Biography
Nicole Bus approaches contemporary R&B with a commanding vocal presence grounded in soul traditions. Her first album arrived via EMI in 2011 under the title The Heart of the Matter, yet wider recognition came after she advanced to the quarterfinal round during the fourth season of The Voice of Holland. That platform secured a contract with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which later issued her 2017 project Magnolia and the 2019 album Kairos; the latter set introduced the breakthrough tracks “You” and “Rain.”
While growing up in Holland she absorbed gospel, reggae, and pop sounds. Early on she performed regularly in church settings and began experimenting with keyboards, beat-making, and songwriting. Following secondary school she enrolled at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she continued both academic study and live performance; ensemble tours carried her across the Netherlands, Central America, the Middle East, Western Asia, and Southeast Asia. Eventually working independently, she put out a debut EP in 2009, captured the Grand Prize of the Netherlands in 2010, and then joined EMI’s Dutch roster to release The Heart of the Matter.
Repeated sessions alongside producer Needlz, whose credits include 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, and Cardi B, resulted in a Roc Nation agreement and the 2018 single “You.” The track, an emotive hip-hop soul throwback recalling the work of Lauryn Hill and Jazmine Sullivan in roughly equal measure, was composed as a tribute to Black men and reached the top of Billboard’s Adult R&B chart. Both “You” and the follow-up “Mr. Big Shot” appeared on Kairos, the majority of whose tracks were helmed by Needlz.
While growing up in Holland she absorbed gospel, reggae, and pop sounds. Early on she performed regularly in church settings and began experimenting with keyboards, beat-making, and songwriting. Following secondary school she enrolled at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she continued both academic study and live performance; ensemble tours carried her across the Netherlands, Central America, the Middle East, Western Asia, and Southeast Asia. Eventually working independently, she put out a debut EP in 2009, captured the Grand Prize of the Netherlands in 2010, and then joined EMI’s Dutch roster to release The Heart of the Matter.
Repeated sessions alongside producer Needlz, whose credits include 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, and Cardi B, resulted in a Roc Nation agreement and the 2018 single “You.” The track, an emotive hip-hop soul throwback recalling the work of Lauryn Hill and Jazmine Sullivan in roughly equal measure, was composed as a tribute to Black men and reached the top of Billboard’s Adult R&B chart. Both “You” and the follow-up “Mr. Big Shot” appeared on Kairos, the majority of whose tracks were helmed by Needlz.
Albums
Singles
