She has been critically acclaimed for her "powerhouse vocals"[6] and charismatic on-stage presence.[7][8]
Early life
Scaggs was born on October 8, 1979, in Denver, Colorado. Her father was a DJ and Scaggs was exposed to his vinyl collection at a young age, including Parliament, Teena Marie, and The Pointer Sisters.[4] She also listened to her parents play artists such as Marvin Gaye and The Temptations during house parties,[7] and was influenced as a young singer by the music of Tina Turner.[9]
Early on, Scaggs would perform for friends and family, and at around 9 years of age, became more seriously interested in singing.[4] In elementary school she began practicing daily and signed herself up for all available talent shows. According to Scaggs, "I was one of those kids who had friends but got picked on a lot...I felt like I needed an outlet. For me, that outlet was music."[7] Except for a year of vocal training in high school, she was self-taught[4] and only considered becoming a professional musician as she approached graduation from South Pasadena High School.[7]
Music career
Collaborations
After high school Scaggs began working as both a professional songwriter and vocalist.[7] Early on she faced financial hurdles, as well as finding the right producers.[4] As a songwriter, Scaggs has referenced creative influences as diverse as Radiohead and The Bird and the Bee.[7]
Scaggs soon joined as front-woman and songwriter for The Rebirth, a Los Angeles soul band.[4] In 2005 The Rebirth released their first album This Journey In on independent label Kajmere Sound.[8] She wrote the track "Stray Away" and a number of other songs on their LP, co-writing with band leader Carlos Guiaco.[4]
The first single, "This Journey In", hit the top 5 of playlists throughout Europe and Japan, and attracted the attention of DJs such as BBC Radio 1's Gilles Peterson, King Britt of the group Digable Planets, and Norman Jay MBE.[8] Scaggs toured with the band for ten years before taking two years off from music.[7]
Fitz and the Tantrums
Scaggs at a 2010 performance in San Diego
In December 2008 she joined the Los Angeles soul/pop band Fitz and the Tantrums for a rehearsal[12] after being recommended to band leader Michael Fitzpatrick by saxophone player James King.[7] According to Scaggs, "When I first heard the project I was really attracted to the sound. It was something that wasn't really familiar in the spectrum of not being exactly Motown or something from the '80s."[12]
They performed for the first time a week later at Hollywood's Hotel Café,[13] and she decided to remain with the band as a vocalist, songwriter, and lyricist.[4] They released their debut EP Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1[6] in August 2009,[14][15] and the tracks soon received airplay on public radio station KCRW in Los Angeles.[16]
They were called by Vogue Magazine the "Hardest Working Band of 2011,"[21] and "Artist to Watch" in Rolling Stone.[9] Also according to Rolling Stone, the band "throws a sparkling pop gloss on a familiar Motown sound thanks in large part to the powerhouse vocals of sultry singer Noelle Scaggs."[6]
