Born February 8, 1994, Nikki Yanofsky grew up in Montreal and displayed an early aptitude for music alongside a passion for the stage that shaped her into a confident performer. By the time she turned twelve, her jazz-inflected voice had already propelled her to international notice, and she made history in 2006 as the youngest headliner ever at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where repeated sold-out appearances drew audiences exceeding 100,000.
Her first studio session arrived the following year on the Ella Fitzgerald tribute collection We All Love Ella, for which she recorded the swing-era staple “Airmail Special.” At the same time she ventured into mainstream teen pop, cutting both French and English renditions of “Gotta Go My Own Way” for the High School Musical 2 soundtrack and guesting on YTV’s The Next Star.
September 2008 brought her first full-length release, the live album Ella…Of Thee I Swing, drawn from one of her festival performances. The record earned strong reviews and solid sales across Canada, securing two Juno nominations—one for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year and another for New Artist of the Year—making her among the youngest artists ever recognized in either category.
Produced with assistance from Phil Ramone, her proper studio debut Nikki appeared in May 2010. It climbed high on the Canadian charts, driven by the chart-topping single “I Believe,” yet never reached the U.S. Top 40. One month later she issued another concert document, Nikki Live in Montreal. Her third studio album, Little Secret, arrived in 2014.
