 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Nicki Richards" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Nicki Richards (bornHonolulu,Hawaii, United States on March 24) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and actress based in Manhattan, New York City. She is also known as a backing singer for a number of artists and on a big number of studio recordings. Her father was a high-ranking African-American naval officer and her mother, Donna Blackmon, a singer. Nicki's brother, Philip Richards is a singer / musician in his own right and collaborated with her in her works.
Nicki Richards had her first public appearances in commercials when she was only five years old. She had her break when she won the Grand Prize on the singing competitionStar Search. In 1991, she released her own debut albumNaked (To the World) onAtlantic Records written and co-produced by her after being signed to a deal byAhmet Ertegun. The set featured two Top 40 singles in "Naked" and a cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze."[1]
Subsequently, she recorded and performed for several years withMadonna,[2] (includingConfessions Tour,Sticky & Sweet Tour,MDNA Tour andRebel Heart Tour),Mariah Carey,Whitney Houston,Mick Jagger,Michael Jackson,Tina Turner,Gloria Estefan,Celine Dion,Stevie Wonder,Linda Ronstadt,Mary J. Blige,Missy Elliott,Lenny Kravitz,Anastacia,Lady Gaga,Bette Midler,Maxi Priest,Al Green,The Cover Girls,Daniel Levitin and many more.
She made her acting debut in the 1999 filmColorz of Rage directed byDale Resteghini and inChicago, as part of a female ensemble and in two musical comedies by Robert Klein. She took part in a number of theater productions Cy Coleman'sLike Jazz in Los Angeles, Jim Steinman'sOver The Top on the East Coast, and thePenumbra Theatre Company's "Spunk" byZora Neale Hurston and "Beehive" both in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. She performed on thePBS television showBetween the Lions, a puppet educational show. She has also appeared on a number of commercials (Burger King, Coca-Cola and Colgate).
She returned to recording as an independent artist with the self-titledNicki (2008) andTell Me... (2012). After another hiatus, she released the jazz effortAsta Hairston Songbook (2022) with Christian McBride and Gustavo Casenave.[3] In September 2024, she released a New Orleans-inspired single "Anything" from her forthcoming studio album.[4]
