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“Nicole Atkins has a sound that's rooted in classic pop music,
but it never sounds like pastiche because she brings so much charisma and vitality to it.
She knows how to write and deliver a hook, too.”
– STEREOGUM
“Drama is a heady cinematic swirl…Atkins is clearly a woman not to be trifled with.”
– MOJO (★★★★)
“One of the few singers of her generation for whom the term ‘chanteuse’ accurately applies… A mini-symphony, a widescreen ballad, a melodramatic Chris Isaak duet….
A world that’s securely rooted in pop tradition and intensely personal.”
– UNCUT
"Nicole Atkins' Drama is a pop-rock work of art."
– NASHVILLE SCENE
"Atkins blends the new and the old here brilliantly."
– MXDWN
"Nicole Atkins has written and sung one of the most
musically and emotionally satisfying albums of 2026."
– 13TH FL (NZ)
Nicole Atkins has released a haunting video for her new song, "Singing in the Mirror." The anthemic song comes from Drama, her first all-new full-length release in over six years, now available for streaming and purchase everywhere.
"It’s almost a ghost story," says Atkins. "Is this a ghost family haunting the house and me, or am I the ghost haunting them? Kinda inspired by the movie, 'The Others.'
"We were getting ready to shoot the video at the Red Gables Estate in Jersey and messing with some ideas. My friend Colin said, 'I have a mirrored drumhead we can use.' We were sitting at his sister Brynn’s house, and I looked at her and her daughters. One is a ballerina, and the other is a theater actress, and then I looked at Colin and realized they all look so much alike! So I put them all in the video telling this story of a young family, their hopes and dreams, and I'm the narrator warning of dream crushers and reminding them not to get too down and to look out for each other, and then I'm in the mirror reminding myself, 'when there’s no one else, don’t forget yourself.'"
WATCH "SINGING IN THE MIRROR" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
STREAM/PURCHASE DRAMA
Largely recorded live over four productive days in her current home base of Nashville, TN, with GRAMMY® Award-nominated musician/producer Pat Sansone (Wilco, The Autumn Defense, Robyn Hitchcock), Drama sees Atkins exploring the isolation, separation, and loneliness of a long-distance marriage through her signature fusion of musical genres and intimate lyrical songcraft. The album came together at the behest of her close friend and touring partner Chris Isaak, who signed her to Sun Records as part of his strategic alliance with the historic label as both artist and curator of new projects with his new imprint, Wicked Game Records. Drama spans style and era with smart design and irrepressible buoyancy, from the girl-group rush of “Trippin' On Teardrops” and Memphis soul-styled “For No One” to the James Bond-meets-Stevie Nicks noir of “Danny” and the wonderfully moody duet with Isaak, “Cue The Symphony.”
“While sitting on Chris Isaak’s porch during a rainstorm, this song came out of a conversation we were having,” says Nicole Atkins. “A mundane sentence had a certain sparkle and morphed into a ballad of everlasting love. It only took about 10 minutes until we were swept into the drama of it and the full cinematic scope of ‘Cue the Symphony’ came into being. I’ve been singing with Chris Isaak for almost 20 years, and this song is the first time we’ve committed our voices to tape together. It’s the ‘sadness but sexy’ centerpiece of my new record, Drama.”
“I’ve been in love with Nicole’s songs for many years and have always followed her career,” says Chris Isaak. “She and I are so simpatico when it comes to the music that inspires us, and she has a unique way of distilling that into her songwriting. She’s a true craftsman and an incredible singer. When it came time to start the label, she was my first thought. I’m so honored that she’s the label’s first signing, and I love Drama!”
LISTEN TO “CUE THE SYMPHONY”
“Trippin’ on Teardrops” is joined by an official music video filmed on location in a historic turn-of-the-century mansion in Atkins’ home state of New Jersey and streaming now on YouTube following its exclusive premiere via FLOOD. The album also includes the acclaimed first single, “When the Night Falls,” hailed by Stereogum as a "shimmering, slow-building piece of old-school pop excellence.” An official music video is streaming now on YouTube.
WATCH “TRIPPIN’ ON TEARDROPS” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
WATCH “WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Drama finds Atkins accompanied by her touring band, guitarist John Paul Keith and drummer Danny Banks, with contributions by Sansone, in-demand drummer Eric Slick (Dr. Dog, Robyn Hitchcock, Brian Fallon), The Texas Gentlemen’s Dan Creamer, and Scottish troubadour Davey Horne. The album once again showcases Atkins' alchemical ability to transform myriad influences into singular sonic statements, leaning into the deeply personal in her ongoing quest to “write modern songs that could be part of the Great American Songbook.” Through it all, Atkins’s vivid, unabashedly dramatic voice flies far above easy comparison. Neo-classicist, retro-futurist, and transcendental medium – Drama makes it plain that Nicole Atkins somehow remains all of those things while always wholeheartedly following her own muse.
“I'm not trying to rehash or celebrate some bygone era,” Nicole Atkins says. “I'm just taking what I like melodically from the past and channeling it into my songs. I like to make them deeply personal. The question I come back to is – how do I make this sound exactly like me?”
Atkins will celebrate the arrival of Drama with a wide-ranging live schedule, including a fall tour beginning October 9 at Columbus, OH’s Rumba Cafe and then continuing through early December. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.nicoleatkins.com/tour.
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NICOLE ATKINS – DRAMA 2026 TOUR
OCTOBER
9 - Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
10 – Louisville, KY – The Whirling Tiger
11 – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI
NOVEMBER
13 – Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall
14 – Kansas City, MO – recordBar
15 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
17 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
18 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
20 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme
21 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Blind Pig
22 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
24 – Albany NY – Lark Hall
25 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
27 – Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar
28 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
29 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
DECEMBER
1 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor
2 – Asheville, NC – Revival Asheville
3 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis
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NICOLE ATKINS
DRAMA
(Sun Records)
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