Nikki Yanofsky | |
|---|---|
 Yanofsky performing in Vienna in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Nicole Rachel Yanofsky (1994-02-08)February 8, 1994 (age 32) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | nikkiyanofsky |
Nicole Rachel "Nikki"Yanofsky (born February 8, 1994) is a Canadian jazz-pop singer from Montreal, Quebec. She sang theCTV Olympic broadcast theme song, "I Believe", which was also the theme song of the2010 Winter Olympic Games hosted byVancouver. She also performed at theopening andclosing ceremonies for the Olympics and at theopening ceremony of the2010 Winter Paralympic Games. She has released four studio albums to date, includingNikki in 2010,Little Secret in 2014,Turn Down the Sound in 2020, andNikki By Starlight in 2022.
Yanofsky was born and raised in a "close-knitJewish family"[1] inMontreal,Quebec, Canada.[2] Her parents are Elyssa (née Rosenthal) and Richard Yanofsky.[1][3] She has two older brothers, Michael and Andrew.[4]
Yanofsky graduated fromSt. George's School of Montreal,[2] an independent elementary and high school.
Yanofsky recorded theElla Fitzgerald song "Air Mail Special" forVerve Records and it was released in June 2007 on the albumWe All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song. Produced byTommy LiPuma, this track made Yanofsky the youngest singer to record for Verve.[5] She then recorded "Gotta Go My Own Way" in English and French for the movieHigh School Musical 2.
In September 2008, Yanofsky released her first full-length album, a live CD/DVD concert package entitledElla...Of Thee I Swing. She earned twoJuno Award nominations in 2009: New Artist of the Year and Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. She also won Favourite Jazz Artist at the 2009 Canadian Independent Music Awards.[6]
SongwritersStephan Moccio andAlan Frew chose Yanofsky to singCTV's broadcast theme for the2010 Winter Olympics, "I Believe" which is also the official theme of the 2010 Winter Olympics, which reached number one on theCanadian Hot 100 on the week of February 27, 2010. This made her the first Canadian artist to have a number one song on that chart. The song was certified "QuadruplePlatinum" for digital downloads in April 2010.[7]
In 2010, Yanofsky recorded her first studio album,Nikki, withPhil Ramone.[5] Along with the album-release of "I Believe", it included some of Yanofsky's first original works, collaborating withJesse Harris,Ron Sexsmith andFeist.Nikki was released in April 2010 byDecca Records and was supported by an international tour. It earned a Juno nomination for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year" and won Yanofsky the WAVE Smooth Jazz Award for "Female Vocalist of the Year".
For Ganz's October 2010Webkinz Pet of the Month song, Yanofsky recorded a version of the Webkinz World song "I Dream in Pink".[8]
Also in 2010, Yanofsky recorded a live concert at the Mercure Theatre in Montreal.[9] The concert, titledLive in Montreal, was broadcast as a TV special onKPBS on June 15,[9] and released on DVD the same month.[10]
A 2011 jazz recording of popular Disney songs entitledEverybody Wants to Be a Cat: Disney Jazz, Volume 1 included a version of the song "It's a Small World" sung by Yanofsky. Other jazz artists on the album includedEsperanza Spalding,Roy Hargrove,Dave Brubeck,Joshua Redman, andAlfredo Rodriguez.
Yanofsky's second studio album,Little Secret, was released in Canada in May 2014. The album was executive produced byQuincy Jones.
She collaborated withHerbie Hancock andwill.i.am on a crossover version of the swing era hit "Stompin' at the Savoy". It was released onKareem Abdul-Jabbar's audio book,On the Shoulders of Giants.[11]
In 2015 Yanofsky began collaborating withWyclef Jean on her new album and EP. HerSolid Gold EP was released in Canada on September 30, 2016.[12]
In August 2018, Nikki Yanofsky started teasing on herInstagram for an upcoming music video. Nikki Yanofsky has worked with Herbie Hancock, Will.i.am, Elton John and now working with her favourite artist and mentor Quincy Jones.[13] "Big Mouth" was released on September 14, 2018.[14]
On July 10, 2020, Yanofsky released her third studio albumTurn Down the Sound. Her fourth studio album,Nikki By Starlight, was released on October 21, 2022.
Yanofsky began her professional singing career by performing at the 2006Montreal International Jazz Festival.[5] Only 12 at the time, this performance made her the youngest performer ever to headline at the festival. She has returned each year since, including a special outdoor performance for the festival's 30th Anniversary in 2009 and a performance with l'Orchestre Métropolitain in 2011. Her other Canadian festival performances include Toronto (Luminato andDowntown), Ottawa (Jazz andBlues),Vancouver, Victoria,Quebec, Edmonton,Saskatoon, andFredericton. Her international festival appearances include two visits to The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, several European festivals including theNorth Sea Jazz Festival and theMontreux Jazz Festival as well as the Ginza International Jazz Festival inJapan atKabuki-za.
On February 8, 2008, Yanofsky's 14th birthday, she kicked off a multi-city tour withMarvin Hamlisch atCarnegie Hall. In November 2008, she made her Canadian orchestral debut with theEdmonton Symphony Orchestra, and has gone on to sing with theVancouver Symphony, theEdmonton Symphony and theCalgary Philharmonic.
WithHerbie Hancock on piano, Yanofsky sang "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" at the 2011MusiCares Person of the Year awards honouringBarbra Streisand.
On April 13, 2013, Yanofsky andStevie Wonder sang "Let the Good Times Roll" at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas. The event honoured the joint 80th birthday celebration ofQuincy Jones and SirMichael Caine.
The Little Secret Tour began on June 21, 2013, promoting Yanofsky's album,Little Secret.[15]
In 2008, Yanofsky received the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award from the Quebec Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals. In the course of her career, she has helped raise over $10 million for local, national and international charities. She is currently associated withThe Montreal Children's Hospital,The Children's Wish Foundation, andMusiCounts. She has also lent her voice to oneXone, Leave Out Violence Everywhere (L.O.V.E.), andORT.[16]
Yanofsky sang a solo part in the remake ofK'naan's song "Wavin' Flag" performed byYoung Artists for Haiti. This song was certified platinum for digital downloads in April 2010,[7] and all of the proceeds from the single went to charities.
In October 2010, Yanofsky was awarded the first everAllan Slaight Award byCanada's Walk of Fame.[17] This award is presented annually to a young Canadian who is making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy.[17]
| Year | Details | Peak chart positions[18] | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [19] | CAN Jazz [20] | BEL (Wa) [21] | FRA [22] | US | US Heat | US Jazz | ||||
| 2008 | Ella...Of Thee I Swing
| — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010 | Nikki | 5 | 1 | — | 29 | 105 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2014 | Little Secret
| 4 | — | 132 | 28 | — | — | 13 |
| |
| 2020 | Turn Down the Sound
| 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022 | Nikki by Starlight
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [27] | CAN AC [28] | CAN Hot AC [29] | CAN DD [30] | CAN Jazz | FRA [22] | US Jazz | UK | ||||||||||
| 2008 | "Lullaby of Birdland" | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | Ella...Of Thee I Swing | |||||||
| 2009 | "I Got Rhythm" | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 9 | — | Nikki | |||||||
| 2010 | "I Believe" | 1 | 9 | 40 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Non-album single | ||||||
| "Cool My Heels" | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | Nikki | ||||||||
| "Wavin' Flag"(Charity single) | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 89 | Non-album single | ||||||||
| 2014 | "Something New" | — | 30 | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | Little Secret | |||||||
| "Necessary Evil" | 52 | 11 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2016 | "Young Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Solid Gold | |||||||
| "Miss You When I'm Drunk"[35] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2018 | "Big Mouth"[36] | —[A] | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||
| "Mistletoe" | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2019 | "Blowin' Smoke" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2020 | "Forget" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Turn Down the Sound | |||||||
| "Nerve" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Loner" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2022 | "Comes Love" | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | Nikki by Starlight | |||||||
| "I Get a Kick Out of You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Crazy He Calls Me" (featuringGreg Phillinganes) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Quiet Night of Stars (Corcovado)" (featuringNathan East) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "C'est Si Bon" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "West Coast Blues" (featuringGreg Phillinganes) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Details | Certifications (sales threshold) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Live in Montreal |
|
| Year | Presenter | Award[citation needed] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Juno Awards | New Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Vocal Jazz Album of the Year:Ella... of Thee I Swing | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Independent Music Awards | Favourite Jazz Artist or Group | Won | |
| 2010 | Félix Awards | English Album of the Year:Nikki | Nominated |
| Most Famous Quebec Artist Outside Quebec | Nominated | ||
| Canada's Walk of Fame | Allan Slaight Award | Won | |
| 2011 | Juno Awards | Vocal Jazz Album of the Year:Nikki | Nominated |
| Canadian Radio Music Awards | Adult Contemporary Song of the Year: "I Believe" | Nominated | |
| WAVE Smooth Jazz Awards | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won | |
| Album of the Year:Nikki | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year: "Try, Try, Try" | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Juno Awards | Pop Album of the Year:Little Secret | Nominated |
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Media related toNikki Yanofsky at Wikimedia Commons
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