ABOUT
Born to a musical family in rural Pennsylvania, Nicole Zell grew up writing songs, teaching herself instruments, and performing live from an early age. In 2014, she released folk EP Take Heart detailing her late-teen experiences of losing a loved one to suicide, struggling with her own mental health, witnessing a close friend's battle with addiction, and overall, her pursuit for healing which was heavily centered around her faith at the time. In early 2016, Nicole premiered pop rock single "Heart Open Wide" on Fuse TV's Dancin' on Air. Zell then went on to join and tour nationally with alternative rock band, American Wolves, premiering their 2016 breakout single "Part of Me" on Billboard which has since gained over 10 million streams on Spotify alone. Along with the founding members of American Wolves, Zell formed synth pop band, THRILLCHASER, and released their 2018 debut album A Lot Like Love followed by 2022 sophomore release It Was Always Gonna Be Like This. During the height of the pandemic, Nicole released pop duet "This Time", a song of solidarity written about the crisis. She was also featured on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna for performing live with fellow Philadelphian musicians at a social distanced neighborhood house concert organized to promote love and unity during a time of universal unrest and uncertainty. After years of not releasing her own solo music, Nicole found her voice once again on 2022 debut solo album, Asleep To My Own Magic. Undoubtedly Zell's most mature, enlightened work, the album addresses some of her most vulnerable life experiences: navigating the highs and lows of the music industry, not believing in herself as an artist, deconstructing her belief system after growing up in the church, confronting child abuse she experienced as a young girl, breaking generational cycles, healing from toxic relationships, and ultimately, finding her own magic. In 2023, Zell's empowering pop album won Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Hometown Heroes Homey Awards.