Nikki McKibbin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Katherine Nicole McKibbin (1978-09-28)September 28, 1978 Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 2020(2020-11-01) (aged 42) Arlington, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–2020 |
| Labels | Down Boys, Chenoa, Astral,RCA |
| Formerly of | Love Stricken Demise, Rivethead, Downside |
Katherine Nicole McKibbin (September 28, 1978 – November 1, 2020)[1] was an Americanrock music singer-songwriter who finished third in the debut season of thereality television seriesAmerican Idol. BeforeAmerican Idol, McKibbin appeared in the first season ofPopstars. In May 2007, she released a rock album calledUnleashed.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In 2002, McKibbin appeared onthe first season ofAmerican Idol, placing third. McKibbin was in the bottom three every week except one, a total of six times (including elimination).
| Round | Song choice | Original artist | Theme | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | N/A | Advanced | ||
| Pasadena audition | "Unchained Melody" | The Righteous Brothers | N/A | Advanced |
| Semi-final | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | Bonnie Tyler | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 10 | "Ben" | Michael Jackson | Motown | Bottom 3 |
| Top 8 | "Piece of My Heart" | Janis Joplin | The 1960s | Safe |
| Top 7 | "Heartbreaker" | Pat Benatar | The 1970s | Bottom 3 |
| Top 6 | "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" | Ella Fitzgerald | Big Band | Bottom 3 |
| Top 5 | "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | Lou Johnson | Burt Bacharach | Bottom 2 |
| Top 4 |
|
| Bottom 2 | |
| Top 3 | Judges' Choice | Eliminated |
Immediately following her stint onAmerican Idol, McKibbin signed with19 Management andRCA Records. They urged her to record acountry album, but she was determined to stay true to her rock roots; she rejected the idea, saying she felt she would be "selling out." The creative differences resulted in no releasable recordings being produced.[2]
McKibbin ran Angelfire Productions, a karaoke company, but afterIdol, "got out of the karaoke business" to focus on her music career.[3]
In 2004, she appeared on the holiday CDChristmas in a Fishbowl with several other reality stars for Fishbowl.com.[4]
In May 2005, McKibbin joined Dallas rock band Downside. They did several shows together including a sold-out show at theHard Rock Cafe in Dallas, but McKibbin left the band in September of the same year due to creative and personal differences.[5]
In 2005, McKibbin appeared in several reality shows, including a "Reality TV Stars" episode ofFear Factor, and the sports competition showBattle of the Network Reality Stars, in which her team won. She also appeared in theE! Entertainment reality showKill Reality, which documented the filming ofThe Scorned, a television movie featuring a cast of people who had been on reality television shows; McKibbin played a singer in the film.
Later in 2005, it was announced that she was signed to Australian indie label Astral Records, with her rock-influenced album originally intended to be released in February 2006.[citation needed] Recording began in December 2005, starting with a cover version of "To Be with You" byMr. Big. A single of "The Lie"/"To Be with You" and a limited edition behind-the-scenes DVD was made available through her official website.
McKibbin's debut albumUnleashed came out May 22, 2007.[6] For the promotional 2007 tour, McKibbin worked with Texas heavy metal bandRivethead.[7]
Late in 2007, McKibbin recorded two Christmas songs for the albumAmerican Christmas. One was a cover of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" byVince Vance & the Valiants and the other was an original, "Alone with the Christmas Lights".
In 2008, McKibbin appeared on the second season of theVH1 reality showCelebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, in which she received treatment forcocaine andalcohol addiction at the Pasadena Recovery Center (PRC).[8][9] While receiving aphysical examination from Dr.Drew Pinsky in the season's first episode, she revealed that she wassexually,physically and emotionally abused as a child. On top of that, she also lost her mother to addiction the previous year. Pinsky noticed signs ofhepatomegaly during the examination, most likely caused by her alcoholism. She said that she was on prescriptionziprasidone anddextro-methamphetamine to reduce her anxiety, but Pinsky told her that it was unwise for a serious addict to be on such powerful medications. Her withdrawal was painful, and the day after she was taken off her medications she experienced the lethargy of withdrawal syndrome.
After McKibbin completed the program at the PRC, she moved into asober living environment, which was filmed for theCelebrity Rehab spinoffSober House.[10] During a group night out for McKibbin and her fellow sober living housemates, which fell on the anniversary of her mother's death the previous year, she gave her first-ever performance while sober, singing her song "Inconsolable".[11]
McKibbin later appeared in the fifth episode ofCelebrity Rehab's fifth season, during which she marked three years of sobriety, and performed for that season's cast.[12]
In 2011, McKibbin formed a new band called Love Stricken Demise. The band released an EP in 2012 calledPsychotrip which included their single "Celebrity High".
In 2014, McKibbin was seen accompanying her son Tristan on thethirteenth season ofAmerican Idol during his audition, where he made it to Hollywood, but was ultimately cut before the live shows.[13]
McKibbin used to give vocal and performance lessons for children inFort Worth, Texas.[14]
McKibbin was born inGrand Prairie, Texas. She was married to Craig Sadler. She had a son, Tristen Cole Langley, (b. December 20, 1997), from a previous relationship. Her husband, Craig, appeared with her onCelebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.[15]
McKibbin marked a year of sobriety on June 10, 2009.[16]
On November 1, 2020, McKibbin was taken off life support after suffering abrain aneurysm on October 28.[17] She is the fourthAmerican Idol finalist to die afterMichael Johns in 2014, Rickey Smith in 2016, andLeah LaBelle in 2018.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Lie" | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Cry Little Sister" | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Electrik" | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Naked Inside" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "If I Was a Boy" | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Drowning" | 3:37 |
| 7. | "Sorry" | 4:16 |
| 8. | "Save What's Left of Me" | 3:20 |
| 9. | "To Be with You" | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Unleashed" | 2:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Lie" | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Cry Little Sister" | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Inconsolable" | 4:18 |
| 4. | "Naked Inside" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Save What's Left of Me" | 3:23 |
| 6. | "Sorry" | 4:18 |
| 7. | "It Matters to Me" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Drowning" | 3:29 |
| 9. | "If I Was a Boy" | 3:29 |
| 10. | "To Be with You" | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Unleashed" | 2:52 |
| 12. | "Made It" (featuring The League) | 4:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Psychotrip" |
| 3:43 |
| 2. | "Celebrity High" |
| 3:19 |
| 3. | "This Life" |
| 5:45 |
| 4. | "Love and Hate" |
| 4:05 |
| Year | Single | Album/EP |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "To Be with You" | Unleashed |
| "The Lie" | ||
| 2007 | "Electrik" | |
| 2008 | "Here to There" | Non-album single |
| 2009 | "Inconsolable" | |
| 2011 | "Made It"(with The League) | |
| "Celebrity High"(with Love Stricken Demise) | Psychotrip |
| Year | Track | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Piece of My Heart" | American Idol: Greatest Moments |
| "California Dreamin'"(Ensemble) | ||
| 2004 | "Jingle Bells 2.0" | Christmas in a Fishbowl |
| "Deck the Halls"(with Toni Ferrari) | ||
| "I Wish You a Merry Christmas"(with JD Adams) | ||
| "O Come, All Ye Faithful" | ||
| 2008 | "Alone with the Christmas Lights" | American Christmas |
| 2010 | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | American Christmas 2 |
| "To Be with You" | I Saw You On TV - Reality TV Stars, Vol. 1 |
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 2006 | "The Lie" |
| 2011 | "Celebrity High" |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
