Nellys Echo

Sun Reporter

February 8, 2007

Hometown: Baltimore

Current members: Nelson Emokpae

Founded in: 2004

Style: acoustic soul

Influenced by: Motown, ABBA, Boyz to Men, Luther Vandross, Norah Jones

Notable: Emokpae has yet to release a debut CD because, he said, he's a perfectionist. His first album must perfectly re-create the sound he hears in his head, he said. Until he finds the right people to record him properly, he'll keep using rough-made demos, he said.

Quotable: "'Nelly' is myself, and whenever I sing or perform it's usually the reaction of the crowd I base my performance on. Whatever they 'echo' back. It's basically a response."

The artist: myspace.com/nellysecho