Nakia

An Austin, Texas musician recognized as Nakia, or Nakia Reynoso in full, brings a soulful, blues-influenced approach to his work and first attracted widespread notice as a participant in the 2011 season of The Voice. Under the guidance of coach Cee Lo Green, he advanced to the semifinals and placed seventh overall before releasing the 2013 EP Drown in the Crimson Tide and the 2018 album Blues Grifter.

Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1975, Nakia spent his formative years in Fort Payne, Alabama, where blues, R&B, and soul recordings shaped his musical outlook. Following graduation from high school he lived briefly in Chicago and then relocated to Austin in 2002. Once settled there he began performing regularly, contributing to Fastball guitarist Miles Zuniga’s side project the Small Stars and taking roles in several area stage productions. He put out an EP in 2007 and followed it with his first full-length album, Water to Wine, in 2009; the next year he supplied backing vocals on Alejandro Escovedo’s Street Songs of Love.

Public visibility expanded considerably once he joined NBC’s singing competition The Voice in 2011. With Cee Lo Green again serving as coach, Nakia reached the semifinals and finished seventh. After the broadcast concluded he issued the 2013 EP Drown in the Crimson Tide, which included songwriting contributions from Chris Seefried, Barry Goldberg, Bleu, and additional collaborators. In 2018 he delivered Blues Grifter, an album containing his versions of material associated with blues figures such as Willie Dixon, Elmore James, and Otis Rush.