Nicki Richards (born

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States on March 24) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and actress based in Manhattan, New York City. She is also known as a backing singer for a number of renowned artists and on a big number of studio recordings. Her father was a high-ranking African-American naval officer and her mother, Donna Blackmon, a talented singer. Nicki's brother, Philip Richards is a singer / musician in his own right and collaborated with her in her works. Nicki Richards had her first public appearances in commercials when she was only 5. She had her break when she won the Grand Prize on the singing competition

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...

. She consequently recorded and performed for the past several years with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

,Madonna Tribe meets Nicki Richards
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and

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and many more. In 1991, she released her own debut album ''Naked (To the World)'' on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

written and co-produced by her after being signed to a deal by the legendary

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. She followed that up with ''Nicki'' in 2008. She had her acting debut in 1999 in ''Colorz of Rage'' directed by

Dale Resteghini Dale Anthony Resteghini (born August 28, 1968), better known as Rage, is a music video and film director and record producer. Rage has helmed hundreds of videos for well-known acts from the global superstars to the emerging acts to the niche br ...

and in

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as part of a female ensemble and in two musical comedies by Robert Klein. She also took part in a number of theater productions Cy Coleman's ''Like Jazz'' in Los Angeles, Jim Steinman's ''Over The Top'' on the East Coast, and the

Penumbra Theatre Company The Penumbra Theatre Company, an African-American theatre company in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Lou Bellamy in 1976. The theater has been recognized for its artistic quality and its role in launching the careers of playwrights includi ...

's "Spunk" by

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

and "Beehive" both in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. She performed on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

television show "

Between the Lions ''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet children's television series designed to promote reading. The show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Miss ...

", a puppet educational show. She has also appeared on a number of commercials (Burger King, Coca-Cola and Colgate).

Discography

*1991: ''Naked (To the World)'' *2008: ''Nicki'' *2012: ''Bedtime Story (Tell Me)''

Filmography

*1999: ''Colorz of Rage'' .... Debbie *2000: ''Robert Klein: Child in His 50s'' .... Singer (TV) *2002: ''

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'' .... Female ensemble (credited as Nicky Richards) *2005: ''Robert Klein: The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue'' .... Singer (TV)

Theater

*''Like Jazz'' written by Cy Coleman and Marilyn & Alan Bergman, directed by Gordon Davidson (world premiere, Los Angeles) *''Over the Top'' directed by Jim Steinman (East Coast) *''Spunk'' directed by Zora Neale Hurston (Saint Paul, Minnesota) *''Beehive'' (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

References

External links

Official website
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Nicki American women singer-songwriters American actresses Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Honolulu 21st-century American women Singer-songwriters from Hawaii