As I watched Nikki Jean walking down the green carpet with ease and radiating a natural warmth at Wednesday night’s Earth Day concert at Webster Hall presented by Origins, I couldn’t help but beam as she answered questions from eager reporters on her own green efforts (decreasing car time) and spoke briefly on her eagerly anticipated debut album, Pennies in a Jar, out in July on S-Curve Records. It was a big night for a sweet girl from Philly who loves her friends and baking cakes..

Nikki with 95.5 WPLJ DJ Jeff Miles

Nikki’s producer Sam Hollander was also beyond proud, telling me he considers her as a “future Oprah” and “one in a million.” Sam would know what it takes to make it, of course. He has produced hits for some of the biggest acts around – Train, Tom Jones, and Good Charlotte. But it was his experience with Nikki that blew him away immediately. “She’s formidable,” he told me.

The phenomenal part, and all in attendance Wednesday can attest — is that Nikki, at just 26-years-old, has an amazing journey ahead. I mean, it takes a singular talent to co-write songs with Bob Dylan, Carole King, Carly Simon and Burt Bacharach, on your first time out of the gate. For those singing along with her as she previewed material from Pennies, including the title track (which she co-wrote with Bacharach), her days of relative anonymity are drawing to a close, and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next!