Stereo 550 has been a musical platform at GTB for 12 years, bringing art and soul to our agency and drawing people together through music. Over the past decade we’ve hosted nearly 100 shows, from emerging artists to seasoned performers such as Portugal. The Man, American Authors, Neon Trees and Third Eye Blind. Ultimately, GTB connects artists to the communications world.
With restrictions in place across most of the world we’ve had to get creative on how we connect as a team. This new challenge created new opportunities to welcome talent from across the country and invite our global team to join in events across our network. Recently we had the pleasure of hosting our fourth virtual GTB Stereo 550 featuring singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins.
From the back of a Ford truck in Nashville, Nicole performed “Domino” and “Forever” from her newest album “Italian Ice” before sitting down via video chat with SVP, Global Executive Design Director Christine Jones to talk about her love of a ’68 Ford Galaxy, her marriage in a pizza parlor and discovering how to harness her voice.
Christine Jones: So Nicole, we’re super ecstatic to have you with us today and get to know you a bit. I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. So let me ask you a question you probably get asked a lot ‑ Who are your influences?
Nicole Atkins: I think that musically, it’s a spectrum, for sure. I listen to a lot of different types of music. I always go back to Roy Orbison or Phil Spector / Spector Sound, Jack Nitzsche. I love Chris Isaak, and I write with him a lot now. The Beach Boys are a big one. If you’re having a bad day, just put on The Beach Boys and it’s gonna be okay.
CJ: Everything’s going to be alright, just listen to The Beach Boys.
NA: Yeah. I have ‘Surf’s Up’ tattooed on my wrist to remind me it’s okay.
CJ: What about the city? You’re in Nashville, I’m sure you love it there. Has that also influenced your music?
NA: Nashville’s influenced my music in a way that I’ve never had a house before. I mean I grew up in one, but as an adult, I’ve always lived in an apartment. I lived in New York for a really long time, in a tiny little apartment I never wanted to be inside. Now, I’m talking to you from my attic, and I get to decorate it. I also get to have a little room that’s an art studio and a huge backyard, so it gives me a place I really like being. I can make all these things at my home because I have the space to.
Also, the music community here. Having a lot of people that do what you do, it’s nice to not feel unique. I love New Jersey so much, but being one of the only one of my friends that is an artist and a musician can feel a bit isolating sometimes. It’s nice to feel like I’m just a worker amongst workers here.
CJ: I had the chance to visit Nashville a few years ago and every establishment you walk into, there’s live music playing. You get that energy, you get that vibe. I can imagine that’s an important community to be a part of as a musician there.
NA: Yeah, especially as a writer and a producer too. Any sort of instrument you need, there’s somebody you can call here. It’s not just country music.
CJ: Obviously I’ve been listening to your music. You’re incredible, your voice is beautiful. How did you discover your voice and learn to harness it?
NA: I grew up going to Catholic school. The hymns in Catholic school are so high that they’re impossible for anybody who’s not a high soprano to sing, or a man because they can sing them low. I always thought in order to be a good singer, you had to be a soprano, and I wasn’t one, but I loved to sing. My grandma turned me on to Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison and Mamma Cat Orland, and I remember there was a Judy Garland song that had this belting note in it … and it was like ‘Laaa!’ and I said, ‘I can nail that! Oh my god, I’m a belter! I’m an alto, baritone belter.’
So when it started, and I remember in school too, I was terrible at sports and all of the family were very athletic. My grandfather coached basketball, my dad coached baseball, my brothers played, and I remember there was this group of guys in seventh grade who had a band. I just imagined — my brother bought me the Led Zeppelin box set — walking into their band practice, plugging in, ripping the solo in ‘Heartbreaker’ and them being like, ‘Whoa! Who’s that?’ And my hair is blowing back.
CJ: And now you have a new album. A couple singles have been released online, but I also understand that the release has been delayed because of COVID. How are you dealing with that? How has that changed things?
NA: Well, we only pushed the release back a month. I know there was talk of pushing it back even further, but the point of this record, Italian Ice, was to make a record that made me feel better. Because everything that’s been going on in the world for the last few years even has kind of been like one bad thing after the other on the news. So I wanted to almost reflect on today but also offer a solution. I thought of the things that made me feel better, and I kept going back to the Jersey Shore and the boardwalk and all the people with their boomboxes on the sand, listening to all the different radio stations from Philly to New York, and my parents’ car. The biggest thing, without fail, is that they’ll always have this one AM station on that plays the oldies without commercials and we could be fighting … get in their car, and all of the sudden Bobby Vinton is on and it’s like everything is dreamy.
So I thought I could delay until this is all over, but it’s something that people need right now.
CJ: Oh, totally. Believe me, we all appreciate it. Any little burst of sunshine, and your music is definitely that, so I’m really excited about it.
NA: It’s nice to be able to see how it’s affecting people. People are home, and so they’re listening deeper, even taking a drive to nowhere. It’s nice to be able to see that one, it’s appreciated, but two, how it’s really useful right now.
CJ: Let’s switch gears a little bit. GTB, you may know, is Ford’s largest marketing partner. Do you have any personal history with Ford?
NA: I do, it’s funny. When Zach [Nicole’s manager] called me and told me about this opportunity, I was like, ‘That’s so weird.’ So the Ford Galaxy, you know that car?
CJ: The Ford Galaxy, yes.
NA: So there was a neighbor in my town, Shark River Hills, growing up and I didn’t know him, but … he had a ’68 Ford Galaxy that was black. It was like the best car ever. I started leaving notes on his car, saying, ‘If you’re ever thinking of selling this, please call me.’ He never called me.
One of my best friends in college had a Ford Galaxy, and Bind Melon had that great song ‘Galaxy.’ Well the song I sang on Letterman for the first time called ‘This,’ I didn’t have words for it at first but I had the melody. I was just messing around, putting in words so I could have the song be real, but the original fake words were ‘I could ride a Ford Galaxy until morning because it’s the only car I ever wanted.’ And then I changed it to be about a relationship, but those were the words for awhile.
CJ: Look at how life comes back around. Here we are talking about Ford.
NA: Yeah, Zach said ‘Do you have any Ford connections?’ Yeah, my biggest hit used to be about a black Ford Galaxy.
CJ: Okay, I want to do a quick lightning round here. Alright, what color is your current car?
NA: My current car is silver.
CJ: Oh my gosh, mine too.
NA: So boring.
CJ: You know, silver cars hide dirt better than any other color.
NA: They do, but they’re really hard to find in parking lots.
CJ: True. Alright, what are your favorite pizza toppings?
NA: Pepperoni. That’s it.
CJ: Gotta go with the classic.
NA: I always go pepperoni. I have a pepperoni tattoo. *Nicole points to arm*
I actually got married in my favorite pizza parlor during New Year’s Eve. Pete and Elda’s Pizza in Neptune City. They were open for business, and the courthouse said, ‘you don’t have to get married here, you could do it at your parents’ house, as long as it’s in Neptune City,’ and I said, ‘Oh like Pete and Elda’s?’ and they’re like, ‘if you want.’ And we did. It was hilarious.
CJ: That’s awesome. So somehow, we’ve tapped into two of your tattoos already.
NA: I know, it’s weird. I never talk about my tattoos.
CJ: That’s crazy. Okay, last one in the lightning round. Phone calls, texting or Zoom?
NA: Phone calls. Actually, I do like Zoom now, because I like being able to see my friends.
CJ: I don’t think any of us can imagine where we’d be right now during this crazy time if we didn’t have Zoom.
NA: I was actually saying COVID was brought to you by Zoom. Did you guys use Zoom before this?
CJ: I never did. We’ve been using it as a company and also using Microsoft Teams now. Really, I’ve been trying a bunch of different things like Netflix Party — you can go in together with your friends and start a show so you’re all watching at the same time. There’s also a chat window so you can talk with each other and comment on the show. It’s fun!
NA: Funny. I could get down with that. My husband always says I ruin the show by talking!
CJ: Nicole, I want to thank you so much for spending this time with us. I had a ton of fun talking to you. You have such an amazing energy. Like I said, your music is incredible and we are so excited about the album. Thanks for your time and for sharing a little bit of your amazing talent with us. We appreciate you being here.
NA: You guys stay well.
