Darcie Nicole
Darcie Nicole
A seasoned music professional whose dynamic career has put her at all corners of the industry.
Darcie’s expertise in Vocal Performance, Songwriting, and Music Business Consulting is deeply focused in African-American music genres. A classically-trained Coloratura soprano who studied voice with faculty from Hartt School of Music, Darcie moved into contemporary study during high school, with a particular focus on R&B/Soul.
She studied with Big-Band era Jazz composer and musical director Red Richman and David Stoltz (bassist for Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe and guitarist Dickey Betts). Prior to attending college, aside from her music endeavors, Darcie served in an administrative capacity in diverse areas of business and law. These roles positioned her toward a focus of study in Music Business/Management at Berklee College of Music. During college, she studied privately under Gabrielle Goodman (Peabody Conservatory, Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack), Donna McElroy (Fisk University Singers, Amy Grant, Vanessa Williams), and Jazz artist Jan Shapiro.
Darcie has earned copious professional credits and accolades for her work on projects, performances, and events with top-tier entertainment professionals including Jojo Brim (Kevin Liles, Trey Songz) Master P, Clayton Savage (of The Furious Five), Donald Harrison, Charles Neville (of the Neville Brothers), DMX, Jeremih, Bishop Leonard Scott, MC Spice, (producer/songwriter for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch), Brother J (XClan), Chip Fu, Tony Crush (Cold Crush Brothers), and Digable Planets.
Darcie’s music and business interns, clients, and advisees have gone on to career opportunities with Universal Music Group, Game of Thrones, Earth, Wind, and Fire, DefJam Recordings, Columbia Records, ESPN Espy Awards, Riot Games, Ralph Lauren Corporate, ASCAP, NAMM, Sony Music, Disney Corporate, Beats by Dre, Madden Flow Synch, and Apple Corporate, plus placements on major television outlets.
At Berklee, Darcie served as Co-Creator/Co-Producer of The Business of Hip-Hop/Urban Music Symposium, which has featured senior executives and academic guests. These included Talib Kweli, Motown Records President Ethiopia Habtemariam, and mogul Kevin Liles, as well as Jojo Brim (KWL Enterprises), Nina Packer (Manager, Nicki Minaj), recording artist Kevin Ross, Leonard “LB” Brooks and Sharon Heyward (emeriti EMI Music), Morace Landy and Joi Pitts (Atlantic Records), Kindra Parker (Dwele and MentorHER Ghana), Akrobatik, Francesca Spero (emerita Bad Boy Entertainment), Shanti Das and Tone Capone (emeriti Universal/Motown), Lynn Scott (Universal/Republic), Mike Trammel (Sony/BMG emeritus), Cliff “C1” Braithwaite (emeritus Epic Records), Kenny Lattimore, Cappricceio Scates (Arrow Records, Mytrell Records/UMG), Ben Herson (Nomadic Wax), Andreas Hale (emeritus HipHopDX.com and BET), Thembisa Mshaka (emerita BET), LaTrice Burnette (GAMEmedia and emerita Atlantic Records), and celebrity producers/songwriters/engineers Noah “40″ Shebib (Drake), GRAMMY®-winner Keith Harris (of The Black Eyed Peas), Rob Lewis (Christina Aguilera, NKOTB), Miss Courtney Harrell (The Voice, Chris Brown), Prince Charles Alexander (Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys), Dawaun Parker (Dr. Dre, Eminem), and Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Nas). The event continues to be a leading annual event for the College.
As a media publicist, Darcie’s press releases have generated results in publications including HipHopDX, XXL, Okayplayer, Billboard, Vibe, URB, All About Jazz, VH1 online, MTV, and Music Connection. She has interviewed Josh Turner (MCA), Pastor Shirley Caesar, Ricky Fante, and The Crystal Method. She wrote several features for internationally read MusicBizAdvice.com and taught a music business course for CDIA at Boston University. She wrote an online course for SongU.com where she sat among faculty Jack Knight (Diddy, Matisyahu, Usher), Andre Deyo (Jennifer Lopez), and Sheila Davis.
As Executive Director of The Boston Hip-Hop Alliance (now the Hip-Hop Academic Alliance), Darcie provided adjunct publicity to the National Hip-Hop Political Convention Sudanese Relief concert in Las Vegas featuring dead prez, Immortal Technique, Goapele, Wordsworth, Oddisee and Asheru, Deux Process, One Be Lo, and The Chapter.
She provided target audience publicity for Numark/Alesis/Akai Milestones 2006, with Fab Five Freddy, DJ Premier, DMC (RUN-DMC), Grand Wizzard Theodore, Grandmixer DXT, Jazzy Joyce, DJ Marley Marl, Bruce Swedien, Al Kooper, and Michael Brecker. The BHHA co-hosted an event with Universal Zulu Nation featuring DJ Diamond the Artist (DJ for Prince, Beyonce, X-Men, and The X-Ecutioners) and Dinco D (Leaders of the New School). The BHHA has colleagues from all over the world, at the student to celebrity level.
Her award-winning production and project band Velvet Stylus backed major artists Medusa, Dre Robinson (Universal Music Group), and Choklate and performed in the Jam Master Jay (of RUN-DMC) Foundation for Youth benefit, whose bill included GRAMMY®-winning composer and turntable master GrandMixer DXT (Herbie Hancock) and opened for national acts Devin the Dude, Royce da 5’9, and Joe Budden.
Velvet Stylus performed as the House Band for the New England Urban Music Awards in tribute to New Kids on the Block. They were also the house band for the first official Soulkore/J Dilla Foundation Boston fundraiser, co-produced with J Dilla’s mother, Ma Dukes Yancey.
Darcie also served as a publicity liaison for the Berklee Business of Gospel Music at Berklee College of Music featuring Dr. Mathew Knowles (former manager, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child), Dr. Teresa Hairston (Founder, Gospel Today Magazine), and Gospel-division major label executives Monica Coates and Byron Scott.
Darcie provided coordination and media support to Dr. Larry Watson as he and his students performed for Harvard Law School Charles Hamilton Institute of Race and Justice honorees Berry Gordy (Founder, Motown Records) and Suzanne dePasse, the Artist Development and Public Relations executive who discovered and developed Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Darcie counsels countless people about music business and has worked with students at Berklee College of Music, Emerson College, Fisher College, Drexel University, Northeastern University, Simmons College, and Boston University. She served as a panelist at Bentley College alongside JAMʼN 94.5, Brandeis University, and Vibe Magazineʼs Cheo Coker. She provided promotional support for a Boston medical benefit for the late Tower of Power bassist Rocco Prestia.
Darcie led a workshop at the Boston Mayor’s Office Hip-Hop Reconstruction. Featured were Davey D, Rakim, CL Smooth, Medusa, and Nice and Smooth. She has twice been a panelist for Berklee’s Hip-Hop Summit, TasteMakers Hartford, Boston Music Conference, moderator for NEMO 2005, and a featured guest on National Public Radio alongside Essence Magazine. Darcie was a Rounds Judge for the Berklee/Essence Songwriting Competition 2006 and for The Source Magazine/XXL/Digiwaxx DJ/producer competition. Darcie served on the Education Committee of CitiCenter for the Performing Arts, and has participated in programming work around Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Ruben Studdard, Frenchie Davis), The Color Purple: Presented by Oprah Winfrey (Kenita Miller, LaToya London, and Adam Wade), How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Addams Family. She sat on The Recording Academy® New York Chapter’s Boston Outreach Committee with Jonathan Wyner (M-Works Mastering), Scott Billington (Rounder Records), Malik Williams (who scored shows on CBS, E!, VH1, MTV, SpikeTV, and others), GRAMMY®-winner Richie Pena, and more. She served as a frequent mentor to students in Berklee’s GRAMMYU® Chapter, and was a beta tester for GRAMMY365®. She worked extensively with Peace Boston/UMMF. Darcie guest co-hosted WMBRʼs Time Travelinʼ with DJ Nomadik for two years.
Darcie is a three-time ASCAPlus awardee in Jazz/Contemporary Music and recently released e-booklets Effective Networking for the Performing Arts and The Elevator Pitch (Amazon).
As a recording songwriter, Darcie has long-standing, ongoing collaborative songwriting relationships with RIAA Triple Platinum-certified producer/engineer Jesse Jaeo Tolbert (Ms. Lauryn Hill, Bun B, The Ying Yang Twins), RIAA Gold-certified engineer John Maragos (Sir Paul McCartney, Dawson’s Creek, Toby Lightman), and Luis “Chase” Boria (Epic Records, ESPN). She has performed with Gabrielle Goodman (JMT/Verve), Milton Wright, and had the rare opportunity to be selected as a vocalist for educational clinics with Patti Austin and Lisa Fischer (GRAMMY® winner and star of Oscar-winning film Twenty Feet from Stardom).
During her studies at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, Darcie was a select member of the award winning Berklee Reverence Gospel Choir under the direction of Dennis Montgomery, III. She sang alongside fellow students David Balfour, Makeba Riddick, Danny “Skyhigh” McClain (After 7), Claude Kelly, and Chris Pottinger; (who all went on to serve as top-charting Urban music songwriters). The choir performed with Jazz icon Nnenna Freelon and Gospel legend Richard Smallwood. Darcie is honored to be directly mentored by such luminaries as Patrice Rushen, Sharon Heyward, Nona Hendryx (of LaBelle), Jetro DaSilva (Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder), & Prince Charles Alexander (Mary J. Blige, Notorious BIG).
Darcie serves as English program recruiter for Rimon School of Music and is very active in the US as a songwriter, publicist, music business and artist development strategist, and recording session performance coach.
