Official Biography (courtesy of NikkiOnline.ca)
Nikki Yanofsky is a 15-year-old musical prodigy. Since her debut at the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival where she won the hearts of the 100,000+ audience, Nikki has never looked back. She was the youngest singer ever on a Verve Records release when she recorded "Airmail Special" for the Ella Fitzgerald tribute album, We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song, alongside such musical luminaries as Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Krall and Natalie Cole. She has also recorded the swing-era classic, "Stompin’ at the Savoy" with Grammy Award-winning artists Herbie Hancock and Will.i.am for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s audio book, On the Shoulders of Giants. Also, in the realm of popular music, Nikki was asked to record "Gotta Go My Own Way" for Disney’s smash hit High School Musical 2. The song was included in French and English on the Canadian release of the soundtrack as well as in the bonus features of the DVD which was released worldwide.
Most recently, Nikki can be seen singing and performing with renowned hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean on PBS Kids for the title sequence of the 2009 version of The Electric Company. Along with playing to sold-out crowds at jazz festivals in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Montego Bay, Nikki has been on a multi-city tour with renowned composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch including New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, and even her hometown of Montreal. She has been broadcast internationally on PBS’s youth talent showcase From the Top and was seen as a feature artist on YTV’s The Next Star.
Nikki has used her budding fame to help the underprivileged as well, becoming an ambassador for both the Montreal Children’s Hospital and oneXone, a non-profit foundation that is committed to supporting, preserving and improving the lives of children in Canada and around the world. To date, Nikki has been involved in events that have raised over ten-million dollars for local, national and international charities.
In anticipation of Nikki’s first studio album, which she is currently recording with 14-time Grammy Award-winning producer Phil Ramone, she released Ella… of Thee I Swing, a live CD and DVD, on September 23rd, 2008. This album has garnered critical acclaim from many notable publications and has earned Nikki two Juno nominations including New Artist of the Year and Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Nikki continues to receive top-tier invitations on a daily basis: she has already booked several jazz festivals across North America and will headline the 2009 Sapporo Jazz Festival this summer.