by Runs Aug. 24-28th.
Nicole “Nikki” Yanofsky (born February 8, 1994) is a Canadian jazz-pop singer-songwriter from Montreal, Quebec. She is best known as the vocalist of the Canadian CTV theme song for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, “I Believe”.
She performed Canada’s National Anthem at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. She also performed as part of the Closing Ceremonies and the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Yanofsky was born and raised in a “close-knit Jewish family” in Montreal. Her parents are Elyssa (née Rosenthal) and Richard Yanofsky . She graduated from St. George’s School of Montreal.
Yanofsky began her professional singing career by performing at the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival. Only 12 at the time, this performance made her the youngest performer ever to headline at the festival. She has returned each year since, including a special outdoor performance for the festival’s 30th Anniversary in 2009 and a performance with l’Orchestre Métropolitain in 2011. Her other Canadian festival performances include Toronto (Luminato and Downtown), Ottawa (Jazz and Blues), Vancouver, Victoria, Quebec, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Fredericton. Her international festival appearances include two visits to The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, several European festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival as well as the Ginza International Jazz Festival in Japan where she played to a full house at Tokyo’s historic Kabuki-za.
On February 8, 2008 – her fourteenth birthday – Nikki kicked off a multi-city tour with famed composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch at Carnegie Hall. In November 2008 she made her Canadian orchestral debut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and since then has gone on to sing with the Vancouver Symphony, the Edmonton Symphony and the Calgary Philharmonic.
In October 2010, Nikki was awarded the first ever Allan Slaight Award by Canada’s Walk of Fame. This award is presented annually to a young Canadian who is making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy.
In June 2012, Yanofsky created the Nikki Yanofsky/Audio-Technica Scholarships at McGill University in Montreal. The funding was derived from an honorarium she had received for her performance at the 50th anniversary of Audio-Technica, a professional audio equipment company.
On April 13, 2013, Nikki and Stevie Wonder sang together “Let The Good Times Roll” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The star-studded event was a night honouring the joint 80th birthday celebration of Quincy Jones and Sir Michael Caine with all proceeds going to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Canadian vocal jazz & pop sensation Nikki Yanofsky is back with her sophomore release Little Secret, available May 6 via A440 Entertainment and Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading Music Company.
Executive Produced by legend Quincy Jones, Little Secret combines pop-song structures with sophisticated harmonies, club-ready beats with punchy big-band horns, and earworm hooks with scat-singing solos. It’s all held together by her powerful delivery, as well as a newfound sass.
“I’m excited to be back and to unveil Little Secret to the world,” said Yanofsky. The process of making this album has really forced me to reflect on what I wanted to say and the quality of work I wanted to put out. I think I have separated from the kid to the adult and the artist that I am now, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this new music with the world.”
And this jazz prodigy has several little secrets to share: she’s writing her own songs; she always travels with her little dog, Harry; and she’s not afraid of growing up. Yanofsky is really much more of a sneakers and jeans girl. She still lives at home here in Montreal. She’s dreaming about writing a song for a future James Bond movie. In fact, she recorded it on this album. It’s called Bang.
With Little Secret, Nikki has drawn on the impeccable taste and crossover wisdom of the album’s Executive Producer and her co-manager Quincy Jones, who has been bridging gaps between jazz and pop since the ‘60s.
