An interview with Nicole:
Beginnings?
My sister and I loved to sing and dance along to movies and TV shows. In particular, we loved the Broadway musical-turned-movie "The Wiz" and the Fame TV show. My mother always inspired my sister and I to play an instrument, so I chose cello and studied for six years. I also sang in school choirs since the third grade and in church choirs since sixth grade or so. And while she was never a stage mom pushing me to compete for solos or to get involved in competitions, she always supported the performances, including the drives to choir rehearsals.
But at that time in my life, I wasn't inspired to sing, sing, sing! It never was my big dream to be a famous singer--actually I quietly dreamt of being an actress. The desire to sing professionally would come later.
As far as the kind of music I listened to while growing up, I always understood and deeply appreciated classical music, particularly since my mother played piano and great classical albums throughout my childhood. We also grew up listening to The Commodores, The Spinners, LaBelle, Sylvester, and many more great soul music groups.
At the same time, we listened to my parents' music from the '50s and '60s on the oldies station, so that included both black and white music. Then by middle school, it was all about "I want my MTV," so we heard everything, just everything! Then, of course, we had gospel music every Sunday morning.
Your music?
When I sing music, I am very passionate about the words and how I want people to feel. I want to create a sensual impression of each song. Each song should have some sort of impact and feeling for the listener.
Right now I sing a lot of jazz standards, adult contemporary, some soul, and love songs. I fell in love with jazz because the lyrics and the melodies are classy and beautiful, and the genre also leaves a lot of room for interpretation. How many other genres have you heard re-recorded in such individual ways?
Singing is an opportunity to share an emotion and bring optimism, understanding, explanation, and love into people's lives. An entertainer can be like a best friend, a therapist, an instigator, or someone else's voice in their head. Or we can just entertain and let people escape for a little while.
Songs?
I enjoy singing ballads and sad songs a lot, but I try not to do so much of those since most people don't like to be depressed. Usually the downtempo songs allow you to be the most dramatic and expressive in the storytelling, so that's why I favor them. A good 12/8 blues ballad is moving too.
Career?
After singing dance music from 1997 to 2000 and having a #8 song on Billboard's dance charts in 1998, I knew I had found my passion--to perform. I purchased a guitar in 1998 and started writing songs and would play them around town at the open mic venues that would schedule original music artists. That was so fun and organic. I look forward to writing more again, playing guitar more too.
Then, by fate, I was called to go on the road with a blues-rock band out of Detroit, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. This was when I still had an office job, as the events coordinator for the Florida office of The Recording Academy. So I took a leave of absence, knowing deep in my heart that I was aching to be a full-time artist, and hopefully I would return as just that. And that's exactly what happened.
Since then, I have been singing and acting, singing locally at clubs and private events. It started first with original music, a band called Fortified. Then I realized it was very difficult to make a living singing only original music, so gradually we added more cover songs to our repertoire.
My guitarist Lou Duvin and I performed as a duo for about two years, while I also joined two or three other cover bands around Miami. By 2002, I was exposed to jazz and simply fell in love with the music. I've been singing mostly jazz and have recorded five albums. I plan to start including more and more original songs as well as branch out into an adult contemporary/R&B style--although I'll never leave jazz behind completely.
Community?
Naturally, as a singer and musician, I believe in the power of the arts and in arts education. I believe it helps children develop as individuals, and of course, it's been proven to help children in the learning process when it comes to math and sciences.
The U.S. overlooks the extreme importance of the arts in our society. If our children don't become artists or learn to appreciate the arts, then art will die. So, I've worked in the past with Miami-Dade County and its school system to raise money for music classroom instruments. I've performed with some high school big bands and quartets and I've been a local artist representative at school board events.
I've also worked with the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. In today's world, U.S. school districts really need the funding to ensure that children are exposed to a range of art, including dance, theater, visual art, and music. As the funding isn't coming through the government as needed, it is great to see corporations and individuals supporting the cause.
Performances?
I've performed in all places possible, it seems. And I truly love them all; they all have their special meaning. Even those one or two venues from years ago that allowed the TVs to play as the band plays ... they've meant something along the way.
From NYC's Lincoln Center, to Miami's Van Dyke, to the Land Shark Stadium singing the National Anthem in front of 20 million viewers, to international jazz festivals with audiences of 25,000, to a special house party for 100 people--I just love to perform. I can find intimacy in each of these places and seek to create something meaningful.
Nicole Henry; www.nicolehenry.com.
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