Voice | Piano

Erica Baker is from Kansas City, Missouri. Erica began her teaching career at the age of 15, as a student teacher with the Oliver School of music in 2008. She taught primary lessons and music theory. Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, a historic hub for jazz and blues with a rich tradition and distinct identity, she developed a love of Jazz. As a student at the Oliver School of Music, Erica performed in the annual piano and voice recital. She would perform a classical piano piece, vocal jazz song, an original composition, and a song with the student Pop/R&B/Jazz band. She stayed with Oliver School of Music until she graduated high school.

While in high school, she competed at the state level in piano performance and received several II ratings as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and a I rating in her senior year, which is the highest rating. Upon Graduating high school, Erica was accepted into the College of Music at Claflin University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a piano concentration. As a student at Claflin, she taught free primary lessons for community service. She also performed in competitions and for several master classes with internationally acclaimed pianists, such as Awadagin Pratt, Daniel Herscovitch, and Dorian Leljak.

She was a part of the Claflin University Concert Choir, and served as a section leader and president. The Claflin University Concert Choir is a touring ensemble that performs a wide array of genres and styles, ranging from Baroque classical songs, to Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, contemporary choral music, negro spirituals, gospel, and classical composition’s by black composers. Erica also studied voice, and performed several vocal solos for special events, luncheons, Handel’s Messiah, Claflin’s Jazz Ensemble, Music Seminar, and with the Claflin University Concert Choir.

After graduating college Erica continued to pursue a music career under the stage name of Nisee Amore. Nisee Amore, is a genre fluid artist who enjoys blurring the lines of Jazz, Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, Pop, Gospel, and Blues. As a songwriter, she tells thought-provoking stories with the goal of leaving a lasting impression and positive message. Her love of jazz led her to be influenced by jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington.

She also loves Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Blues, and Gospel. Some of her more contemporary influences include Jazmine Sullivan, Ledisi, H.E.R., Lalah Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, PJ Morton, John Legend, Alicia Keys, and Stevie Wonder. She uses her classical background to compose songs that are musical with thick harmonies, live instruments, and interesting arrangements. She loves to take musical elements from all her favorite genres and create an eclectic yet harmonious musical gumbo.

She believes in creating music that is good for the soul. Inspired by Duke Ellington’s popular song, her mantra is “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that soul.” Above all else, her ability to bear her soul in a transparent and genuine way is noteworthy . She makes music from her soul that she hopes will resonate through generations.

Erica took a hiatus from music to attend Michigan State University College of Law in 2015. She was barred to be an attorney in 2018 and began practicing entertainment law. She is an

entertainment lawyer that has an interest and passion for all things creative. As a singer, songwriter, and musician, Erica is invested in the arts community, which affords her a unique perspective and approach to the practice of law.

Erica is passionate about educating and representing the arts community at large. She understands the perspectives and needs of creatives, and she uses her legal knowledge to help protect and advocate for them. Her commitment is to fight for clients just as hard as she would fight for herself. She believes that law doesn’t have to be complicated, and she wants clients to gain understanding and be empowered. In her opinion, no business is too small and all creativity deserves protection.

While practicing law, she returned to her first love and released several singles and began performing again. After three years of full time practice at a litigation firm in Kansas City, while also maintaining a solo entertainment law practice, she left the litigation firm and moved to Nashville. Erica moved to Nashville with hopes to expand her entertainment law practice and pursue her music career. Since she has moved to Nashville, she has become a regular performer at the Flamingo Cocktail Club Invite, and she also performed for Funk Night at The 5 Spot. She has also traveled to perform at Nova Fest in Columbia, South Carolina, and will be traveling to New York September 24th to perform her original music.

She wanted to get back into teaching private lessons because she has always loved watching the development of her students, and seeing them gain confidence in themselves and their gifts. She has always been an educator at heart, even in her legal career. She teaches free seminars for the arts community on contracts, understanding important terms, and the necessity of integrating contracts in Artists’ interactions with each other.

She is so excited to be on board with Music Lab and she looks forward to imparting everything she can to make her students better musicians and people. She wants them to be prepared to conquer whatever it is they choose to do in their life. She believes learning music develops transferable skills such as discipline, perseverance, problem solving, communication, and many more. She believes in the power of music and is excited to help her students find their power!

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