On season one of NBC’s ‘The Voice,’ Nakia quickly became a fan favorite using his big grizzly voice to transform pop songs. While producers focused on his relationship and his struggle to make ends meet as a blues singer, what they didn’t show you on TV was just how much Nakia accomplished on his own prior to show. Long before Nakia was a semifinalist on CeeLo Green’s team, he was a beloved member of the Austin music community, fronting bands, performing solo, and working with some music’s biggest names.
Nakia moved from Chicago to Austin in 2002 and began performing solo original material with his piano. After a brief stint in the Small Stars, a tongue-in-cheek lounge act fronted by Fastball’s Miles Zuniga, he formed Nakia & His Southern Cousins. This band shared stages with B.B. King and Willie Nelson, and performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival where Nakia wound up dancing and singing with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Jones took a liking Nakia.
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