Nikki Jean on Live From Daryl's House

When talented newcomer Nikki Jean joined up with Daryl Hall for the 46th and latest edition of Live From Daryl’s House, premiering Aug. 15 exclusively at www.lfdh.com , she was already an old hand on collaborations, but even she was impressed by the experience.



"Never before have I experienced such great food, great people and great conversation all in one place,” enthused the Minnesota-born singer-songwriter, whose recently released S-Curve debut, Pennies in a Jar, finds her co-writing with Bob Dylan, Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Lamont Dozier, Carly Simon, Jimmy Webb and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, among others. “It was intense fun with brilliant musicians who made me feel like family… I miss them already."



This month’s installment of the Webby and MTV O Music award-winning Internet series, which last year made its broadcast debut on WGN America to impressive ratings, finds Nikki Jean joining forces with Daryl Hall for a set that includes five songs from her debut, including “Steel and Feathers,” an unfinished Dylan song from the “Shot of Love” era that she finished with his blessings. The two also perform “How to Unring a Bell,” by Philly International great Thomas Bell, “My Love” co-penned by legendary Motown tunesmith Lamont Dozier, “Patty Crash,” a collaboration with Paul Williams, and a Carly Simon co-write, “Sex, Lies and Sunshine.” The duo also tackles “My Mistake Was to Love You,” the 1973 duet featuring Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, and the 1983 Daryl Hall & John Oates Top 10 smash, “One on One.”



Says Daryl Hall: “She is a real ball of energy, and I can’t believe she wrote such great songs with all of those amazing writers! It’s quite an accomplishment for an artist at any point in his or her career.”



Coming off appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, WNYC's Soundcheck and NPR's Weekend Edition, Nikki Jean debut has received glowing notices in the Wall Street Journal, and People. The N.Y. Daily News said, admiringly, "You'll have trouble suppressing a smile."

The singer-songwriter-pianist and occasional actress, whose real name is Nicholle Jean Leary, had a featured role on Lupe Fiasco’s second album, The Cool, as both lyricist and vocalist. She also had a role in the award-winning independent film On the Outs. She also took part in Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark Tour with Lupe, Rihanna and N.E.R.D. In 2011, she signed as a recording artist with Steve Greenberg’s indie label S-Curve Records to release her debut.



The past four years have marked a steady stream of superlatives and recognition for Live from Daryl’s House, with Hall receiving a Webby Award for Best Variety series from more than 10,000 entries at the 14th annual ceremony two years ago at N.Y.’s Cipriani Wall Street before garnering an O Music Award from MTV earlier this year.



The 45 previous episodes of Live From Daryl’s House have featured a mix of well-known performers Booker T and the MGs, Rob Thomas, Train, Smokey Robinson, The Doors’ Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek, Toots Hibbert, Nick Lowe, K.T. Tunstall, Todd Rundgren, Travie McCoy, Dave Stewart, Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik and Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump along with newcomers such as Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Mayer Hawthorne, Eric Hutchinson, Chromeo, Cash Money rocker Kevin Rudolf, Matt Nathanson, Parachute, Plain White T’s, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, soul diva Sharon Jones, Diane Birch, L.A. neo-R&B party band Fitz & the Tantrums, hot new alternative band Neon Trees and veteran alternative mainstays Guster.

Daryl launched the free monthly web series in November, 2007, after having the light-bulb idea of “playing with my friends and putting it up on the Internet,” and the show has since garnered acclaim from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Daily Variety, CNN,BBC, Yahoo! Music and influential blogger Bob Lefsetz, who have cited Live From Daryl’s House as a perfect example of a veteran artist reinventing himself in the digital age by collaborating with both established and newer performers. The show marked its broadcast debut New Year’s Eve on Superstation WGN America, where it improved ratings for the time period by almost 75%.



Live From Daryl’s House is co-executive produced by Daryl Hall, Jonathan Wolfson and Scott Sternberg.