The comments run the gamut – from the creative to the comical. “Your voice just snatched my edges!” “Why aren’t you famous yet?” “If Beyoncé and Toni Braxton had a baby, she’d sound just like you!” These are just a few of the remarks Nikki Hayes receives after seeing one of her videos or experiencing one of her live performances. That’s because the 22-year-old R&B singer/songwriter is not your typical artist. She’s more of a vocal powerhouse to be reckoned with. Not bad for someone who, as her family used to say, “couldn’t hold a note in her hand.”

Nikki’s journey into music began as a student at Studio One Dance Chicago when she was just six-years-old and continued while attending St. Sabina Academy. However, that wasn’t enough for her. “My older sisters sang with Walt Whitman and The Soul Children of Chicago, so of course I wanted to join too,” Nikki recalled. “One problem – I couldn’t sing! I was turned down three times before finally becoming a Soul Child, but I refused to give up. Every day I’d go in the basement of my house and just sing, and eventually the vocals started coming together.””

In 2010 Nikki recorded her first solo project and in 2013, she landed a final five spot in the “Who’s Next? Worldwide Online Talent Search,” sponsored by six-time Grammy Award winning producer; engineer; vocal producer and songwriter Kuk Harrell (Rihanna; Justin Bieber; Cher; Eminem; Beyoncé and others). Since then, Nikki has recorded with Grammy Award winning artist Malik Yusef (G.O.O.D. Music); Tour keyboardist to the stars Marcus Kincy; and others. ”

In 2016 Nikki penned and released her debut single Chance of Rain, produced by L.A. based music maker Ty Acord (Lophiile), which garnered support in a variety of both R&B as well as Hip-Hop music blogs and Web sites including Genius (formerly known as RapGenius) – recognized for its annotation of rap lyrics. Rob Markman, head of Artist Relations at Genius called Chance of Rain “Smooth” and “Beautiful,” and designated Nikki a verified artist on the site. ”

Nikki’s musical influences are wide-ranging – from Sam Smith, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder, to Whitney Houston, Sade and Toni Braxton, who shared Nikki’s cover of her hit, You’re Making Me High with her own Twitter followers.


Record Label: ESI Records | Booking Agent: None

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Nikki Hayes