Now a singer, songwriter and performer, Kartinya Nicole was born Kartinya Nicole Rodgers in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kartinya's parents were never married and she was raised in the absence of her father who struggled with addiction.
From the perspective of the oldest sibling, Kartinya would describe her childhood as “a little unstable." “We moved around a lot. We were really poor, but I didn’t know that until I was about 12. When I found out, I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure my little sister didn’t find out.”
Kartinya was heavily influenced by the absence of her father. “I missed him a lot. I loved him, but I was always mad at him for not being there.” Kartinya was even more influenced by the strong women in her family, mainly her mother, her grandmothers, and her aunt Fernande. “My aunt Fernande showed me what it meant to live when everyone else was insistent on merely surviving.” Kartinya’s aunt lost her battle with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, in 1996. “My aunt’s death was confusing, mostly because she was so young and happy. I mean, she was only in her 30's. My first foreign food, my first foreign movie, even my first foreign language was all introduced to me by her. She was an artist and that inspired me.”
After graduating high school, Kartinya joined the Air Force and before she knew it she was shipped off to her first duty station in Minot, North Dakota. During her stay in ND, Kartinya spent most of her spare time writing poetry and song lyrics. After a short time in ND, Kartinya got orders to her second duty station, Osan Air Base, Korea. In Korea, Kartinya really started to tap in to her writing talents and she began to share her songs and poetry at open mic events on the weekends. That's when she fell in love with singing and performing. “I was born a writer, but to stand in front of people and share my work was a whole new experience for me, one that never seems to get old.”
After a year in Korea, Kartinya returned to the US. “I was excited, I had made some good connections and I was ready to work.” And she has been doing just that ever since. “You know, I just like to write good music. If my music makes people feel good and makes people come together and want to dance, then I've done my job."
Kartinya Nicole's debut album "Who is Kartinya Nicole?" is available now on CD Baby and ITunes