Karlene "Nina Karle" Levy is by no means a stranger to the music world. She has been singing since childhood, honing her skills through her mother's direction in the Crofts Hill Anglican Church Choir, the Holmwood Technical High School Choir and the Dawson College Choir in Montreal Canada. However, Nina really discovered her unique style, performing with the all Japanese blues/rock/jazz band Aoyama  (Blue Mountain) while teaching English in Nagoya Japan. She comes across with a seductive tone that captivates her audiences.

Working regularly with the band, she grew as a singer/performer, discovering and developing her own style.  It was inevitable, the rich Japanese culture and the thriving music scene would hold Nina in Japan indefinitely.

Eventually, she sought a bigger challenge and made the bold move to the heartbeat of Japan - the city of Tokyo. The city proved to be very competitive, having an abundance of foreign performers with the African Americans dominating the city’s entertainment scene. The situation didn't deter Nina and she painstakingly kept knocking on doors until finally, they started opening up.

Her gigs call for her to perform reggae, blues, jazz, gospel and R&B. Being able to successfully handle these genres eventually led her to perform at the famous Don Cornelius Soul Train Cafe in Tokyo, doing Motown covers and acapella gospel music. Gaining traction, she would perform at weddings, private functions, TV shows and has even done backing vocals for Japanese artists.  

Getting back on track with her vision of her entertainment career, Nina relocated to Jamaica in 2001. She felt that five years on the Japanese entertainment scene had given her the requisite experience to extend her stage to an international level. Since her return to Jamaica, she has performed on several shows including, Reve Wellness Festival, Pegasus Hotel’s Tuesday Night Grill, Kingston Music Week, International Reggae and World Music Awards, Iphias International Film Festival, Kool 97FM’s Mellow Morning, Gungo Walk Festival among other shows.  She is now one of the main acts to catch at the Regency Bar at the Terra Nova Hotel where she performs periodically with the accomplished Pianist, Dennis Rushton.

Taking another step to fulfil her dream, she was asked to perform at the Gleaners’ presentation of a Taste of Jazz, a precursor to the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. Not only was she one of the acts for the 2011 Jamaica Jazz and Blues small stage but also one of the faces featured in the Heineken Star Stage advertisement.  In February 2011, she made her first appearance on the highly acclaimed production of  Jazz in the Gardens. So compelling was her first performance that she was asked to return for the June 2011, she has been a regular feature over the years. She was not surprised when she was contacted to be one of the acts for the 2011 staging of the annual Montreal Reggae festival held in Montreal Canada, again she was asked to return for the 2012 staging.

She is a member of LMJ, a female group renowned for their signature style of harmonies. They were the opening act for Junior Kelly on his 2009 European tour and were later asked to return to Europe that year to further promote their album Inna Mi Roots

Nina Karle is currently working on her debut album, with tracks being produced by some of Jamaica’s prominent producers including Sly and Robbie, Cash Flow, Muzik Factory among others.  Her Singles, Stop Me produced by the European “Not easy at all” production, enjoys regular rotation on European reggae radio, while Byron Lee’s remake of  From a Distance enjoys regular rotation on local radio.

 An accomplished backing vocalist, Nina works with various artists in studio and on stage. She has been on tour with many reggae artists including Joseph Hill of Culture, Richie Spice, I-Wayne, Richie Stephens, Sly & Robbie and Sinead O’Connor.