Nicky Mehta is a mezzo singer-songwriter, and member of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

trio

The Wailin' Jennys The Wailin' Jennys are a Canadian music group. They have released several albums and received two Juno Awards. The group has been featured several times on the American Public Media program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and their album ''Firecr ...

Early life

Before fully entering into a life of music, Mehta attended Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

where she attained an honours degree in Media Studies. She also has a certificate in

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

. She spent much of her late twenties working with at-risk youth as a mentor and program facilitator and also worked in the child welfare system as a support worker.

Career

Mehta began her career in music as a backing vocalist for several touring bands. Since 1995 she has also fronted several groups, including the five-piece folk/rock band ''Good Blind Soul'', as well as a jazz ensemble, and a folk duo known as ''Wellspring.'' Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s Mehta worked on her own material as well as these collaborations, and in 2002 released ''Weather Vane'', a full-length solo

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

that was nominated for a 2002 Canadian Independent Music Award. This was also the year that she joined with

Cara Luft Cara Luft is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist and clawhammer banjo player, and founding member of the Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys. She returned to her solo career in 2005. Early life and education Luft was born 27 May 1974 an ...

and

Ruth Moody Ruth Moody is an Australian-born soprano singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys. Biography Moody grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with her parents, Charles and Marcelline, and three siblings, older broth ...

to form The Wailin' Jennys. As well as providing vocals for the trio, Mehta plays guitar, harmonica, and percussion. Since 2002 she has mostly concentrated on working with the Jennys, and has released an EP and four full-length albums with them. As a songwriter, Mehta has been a finalist in the USA Songwriting Competition for her song "Arlington." Her song "Begin" was placed in indie film "The Cake Eaters" directed by Mary Stuart Masterson and starring Kristen Stewart. "Begin" was also featured on the show "Army Wives." In the last few years, Mehta has spent her time mentoring at-risk youth as well as younger musicians in the music industry, serving on arts affiliated boards, and writing for contemporary dance. She has also become an activist in the area of mental health and advocates for funding reform, increased access to medical services and stigma reduction. She is now working on her second solo album.

Personal life

In 2009, Mehta gave birth to twin sons who toured with her and her partner, the Jennys' sound engineer Grant Johnson, from the age of seven months to two years old.

Discography

* ''

Weather Vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

'' (2002) – Solo album * '' The Wailin' Jennys EP'' – with The Wailin' Jennys * ''

40 Days ''40 Days'' is the debut full-length album from Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys. The lineup of the group at the time was Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta, and Cara Luft. This was the last recording to feature Luft, who left the group the followin ...

'' (2004) – with The Wailin' Jennys * ''

Firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental t ...

'' (2006) – with The Wailin' Jennys * ''

Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House is the third album by the Canadian folk trio The Wailin' Jennys. Production In the last week of August 2008, alt-folk group The Wailin' Jennys arrived at the Mauch Chunk Opera House with the goal of laying ...

'' (2009) – with The Wailin' Jennys * '' Bright Morning Stars'' (2011) – with The Wailin' Jennys * '' Fifteen'' (2017) – with The Wailin' Jennys

References

External links

Official site

The Wailin' Jennys official site

Nicky's MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Nicky Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian mezzo-sopranos Canadian women guitarists Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian musicians of Indian descent Year of birth missing (living people) Living people The Wailin' Jennys members