Nikka Costa – HuffPost 8.5.11

Mike Ragogna: Nikka, do you have any advice for new artists?

Nikka Costa: Well, it’s definitely like The Wild West again out there. The internet is this amazing way to reach people and obviously allows for you to have control of what kind of artist you want to be, how you want to be out there, and how you want to be perceived. So, there’s a real opportunity to be in control of who you are as an artist. But having said that, it’s a lot more work. You’re scrambling for funds for little things, where as when you’re with a major label, obviously, there’s budgets for you. Even small budgets are kind of helpful. (laughs) So, it’s definitely a different way to do it. But I would say as far as new artists go, just make sure that you love what you’re doing and stay true to who you are, and if you’re any good, I think people will eventually find you and stick with you.

MR: What about surrounding yourself with people that you trust, your team?

NC: Oh, for sure. I think, no matter what, you’re going to run into people that maybe don’t have your best interests at heart. You just have to learn from those experiences and keep it moving and get better and better at trusting your gut and trusting your instincts. And then yeah, you’ll be fine.