December 21, 2013

Miami's Own International Star!

Nicole Henry
Publishers Note: Several years ago I met a young woman who told me she was a singer looking to start a career in music. Determined and full of youthful ambition, she told me in detail the things she wanted to accomplish within the music industry. On top of everything else, I recall that this young vocalist had a warm and engaging personality, one that ensured I would not forget her name. Throughout the years I followed the young woman’s rise to the top of the industry. Today, she performs all around the world. Yes, that young woman is now the great jazz vocalist Nicole Henry. Please enjoy her story.

 Edward Reid

Since her debut in 2004, jazz/soul vocalist Nicole Henry has captivated audiences worldwide with her exquisite voice and beguiling live performances that have earned her three top 10 albums, international media accolades and sold-out shows from Miami to Moscow to Madrid.  

Henry demonstrates her diversity and skills as a performer and refined interpreter on her 2013 release, So  Good, So Right: Nicole Henry Live. The 13-track live album, which was recorded at Henry’s sold-out performances at Feinstein’s in NYC in May 2012, showcases her soulful, inspired renditions of some of her favorite classic hits of the ‘70s from iconic artists including Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, The Commodores and Gladys Knight.  

Henry’s 2004 debut CD release, The Nearness of You, won considerable attention from audiences and critics in the U.S. and in Japan, where they named Nicole Best New Jazz Artist of 2004. The following year, Nicole's Teach Me Tonight reached #1 in Japan and was named HMV Japan's Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2005. In 2008, The Very Thought of You substantially expanded her American audience, reaching #7 on Billboard's jazz chart. Henry’s 2011 release, Embraceable, was a slight departure from her prior recordings, and reached the top 20 on jazz and smooth U.S. jazz radio charts and was a creative triumph for Henry that established her as a peerless interpreter of jazz and pop standards, transcending genre boundaries. 

Growing up in a musical family in Bucks County, PA, Nicole immersed herself in the arts early on, singing in school and church, and studying cello and ballet. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Communications and Theatre, Nicole launched a successful acting career, appearing in commercial roles as well as a series of voiceover assignments. But she directed her strongest passion toward the development of her full-time singing career which was quickly rewarded in her present hometown, when the Miami New Times named Nicole “Best Solo Musician 2002.

  • Nicole Henry has captivated audiences and earned favorable reviews by New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Jazz Times, Essence and more, establishing herself as one of the jazz world's most acclaimed vocalists.  
  • Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma has earned her a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance," and three top 10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz albums.
  • Her vocal talents, which transcend genre boundaries, combine jazz, soul and pop featuring standards, contemporary jazz and originals.
  • Nicole’s toured in over 15 countries - venues in New York, Tokyo, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai, San Francisco and Miami - including over 30 music festivals and in some of the world’s most famous venues.

photo by Rafael Balcazar