Imani Coppola - Independent Career

Independent Career

Without a major label behind her, Coppola started recording music at home in 2001, also in 2001, Coppola was part of the band supporting Sandra Bernhard in her off-Broadway production of The Love Machine. She released two albums, Post Traumatic Pop Syndrome and Little Red Fighting Mood the following year through independent distribution. During this time Coppola also starred in the movie "The Singing Biologist" playing a smart and witty New York cafe singer looking for something new to bring to her band. By 2004, Coppola was playing acoustic guitar in small clubs like Forum in New York City with her drummer Alex Elana, in the Two Shadow Posse. According to Coppola, these events were not well-attended, and she hated performing at them.

In 2005, she launched her own website (created by a fan) and also opened an online music store where she released the shelved Come and Get Me... What?! as well as two new albums, Small Thunder and The Vocal Stylings of Imani Coppola. Also in 2005, she wrote and performed the song "Freedom Come" for the independent film On the Outs and co-wrote Maia Sharp's single "Fine Upstanding Citizen". In 2006 she contributed two of her own songs, "Woodstock" and "Fake Is The New Real", and arranged all of the strings for artist Alice Smith's debut album For Lovers, Dreamers and Me. She can also be heard singing back up vocals and playing strings on several songs of the album.

In 2006, she released a free skit album, Audio Blahgs. On May 26, 2006 Coppola performed with Peeping Tom on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Subsequently, she went on tour with the band, providing both vocals and violin. During this tour, Imani has performed songs from her album The Black & White Album. In an interview with Erin Broadley in November, 2007, Coppola indicated that she had enjoyed the experience of working with Patton and other artists, which she found artistically open.

Coppola's eighth studio album, The Black & White Album, was released digitally on January 14, 2007 and released through Ipecac Recordings on October 30, 2007. Bill Braun wrote in Amplifer Magazine in November 2007 that Coppola's The Black and White Album has an organic nature that reflects America's diversity. The Globe and Mail wrote that The Black and White Album is a "brutally honest album that's fun to hear." Bret McCabe wrote in the New York Sun on November 13, 2007 that in The Black and White Album Coppola mixed musical genres like Brazilian pop wizard Tom Zé.

In November, 2007, Coppola said in interview that she was unsure if she was going to tour to support The Black & White Album, citing financial concerns. She said, "I don’t even have a car. I don’t know, I would love to put together at least one banging show together for this album. Definitely, it deserves that."

2011, Imani released a new single and high budget video titled "Over It" which is found on "Imani's Magic Chicken Soup EP" found on Reverbnation.com

2012, the first single, a high energy trance club song titled "State Of The Art" was released off the upcoming new album "The Glass Wall."