Nina Musolino – Managing The Genesis

By Tammy Hilderbrand

When Nina Musolino met Ben Becker, there were obvious sparks between the two of them. But not the kind of sparks you might anticipate when two young people meet. These were career sparks.

Musolino is actually a California girl, but she, like Ben, is attending Belmont University in Nashville and working on a career in music. Though she also sings and plays guitar, her real interest is in promoting other artists.

“From the moment I heard him sing, I knew this kid was going places,” explained Musolino. And, she decided she wanted to help him get to those places.

As with most musical careers, her story has its beginnings with a musical family.

“I was introduced to music by my uncle who was in a band, and so I was just always naturally surrounded by music when I was with them,” said the young raven-haired woman, who could just as easily be a model as a businesswoman.

“My grandma bought me my first guitar when I was seven,” she smiled. “I fell in love with it immediately. I started taking guitar lessons, and then that led to singing lessons.” And that led to a summer singing camp.

“That’s when I started writing songs,” she added. “But I really wouldn’t even let anyone hear them, because they were just cheesy love songs.”

While in eighth grade, her family took a trip to Music City. “I fell in love with Nashville!” she exclaimed.

Her mother had friends who were familiar with Belmont University, so they decided to visit the campus.

“From that moment on, Belmont was my dream school,” Musolino commented.

She became interested in music production when she was still in high school. She even recorded and produced songs for a couple of friends.

“So, by the end of my senior year, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” she said.

She dreamed of Belmont, but was afraid the tuition was out of reach. She figured she would save money by first attending a junior college.

But one day, on an impulse, she decided to apply to Belmont just to see what would happen.

“I really didn’t expect to get accepted, so when I received the acceptance letter from them, I was overjoyed,” she beamed.

During her summer orientation, Ben’s parents and her parents hit it off, and so naturally the two students were introduced to each other. When she discovered Ben’s talent, she knew she wanted to be part of his journey.

“I’ve always had a passion for discovering talent. His lyrics are amazing, and I felt people could really connect with his music. On top of that, he has an absolutely angelic voice,” raved Musolino.

So, to get things rolling, she started her own independent recording label, E-Klectic Records, and began working with Ben.

“I really want to help promote him, so I took on the role as his manager,” she explained. “It’s been a great experience for us both. I’m doing a lot of work through social media to promote him online.”

So how does a California girl fit in at Nashville? Any culture shock? She says Nashville isn’t just about country music.

“Country music is what most people think about when they think about Nashville, but really, every genre of music is found here,” she said. And, a majority of the students at Belmont are not from Nashville. “They are from all over.”

She admits to missing California weather, but she says all in all, she feels very comfortable in Nashville.

“I love it here, and I love what I’m doing,” she exclaimed. “And I love it that I have a best friend who is so talented. It is going to be an exciting journey,” she concluded.

“Recording Fall with Ben was incredible. It was just super awesome working together in the studio. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. The vocals were recorded at Sunset Blvd. Studios and we usually did the recording from 8 p.m. to 4 in the morning. It was crazy. I’d fall asleep for awhile, and then wake up to find that Ben had recorded some masterpiece!” noted Musolino.

“When Ben asked me to sing with him on ‘Stranded,’ I was just so honored,” said Nina regarding the 10^th track on Becker’s album. “Stranded” is a great story-song of two lovers who drift apart and become stranded as their love for each other ends.

“Realistically, there are 8,000 really talented singers on the Belmont campus. But we found our voices just fit perfectly together. That is always an amazing thing to me, when there is just pure emotion in a song, and it just comes together so perfectly,” explained this talented young woman.

She notes that this album is somewhat unusual because, in her opinion, each song on the album is so good. She added, “Stranded is my personal favorite, but close behind it is ‘Knock Me Out’ because of the R&B vibe in that song.”

Musolino concluded, “Really, everything about this experience will be something I will remember my entire life.”

These are the first steps in the professional lives of two very talented young people. The journey is going to be interesting for both.

The release of “Fall by Ben Becker” is scheduled for June 16. Until that day, you can pre-buy the digital album for $8.99 and get 5 of the 11 tracks immediately, including the duet “Stranded” featuring Musolino.

Again, every great story has a great beginning, which is why it is so exciting to witness the unfolding of these two talented young people.

The genesis is the most magical part of a story.

And, we get to witness it….