Nikki Yanofsky Jazz Singer

Most people will remember Nikki Yanofsky from the 2010 winter Olympic games in Vancouver, Canada singing the national anthem along with Olympic theme song I Believe, that has gone four times platinum. 

This sixteen-year-old Canadian jazz-pop singer has had such an amazing career in such a short time. Born in 1994 in Hampstead Quebec on Montreal Island, Nikki started her professional singing career at the Montreal International Jazz festival in 2006 and was the youngest performer to headline this festival. She has sung in concert halls, at Jazz and Blues festivals and performed along side people that include Celine, Herbie Hancock, The Black Eyed Peas and the great Count Basie Orchestra. Touring with composer and conductor, Marvin Hamlisch at Carnegie Hall at fourteen performing Ella Fitzgerald songs where she was first hailed as a Jazz singer.   

At three years old Nikki was listening to the Beatles and at the age of eight was a Stevie Wonder fan. Her dad, an amateur musician, knew he had a talented daughter when at only 4 years old she was singing along to Aretha Franklin and sounding just like her.  Listening to singer Ella Fitzgerald at ten years old she discovered Jazz. At eleven Nikki’s dad did not want his daughter to become a commercial entity so he set up an artist development team to keep Nikki away from the barbaric music business until she hit her teens.

If you have not had a chance to listen to the beautiful voice of this young lady and enjoy Jazz as I do, I have included below a few more videos so that you too can discover and hear her magnificent voice.