ITS - Hi Nicki I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
Nicki - "Thank you so much for choosing me for this! I am so excited."
ITS - Explain a little bit about yourself briefly.
Nicki - "My name is Nicki Meier, and I am a 15 y/o pop country singer. I spend most of my time on our dairy farm, and I love it. I have been singing since I was about 7 years old."
ITS - What inspired you to pursues a career in music?
Nicki - "The music itself has inspired me in so many ways. Music is an expression and the words of a song help to inspire and motivate many people. It just fascinates me how something as simple as a song can do that. Music can be taken to so many levels. Every age, every culture, even male and female can all relate. It can be used for every part of life. This is all inspiring to me, and I love having a part in it. Just knowing that I can be on stage, and whether I am singing the anthem, or at a funeral or a wedding, or even a competition, I have the ability to touch people with my music. Amazing."
ITS - Who has been the biggest inspiration for you?
Nicki - "Dean Brody. Because, like me, he started in a small farm town and his music is amazing! He has a way of telling a story in a song and it comes across as if you are watching it on film. It was my dream to sing with him, and last year I got to do just that. JRFM had a night with Dean Brody at their radio station, and told him about me and a Facebook page I had started called, "I Wanna SING With Dean Brody", and he allowed me to stand beside him and sing a song called "Bob Marley" with him and it certainly was a dream come true. While I was star struck, he still seemed to be just a normal guy. But it was a memory that I will cherish forever! Taking the time for a 14 year old girl, was something that I will always appreciate!!"
ITS - Talk a little about becoming one of the top 6 finalists in the Valley Voices Vocal Competition.
Nicki - "I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Valley Voices Vocal Competition!! There is such an amazing pool of young talent in BC and it is really hard to get out there and find venues, or good quality competitions to compete in. This is one that you know you are getting great advice each round you are in. It started as an audition, which led to them choosing the top 25. I made it to the top 25, and then they had a Facebook voting segment. The top 15 would advance to the Semi-Finals. I tried my hardest to get as many votes as I could but came up shy and didn't make the top 15. To my surprise, the organizers, DarcyD Vocal Studio, Brad Styba, Lisa Witt and Angela Harris of Fairwind Entertainment, called me the night that voting ended, and told me that they had decided to make it a top 16 instead and award me the Wildcard. It was such a shock and such a great surprise because a Wild Card vote had never even been mentioned! They said that my talent, and the way I have handled myself throughout the entire competition was something they were so proud of, that they couldn't let me not advance. I was shocked! So, I made it to the top 16!
The top 16 competed for the top 6 in the Semi-Finals. The songs I chose to sing, were "Not Ready To Make Nice" by The Dixie Chicks. I chose this song to encourage others that they do not have to sit down and take bullying. This song has inspired me when I was a victim of bullying, and it's words were so encouraging to me. The other song I sang, was "My Hallelujah Song", by Julainne Hough. A song that to me, speaks of "That Moment" when you know you have done well, and things are going just right. THAT...is your Hallelujah song. Our judges were Victoria Duffield, Chiko Misomali, and Ryland Haggis. I respected and learned so much from each of their comments, that win or lose, there was still opportunity to learn. I was so excited to hear I was chosen as the top 6!!
So now, we will be competing on Monday, August 2 at AgriFair in Abbotsford in the Finals. All 6 that were chosen are amazingly talented. It is going to be a really tough competition!"
ITS - Who are some artists you would like to work with (local or not) and why?
Nicki - "I would LOVE to work with Dean Brody because I find him to be a very inspirational person, as well as an amazing writer. Sitting down with him would be the most amazing thing! I am a pop country singer, but my heart always stays with the old time country music. I love Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton...they are all amazing! And being in the same genre as any of them, to me, is amazing. I try to always add a couple of old school songs to every set when I perform because I feel, without them as the platform for country music, I wouldn't be doing what I do now. On an even bigger scale, I would also love to work with Carrie Underwood because she is a crazy powerhouse singer and I love challenging my vocals with her songs. And...like her, I started out singing to the cows on our farm."
ITS - Final question - If you could choose one type of food to live off of what would it be and why?
Nicki - "Definitely Mexican!! I don't know if that counts but a lot of my family is from the states, and having Mexican is just something that reminds me of the time spent with my far away family. Last year I was invited to sing at a wedding in Arizona and the friends we stayed with made Mexican food every day for us!! Best food ever!!"
Again Nicki thank you for doing this. I just want to be the first to say, the way you have handled yourself through you young career is already amazing. Remember to stay as humble as you are and strive to become the best, and WE the people of Vancouver will rally behind you no matter what.
If you want to contact Nicki or follow her journey on social media you can on:
Watch the video here of the song that launched her into the Top 6 here. Nicki Singing "Not Ready To Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks.
No comments:
Post a Comment