Danielle Nicole

Danielle Nicole Schnebelen, known professionally as Danielle Nicole, is a blues and soul musician who originated from Kansas City, Missouri. Her musical journey began early, influenced by her father’s blues guitar playing and her mother’s singing. This early immersion in the local Kansas City blues scene laid the foundation for her career. Before embarking on her solo path, Nicole was a key member of the band Trampled Under Foot, alongside her brothers Kris and Nick Schnebelen. The band achieved recognition, with their album ‘Badlands’ winning the ‘Contemporary Blues Album of the Year’ at the 2014 Blues Music Awards. During the same ceremony, Nicole received the ‘Best Instrumentalist – Bass’ award, marking an early career highlight as a solo instrumentalist.

Nicole launched her solo career with the release of her self-titled debut EP on March 10, 2015, on Concord Records. This EP featured notable collaborations with Grammy Award-winning producer and guitarist Anders Osborne, Galactic’s co-founding drummer Stanton Moore, and keyboardist Mike Sedovic. Her full-length debut album, ‘Wolf Den,’ followed in September 2015, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Building on this success, her second album, ‘Cry No More,’ released in February 2018, climbed to number 1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart. This album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2019 and secured two Blues Music Awards for Contemporary Blues Female Artist and Bass Instrumentalist in May 2019. It also garnered three Independent Blues Awards in September 2019.

Throughout her career, Danielle Nicole has consistently received critical acclaim and industry recognition. She has been awarded the Blues Music Award for Bass Instrumentalist multiple times, including in 2014, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2024, she won the Blues Foundation Music Award for Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist and was named Bass Guitarist of the Year by Blues Blast Magazine. Her 2024 album, ‘The Love You Bleed,’ released on Forty Below Records, quickly reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and was recognized as a Top Album of 2024 by Rock & Blues Muse Magazine. Nicole continues to tour extensively in the United States and Europe, maintaining an active presence in the blues music landscape. In 2025, she earned nominations for both instrumentalist vocals and contemporary blues female artist from the Blues Foundation Music Awards, further solidifying her contributions to the genre.