Nicole C. Mullen
Encyclopedia
Aileen Nicole Coleman-Mullen, known professionally as Nicole C. Mullen, (born January 3, 1964) is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and choreographer. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio
.
Frontline Records
. She continued her singing-songwriting-choreography career in the 1990s, singing backup for Michael W. Smith
and the Newsboys
, writing for Jaci Velasquez
, and working as a dancer/choreographer
with Amy Grant
. She also provided backup vocals for the music video
at the end of the VeggieTales
program, Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space!
and the opening of the VeggieTales
presentation, Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
. She was signed to Word Records
in 1998 by VP of A&R Brent Bourgeois
. Her fourth album, Talk About It
, was certified gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies on April 15, 2008.
, are youth leaders in their local church, tutor inner-city youth, and participate in Kids Across America summer camp for inner city youth. Mullen is also active with the International Needs Network Ghana, an organization that works to free Trokosi slaves
in Ghana
.
Live
Compilations
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
Music career
Mullen recorded her first solo album, Don’t Let Me Go, in 1991 with the independent labelIndie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
Frontline Records
Frontline Records (1980s)
Frontline Records was a Christian record label founded in 1986 by James Kempner. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, and hip-hop...
. She continued her singing-songwriting-choreography career in the 1990s, singing backup for Michael W. Smith
Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith is a Billboard top ten Billboard Hot 100 recording artist and Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian music. Smith also has achieved a considerable amount of...
and the Newsboys
Newsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
, writing for Jaci Velasquez
Jaci Velasquez
Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez is an American Contemporary Christian and Latin Pop singer—in both English and Spanish languages....
, and working as a dancer/choreographer
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
with Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
. She also provided backup vocals for the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
at the end of the VeggieTales
VeggieTales
VeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...
program, Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space!
Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space!
Larry-Boy! And the Fib from Outer Space! is the eighth episode and the second full length special of the VeggieTales animated series. It was released in April 1997 on VHS and issued on DVD May 18, 2004. This is the first adventure featuring the Larry the Cucumber as Larry-Boy, the hero of the city...
and the opening of the VeggieTales
VeggieTales
VeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...
presentation, Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed
Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed is the twelfth episode in the VeggieTales animated series, and the second installment of the LarryBoy adventures. It was released in July 1999 on VHS formats and January 28, 2003 on DVD formats...
. She was signed to Word Records
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...
in 1998 by VP of A&R Brent Bourgeois
Brent Bourgeois
Brent Thomas Bourgeois is an American rock musician, songwriter, and producer. He was co-leader of the band Bourgeois Tagg with Larry Tagg, and has released several solo albums. His later work has been classified in the genres Pop and Contemporary Christian Music.- Early career :Born in New...
. Her fourth album, Talk About It
Talk About It
Talk About It is the second album of Christian singer/songwriter Nicole C. Mullen. The album includes the single and music video "Call On Jesus." Mullen won a 2001 Dove award for Female Vocalist of the Year.- Track listing :-Chart history:...
, was certified gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies on April 15, 2008.
Outreach
Mullen established a mentor group for girls called “The Baby Girls Club”. She and her husband, David MullenDavid Mullen (singer)
David Mullen is a former University of Florida football player, turned Contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter and producer. He released his first album in 1989, and won the GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 1990. He later married fellow Christian singer Nicole C. Mullen,...
, are youth leaders in their local church, tutor inner-city youth, and participate in Kids Across America summer camp for inner city youth. Mullen is also active with the International Needs Network Ghana, an organization that works to free Trokosi slaves
Ritual servitude
Ritual servitude is a practice in Ghana, Togo, and Benin where traditional religious shrines take human beings, usually young virgin girls, in payment for services or in religious atonement for alleged misdeeds of a family member—almost always a female...
in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Discography
Studio albums- 1991: Don't Let Me Go
- 1992: Wish Me Love
- 2000: Nicole C. Mullen
- 2001: Talk About ItTalk About ItTalk About It is the second album of Christian singer/songwriter Nicole C. Mullen. The album includes the single and music video "Call On Jesus." Mullen won a 2001 Dove award for Female Vocalist of the Year.- Track listing :-Chart history:...
- 2002: Christmas in Black & White
- 2004: Everyday People
- 2007: Sharecropper's Seed, Vol. 1Sharecropper's SeedSharecropper's Seed Volume 1 is the sixth studio album from Christian artist Nicole C. Mullen. The album was released on April 3, 2007. The album's first single, "Convinced," received disappointing airplay, charting lower than any of Mullen's singles to date, peaking at #27. The second single was...
- 2008: A Dream to Believe In, Vol. 2
- 2011: Captivated
Live
- 2003: Live from Cincinnati: Bringin' It Home
Compilations
- 2001: Following His Hand: A Ten Year Journey
- 2006: Redeemer: The Best of Nicole C. MullenRedeemer: The Best Of Nicole C. MullenRedeemer: The Best of Nicole C. Mullen is a greatest hits album from Christian African-American artist Nicole C. Mullen. It features some of her best songs from the albums "Nicole C. Mullen", "Talk About It", and "Everyday People". It was originally intended to have 20 tracks, but instead had 15...
- 2009: The Ultimate Collection
Awards and honors
Mullen was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame on November 5, 2011. Mullen is the only African American artist to win the Dove Award for Song of the Year.GMA Dove Awards
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1998 Dove Awards of 1998 The 29th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 23, 1998 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1997. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena... |
Song of the Year for "On My Knees" (co-writer) |
| 2001 Dove Awards of 2001 The 32nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 5, 2001 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2000. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Michael W. Smith.-Award recipients:... |
Song of the Year for "Redeemer" (songwriter) |
| Songwriter of the Year | |
| Pop/Contemporary Record of the Year for "Redeemer" (singer/songwriter) | |
| 2002 Dove Awards of 2002 The 33rd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 25, 2002 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2001. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee... |
Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Short Form Music Video of the Year for "Call on Jesus" | |
| 2005 Dove Awards of 2005 The 36th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 13, 2005 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2004. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted by Steven Curtis Chapman, CeCe Winans, Rebecca St... |
Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Urban Album of the Year for Everyday People |
Grammy Award nomination
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for Everyday People |
Further reading
- Christianity Today: “Nicole C. Mullen”, accessed 17 Oct 2005.
- Billboard.com, accessed 28 Apr 2008.