Nikki Ponte (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Νίκη Πόντε; born 1 August 1991), is a Cypriot-Canadian singer who rose to fame in Greece and Cyprus through her participation in the third season of Greece's version of the singing competition ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'', in which she placed third. While still participating in the show, she signed with Sony Music Entertainment Greece and was one of six candidates who were selected to represent Greece in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...

. Ponte competed in a national final held in March 2011 with the song "I Don't Wanna Dance", but did not manage to win. The song later entered the 2011 OGAE Second Chance Contest and came 6th out of 21 songs.

Early life

Nikki Ponte was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada to immigrant parents; her father is

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and her mother is originally from

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

. Ponte is fluent in English and proficient in

. She attended St. Monica Catholic School for elementary school, and later Saint Mary Catholic Secondary School in Pickering, Ontario. She took opera lessons for ten years and attended

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west- Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...

's renowned Music Theatre Performance program. Moreover, her uncle was the famous

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

actor Sotiris Moustakas.

''The X Factor''

In 2010, at age 19, Ponte auditioned for Greece's talent show ''

'' at auditions held in New York City. Ponte received approval from the judges and was invited to bootcamp in Athens, Greece, eventually making it through to the live shows. Throughout the competition, she was one of the favorites to win and would spend her free time in her hotel room alone practicing her songs. She ended up placing third.

Performances

* Week 1: " Teenage Dream" – Katy Perry * Week 2: " Mamma Mia" –

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

* Week 3: "

You Lost Me "You Lost Me" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera from her sixth studio album ''Bionic'' (2010). It was written by Aguilera, Sia, and producer Samuel Dixon. "You Lost Me" was released on June 25, 2010 by RCA Records as the ...

" –

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

* Week 4: " Take It Off" – Kesha * Week 5: "

I Who Have Nothing "I (Who Have Nothing)" (sometimes billed as "I Who Have Nothing") is an English language cover of the Italian song "''Uno dei Tanti''" (English: "One of Many"), with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti. The initial versio ...

" – Tom Jones * Week 6: "Ta Paidia Tou Peiraia" – Melina Mercouri * Week 7: " Like a Prayer" – Madonna * Week 8: " Monday Morning" –

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.Respect" – Aretha Franklin * Week 10: " Only Girl" – Rihanna / "

Empire State of Mind "Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, ''The Blueprint 3'' (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song feature ...

" –

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

* Week 11: " All That Jazz" – Musical Chicago / "Telephone" –

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

ft. Beyoncé * Week 12: "

When You Tell Me That You Love Me "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" is a song by American singer Diana Ross, released on August 20, 1991 as the lead single from her nineteenth studio album, ''The Force Behind the Power'' (1991). The song was released on the Motown label in th ...

" – Diana Ross / " Baby One More Time" – Britney Spears * Week 13: " Woman in Love" –

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

/ " Kommati Ap' Tin Kardia Sou" –

Despina Vandi Despina Vandi - ΣΤΑ 'ΔΩΣΑ ΟΛΑΑ ( el, Δέσποινα Βανδή, ), born as Despina Malea () on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six ye ...

* Week 14: " Bad" –

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

/ " Hurt" –

Post-''The X Factor''

2011–2012: Professional debut

After a few months of living in Greece, she was granted a citizenship in Republic of

due to her Cypriot descent. While still in the competition, she caught the attention of Greece's

Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ( el, Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση AE, Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi SA) or ERT () is the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster of Greece. History Overview ERT b ...

(ERT) and was sequentially approached and signed by Sony Music Entertainment Greece. On 11 January 2011, ERT announced that Ponte was one of six participants in a national final to select Greece's entry in the

. She competed with the song "I Don't Wanna Dance" in the national final held on 2 March 2011, but did not manage to win. The song was released as a

digital single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

in February 2011. In mid-2011, she was featured on Dimension-X's single "Hey You". She was also featured on the soundtrack of '' Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure'' with the song "Mesa Ston Thavmaton Ton Kosmo", performing the theme song to the film. In November 2011, Ponte released the single "Remembering The Summer Nights". One year later, after her successfully cooperation with Dimension-X, Nikki released "Love's Like Breathing" her new cooperation with the Dutch DJ and producer, DJ San.

2013 – present: New movie

On 2 March 2013, Nikki posted on her official Facebook page a photo from the new upcoming movie that she'll be starring in.

Television

Discography

Digital singles

* 2011: "I Don't Wanna Dance" * 2011: "Hey You" (Dimension-X Feat. Nikki Ponte) * 2011: "Mesa Ston Thavmaton Ton Kosmo" ('' Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure'' OST) * 2011: "Remembering The Summer Nights * 2012: "Love's Like Breathing" (DJ San Feat. Nikki Ponte)

Music videos

* 2011: "I Don't Wanna Dance" * 2011: "Hey You" (Dimension-X Feat. Nikki Ponte) * 2011: "Remembering The Summer Nights" * 2012: "Love's Like Breathing" (DJ San Feat. Nikki Ponte) * 2012: "Dance Diaries with Nikki Ponte" (Dance Clip)

Filmography

* 2017: ''Rock, Paper, Scissors (R.P.S.)''

Awards and nominations

Mad Video Music Awards (Greece)

Nikki Ponte was nominated for one Mad Video Music Awards in 2012. , - , 2012 , Herself , Best Newcomer Artist , , -

MTV Europe Music Awards

, - , style="text-align:center" rowspan=5, 2012 , Remembering The Summer Nights , Best Greek Act , , -

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ponte, Nikki 21st-century Greek women singers Canadian people of Greek descent Canadian people of Portuguese descent 1991 births Living people Musicians from Toronto Sheridan College alumni The X Factor contestants 21st-century Canadian women singers