Little Jackie

Brooklyn Bliss-Pop With A Rough Edge

You might think that Little Jackie is the stage name of lead singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist and figurehead of the band Imani Coppola. But the set-up is, in fact, a two-some.

Joining Imani is behind-the-scenes guy, programmer (and also a multi-instrumentalist) Adam Pallin. Together the two are bringing a super chart friendly fusion of doo-wop, Motown, R‘n’B, and hip-hop. Don’t forget the hip-hop. “No one really acknowledges the hip-hop element to Little Jackie,” Adam says when asked to describe his band’s sound. “They say it’s a soulful thing, it’s an R‘n’B thing, but the way Imani delivers a lot of the songs there’s definitely a rap part of it.” Before Coppola adds, “There’s also just straight up pop. Some of the choruses are just undeniably pop, with some hip-hop language.”

When Lilly Started Out, People Compared Her To Me

Singer Coppola is no stranger to the limelight – back in 1997 she took MTV by storm with her debut ‘Legacy Of A Cowgirl’. Time passed and she found herself falling from toast of the town to being dropped by her label. It’s taken her eleven long years to claw her way back from that moment – a time that has seen her release albums under her own steam,

In the inimitable way that press releases feel they have to pigeonhole their acts, Little Jackie are slightly bizarrely being touted about as Brooklyn’s answer to Lily Allen and Ms Winehouse. “That’s weird, because when Lily Allen started out, she was being compared to me,” says the striking looking 28-year-old Coppola, before band mate Pallin adds, “I don’t know it’s entirely accurate. I think she’s a lot cleverer than Lilly Allen.”

Touched by the compliment, the singer tactfully concludes, “I like her lyrics. She’s younger than me. I think she has a younger perspective of things.”

As a twosome, the Little Jackie band members are pretty much opposite. Pallin, who writes the tracks, is quiet and calm and does much of his work behind the scenes, while Coppola, the lyric and melody writer, is the outspoken, swearing firecracker. She describes the pair as “the conformist and the rebel”. “I’m more in your face – fuck you!” she laughs.

No-one acknowledges The Hip Hop Element To Little Jackie

Now Imani and Adam are riding high – debut single ‘The World Revolves Around Me’, from debut album ‘The Stoop’, which has taken New York by storm, has found its way onto Radio 1’s A play list. Since moving to the infamous Bed/Stuy area of Brooklyn, their environment has provided a great background to a chart friendly pop-laced record. This album gets girls’ shoulders shaking and men’s heads nodding, and some of the songs, such as the acerbic lyrics on ‘Black Barbie’ or the saccharine ‘One Love’ will become summer anthems. Little Jackie ‘Stoop’ to conquer, you could say…

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