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Four years ago, despite a number of great placements with talented artists, Nuri found herself still working a “day job” to support her family. Generally dissatisfied with how the business side of her music was going, she decided to call it quits. But after a couple of years away from anything music related, Nuri’s passion for writing began to call her back to the studio. And what a rebound year she has had! Nuri scored the hit of the summer by co-writing the 8-week, #1 Billboard single “When I See You,” recorded by American Idol winner and J Records artist Fantasia. She also co-wrote “Fatal,” a mid-tempo, sure-fire hit, recorded by Capitol Records artist J. Holiday for his forthcoming debut CD.
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The daughter of long time music executive Erik Nuri, Erika, a Los Angeles transplant, was always attracted to being creative and performing. After realizing that she didn’t want to take the singing route of entertainment, she placed her first song – a reworked poem – while still a teen. She was eventually encouraged to join the thriving music scene going on in Atlanta by respected music veteran Ian Burke. It is the six years spent living and working in Atlanta with artistic innovators such as Organized Noize that Nuri credits as her pivotal development in writing. Being in that type of creative environment was nourishing, but she missed the comfort of having immediate family near, so she moved back to Los Angeles to be closer to her mother and brother.
Ironically, it was during this return to Los Angeles that Erika connected with former Atlanta staple and songwriting guru Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and signed with Edmonds Music Publishing, the song administration arm of his entertainment company. Although she now has her songs administered by The Royalty Network, it was under Babyface’s tutelage that Erika blossomed and witnessed her greatest growth as a songwriter. Now, with 15 years of writing experience under her belt, the young lyricist has written songs for Babyface, K-Ci & JoJo, B2K, 3LW, Xscape, and Dream, among others, including the 2002 Top 40 hit “Blue Jeans” by Magic Johnson protégé Yasmeen.
Confessing that her car doubles as her sanctuary for writing, Nuri says “my process is usually getting with producers and they’ll play me tracks. I’ll pick a track that I like and then write to it… But I like to write in the car where I’m not distracted by the phone, computer, TV, my son, whatever… I feel closed off and everything is so close. I can turn up the sound really loud. I hear music differently in the car and I say ‘what am I going to want to hear and drive to? What’s going to feel good?’”
Nuri looks to continue writing hit songs and working with the best artist and producers in the music industry. She’s also recently joined songwriting team The Writing Camp (www.myspace.com/thewritingcamp).
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