costa in his home studio. Those first recordings led to two EPs that Costa and Dumont distributed themselves. These were later combined and mixed by Phil Ek in order to form Costa's first full-length CD entitled Songs We Sing.

Costa spent the summer of 2005 opening on Jack Johnson's summer tour. He has since toured with Modest Mouse, Oasis, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Death Cab for Cutie. Costa joined Jack Johnson for his 2006 European tour. He has also contributed to the Jack Johnson and Friends Curious George soundtrack; his track is entitled "Lullaby". This song was taken from his The Elasmosaurus EP. Costa has also toured extensively in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and South America.

The video for Costa's first single "Cold December" was released February 2, 2006. On July 31, 2007, he released a song titled "If You Took To Me" as part of the environmentally minded polar bear documentary Arctic Tale and its soundtrack.

On October 7, 2007, Matt released the first single, "Mr. Pitiful," from his record Unfamiliar Faces.^[2] The song "Mr. Pitiful" was used during a scene with Paul Rudd in the movie I Love You, Man, the redband trailer for the film Youth in Revolt starring Michael Cera, and the movie Marmaduke.^[3] Apple also used an instrumental cut of this song for the worldwide iPhone 3GS ads.

On December 23, 2008, Costa married.

Mobile Chateau, Matt's third album, was released on September 21, 2010 via Brushfire Records. The new record was recorded at Pheasant Studios in Santa Ana, CA as Costa's first solo production.

Discography[link]

EPs[link]

• 2003: Matt Costa EP
• 2005: The Elasmosaurus EP

Albums[link]

• 2005: Songs We Sing (independent release)
• 2006: Songs We Sing (Brushfire re-release)
• 2008: Unfamiliar Faces
• 2010: Mobile Chateau
• 2012: Mourners's Song

Singles[link]

• 2006: "Cold December"
• 2006: "Sweet Thursday"
• 2006: "Sunshine"
• 2008: "Mr. Pitiful"
• 2010: "Witchcraft"

Sampler/Soundtracks[link]

• 2006: A Brokedown Melody Soundtrack
• 2006: Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George (released by Jack Johnson)
• 2006: Brushfire Records Winter 2006 Music Sampler (with Jack Johnson, G. Love & Special Sauce, & Money Mark)
• 2007: Arctic Tale

References[link]

1. ^ Matt Costa Music^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Official Website "Costa's new single on iTunes" October 8, 2007.
3. ^ Funnyordie.com "Youth in Revolt Redband Trailer" December 7, 2009.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Costa

• The Official Matt Costa Website
• Matt's Official MySpace
• Matt Costa discography at MusicBrainz
• Artist's twitter
• Matt Costa collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Yamandu Costa - Photo André SZEP

Yamandu Costa (Passo Fundo, January 24, 1980), sometimes misspelled Yamandú, is a Brazilian guitarist and composer. His main instrument is the violão de 7 cordas, the Brazilian seven-stringed nylon guitar.

Yamandu began to study guitar at age seven with his father, Algacir Costa, leader of the group Os Fronteiriços (The Frontiersmen) and mastered the instrument after studying with Lúcio Yanel, an Argentine virtuoso who lived in Brazil. At age fifteen, Yamandu began study Brazilian Southern folk music, Argentina and Uruguay.

Influenced by the music of Radamés Gnattali, he began to study the music of other Brazilians, such as Baden Powell de Aquino, Tom Jobim and Raphael Rabello.

At age seventeen he played in São Paulo for the first time at the Cultural Circuit Bank of Brazil which was produced by the Study Tone Brazil. Yamandu came to be recognized as the musician who revived Brazilian guitar music.

Yamandu's diverse execution styles include styles like chorinho, bossa nova, milonga, tango, samba and chamamé, making him difficult to categorize into a single genre.

Yamandu appeared in Mika Kaurismäki's 2005 documentary film Brasileirinho.

Awards[link]

• Prêmio Tim - Best Soloist - 2004
• Free Jazz Festival 2001 - Rio and São Paulo
• Guitar Festival of Chile - 2001
• Winner of the Prêmio Visa, Instrumental edition - 2001
• Circuito Cultural Banco do Brasil - 1999
• Participation at the Nashville Festival - 1998
• Trophy of Instrumental Music Revelation of the Rio Grande do Sul state
• 25º Award of Best Instrumentalist of the Rio Grande do Sul state
• Show in Montevidéu - 1998
• Tour in Buenos Aires - 1998
• Winner of the Prêmio Califórnia of Uruguaiana - 1995

Discography[link]

• 2008 - Mafuá
• 2007 – Lida
• 2007 – Yamandu + Dominguinhos
• 2007 – Ida e Volta
• 2006 – Tokyo Session
• 2005 – Música do Brasil Vol.I (DVD)
• 2005 – Yamandu Costa ao Vivo (DVD)
• 2005 – Brasileirinho
• 2004 – El Negro Del Blanco / Yamandu Costa e Paulo Moura
• 2003 – Yamandu ao Vivo
• 2001 – Yamandu / Prêmio Visa
• 2000 – Dois Tempos / Lúcio Yanel e Yamandu Costa

External links[link]

• Official website

Antoniette Costa
Background information
Origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Jazz, Soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Columnist
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2005–present
Labels	LIPlabel14
Associated acts	The Roots Nikki Jean Kindred the Family Soul
Website	AntonietteCosta.com
Notable instruments
Vocals

Antoniette Costa is a singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia and New York City, who has collaborated with or performed alongside artists such as The Roots,^[1] Jazmine Sullivan,^[2] Bilal, Eric Roberson,^[3] and Carvin Haggins. She released her debut album Breakthru in March 2005,^[4] and has additionally recorded over a dozen singles with musicians such as Jazzyfatnastees, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra,^[3] Kindred the Family Soul and Grammy Award winners James Poyser^[5] and Questlove.^[6]

She has performed and directed live in-studio recording sessions in New York City open to the public, drawing largely from Columbia University's student body where Costa is a student. Called the "Track 14 Sessions," guest musicians have included members of The Roots and Nikki Jean.^[7] In September 2011, she released the single "Void of a Legend" with cellist beatboxer Kevin "K.O." Olusola.^[8] Costa is a contributor to Organice Your Life Team, an online health magazine from model Lonneke Engel.^[9]

Early life[link]

Antoniette Costa was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has dual United States and Italian citizenship.^[10] She began writing songs in middle school,^[8] composing both the music and lyrics.^[11] She sings and plays piano, harp, and guitar.^[11]

In 2004 Costa began attending Cornell University. She lived in the Just About Music residence and became lead singer for the band LR9. As a freshman, Costa was a part of the university's gospel choir. She performed in Sage Chapel with the group for Yolanda King.^[3] Costa transferred to the University of Pennsylvania as a sophomore after her aunt Lilly died during childbirth. She discovered 14 poems written by her aunt, and was inspired to spend time focused on songwriting and music in dedication. She currently studies at Columbia University.^[3]

Early career[link]

[edit] Breakthru (2005)

Costa founded her own record label L.I.P. Label 14,^[10] and independently released her debut album Breakthru on March 1, 2005. Some of the tracks^[4] are piano ballads, while others are accompanied by a band.^[11] Dedicated to her aunt, the album featured 12 songs that had been written from middle-school to college, including "Flown Away."^[3] The album ranked #1 on Amazon's Early Adopter Indie Music Chart and #69 on the Early Adopter All Music Chart.^[3]

The Roots collaborations[link]

Dice Raw, the Philadelphia-based rapper and A&R of The Roots,^[3] discovered Breakthru and began working with Costa. Through Dice she began writing and rehearsing at Larry Gold's "The Studio" in Philadelphia,^[7] where she worked with drummer Questlove, producer Khari "Ferrari" Mateen, Jon Jon McGlincey, and close friend Nikki Jean.^[3]

Costa graduated as an English major from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. She was a columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian. She moved to New York City to work for MTV in their Business and Legal Affairs^[12] and Music and Media Licensing Departments.^[10] She is currently a post-bac student at Columbia University.^[7]

On November 5, 2008, Costa had a private showcase for her single "Ready to Make it Work"^[1] at the Le Poisson Rouge in New York City.^[6] The event included DJ sets by Questlove and Samantha Ronson.^[8] Throughout 2010 Costa released a number of singles, including "We Were Meant To Be" and "Sinking Deeper."^[12] "We Were Meant to Be" was Costa's collaboration with co-writer Carvin Haggins and pianist James Poyser, who has worked with Mariah Carey.^[5]

Richard Nichols, the manager of The Roots and executive producer of Lay It Down by Al Green, took a liking to Costa's song "The Gift." He has since produced "The Gift" and "Ready to Make It Work." The track features musicians James Poyser, Questlove, Steve Jordan and Kindred the Family Soul.^[3] Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra remixed "Ready to Make it Work."^[3]

Track 14 Sessions[link]

In January 2011, Costa began hosting "Track 14 Sessions" at Legacy Recording Studio^[13] in Times Square.^[7] The series opened up Costa's recording sessions to the public,^[10] and featured guest performances by Nikki Jean and Khari Mateen. According to Costa, the sessions are^[7] "meant to unveil what goes on in the recording studio ... It's an intimate live performance where people can hear raw vocals and instrumentation with amplification."^[3] "Track 14" refers to the train Costa takes to travel between New York City and Philadelphia, as she regularly rehearses and records in both cities.^[7] Costa also announced that she will release a live album based on the sessions.^[3]

"Void of a Legend"[link]

In the summer of 2011 Costa met Kevin "K.O." Olusola through LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy,^[14] who was a mutual friend at Wyclef Jean's studio in New Jersey.^[8] Olusola is a known as beat-boxing cellist. He and Costa collaborated on recording "Void of a Legend,"^[14] which Costa wrote. It was released as a single on August 25, 2011, and debuted at No. 51 on the U.S. iTunes Classical Music Chart.^[8] A music video was released and featured on the CBS website.^[15]

Style[link]

Costa has been influenced by musicians such as Tracy Chapman and soul singer Jazmine Sullivan.^[8] Many of her lyrical themes center around family, personal experiences, and literature,^[11] and has stated "For me, writing a song is like bottling an emotion in its most potent form."^[3]

According to the Columbia Spectator, Costa more closely identifies with gospel singers using their intuition, as compared to classically trained musicians. "I’m afraid that by taking a music theory class, I’m not going to be as creative,” she said. “Not knowing what’s right or wrong or what’s typical composition-wise makes my music more free in the sense that I’m not trying to assume an ABA-structure or something like that.”^[7]

Organice[link]

In September 2011 Costa became a contributor to the website "Organice Your Life." The website is headed by top model Lonneke Engel, and has an online magazine focused on health, wellness, and nutrition. Since joining, she has interviewed Regina Spektor's vocal coach Wendy Parr and Hines Ward, the wide receiver who won Dancing With The Stars.^[9]

Discography[link]

Albums

• Breakthru (2005)

Singles

• "Ready to Make it Work" (2008)
• "Sinking Deeper" (2010)
• "Played Me" (2010)
• "You Better Forget" (2010)
• "We Were Meant To Be" (2010)
• "Void of a Legend" (2011)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Daze Sits Down with Freshman Phenom Antoniette Costa". The Cornell Daily Sun. April 2005. http://cornellsun.com/node/14594/. 
• "Step behind the music scene in unplugged ‘Track 14 Sessions’". Columbia Spectator. January 2011. http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2011/01/27/track-14-sessions. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Antoniette Costa on Organice
• Antoniette Costa on MySpace
• Antoniette Costa on YouTube