Nakia: “Outta My Head”
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Nakia started out as another local musician, but it will be hard to keep his talents confined to Austin. This past spring, national audiences fell in love with the singer after he appeared on NBC’s talent show The Voice. None other than Cee Lo Green coached Nakia all the way to the show’s quarter finals, and he recently joined his coach onstage at last weekend’s Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Before his national exposure, Nakia got his start in the Small Stars, the lounge act side-project for Fastball’s Miles Zuniga. He soon left the band for the stage, appearing in productions of The Music Man and Rocky Horror Show, and that theatrical experience is apparent in his soulful presence. His 2009 full-length debut Water To Wine was written by Nakia and Michael Fracasso, and its success led to a gig backing up Alejandro Escovedo on Street Songs of Love.
Despite all his various projects, one common thread is the power of Nakia’s voice. He first came to KUT in 2008 with his backing band the Southern Cousins to record a live session in Studio 1A. “Outta My Head” is a particular highlight from that session, featuring a fiery delivery from Nakia over a bluesy groove, and it’s our song of the day.
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