Emmy award winner, Nicole Garza has been circulating across the world since 2002. She is a Chicago-based singer/songwriter that takes you on a journey every time you see her perform live. You may catch her with bands as big as 17-pieces, or just her and acoustic guitar. No matter how big or how small the show, Nicole never disappoints. She books both original and cover shows all over the world. Her career has taken her for performances to places like Rome, Australia, Venice, France, Hawaii, China, and Mexico, to name a few, as well as several stateside locations. She has also had the honor of performing with the likes of Bruno Mars, Sara Evans, Rascal Flatts, Josh Groban, Boston, Journey, Tone Loc, Loverboy, Starship, Rusted Root, Everclear, Kenny Loggins, Faith Hill, Jay Leno, Huey Lewis, Uncle Kracker, Mark McGrath, Coolio, the band LIVE, Jose Feliciano, and many more. Nicole is also a cast member on Fox's Empire , voice actor for Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues and many Br
Latest News
Nicole LIVE on Soundstage with Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, and David Foster.
Nicole opens for Jay Leno at Horseshoe Casino's THE VENUE!
Stay tuned for the LIVE at the Double Door release!
REINVENTED named one of the TOP TEN releases in 2011 for CHICAGOLAND!!!
9/29/2011, Nicole was, for the first time, featured on the FRONT PAGE of the Northwest Indiana Times! Check out the article in the NEWS tab.
Bio
Since the tender age of four, Nicole Garza (also known as "Nicki G") has transformed herself into a music machine. From Chicago to Sydney, she is on a path to rock the world only leaving behind the restless souls of fans begging for more. Whether she's singing, songwriting, arranging, producing, or performing she captures the eyes and ears of those around her. In 2005 Nicole released her debut album "Nicki G. Versatility," which quickly topped Broadjam charts. Singles such as "Wish I Knew" and "Caught You Looking" are only the beginning to a story that will continue to captivate the audiences of many generations to come. Her self-built band the "Oh Geez" takes the "v" in virtuoso and spins it like a top with their dexterous musicianship and outstanding stage presence.
Nicole released her breakthrough EP, Reinvented, in 2011, which was titled as such for the 2 songs "Wish I Knew" and "Call Me What U Want" rearrangements from her debut CD Versatility, as well as the reinvention of herself as an artist, songwriter, and producer. This EP consists of the 2 rearrangements and 5 new and powerful songs. This Cd was ranked in the Top 10 releases of 2011 in Chicagoland, and the Top 5 R&B releases worldwide! You can pick up your copy at nicolegarza.com, stream it on Spotify, or download it at most music retail stores including iTunes.
Nicole is determined to destroy barriers, and will stop at nothing to change a generation of music one note at a time. It's hard to find a time Nicole isn't behind the mic, as she plays both original and cover music, full band, and acoustic shows, approximating 200 shows a year internationally. If you haven't already done so, Nicole encourages you to check out the rest of her site at www.nicolegarza.com and attend a show.
Major Accomplishments
Nicole has also had several notable performance opportunities. Some include:
* Opener for Bruno Mars
* Opener for Maroon 5
* Emmy Award winner in 2007
* Opening act for Jay Leno
* Anthem for Chicago Bulls, White Sox, Cubs, Sky, Fire
* Super Bowl 2012
* Sang for David Tutera "My Fair Wedding"
* Vocalist credit the band LIVE's album
* Back- up for Josh Groban TV Special
* Back-up for LIVE Faith Hill TV Special
* Appeared live with Kenny Loggins Soundstage TV Special
* Recurring cast member on Fox Empire
* NDA and UDA National champion dancer
* US Dept. of Homeland Security
* After party for the Chicago Janet Jackson & LL COOL J concert
* Session vocalist for Studio Pros in LA
* Opening act for Sheila E.
* Worldwide performances for big corporations such as Verizon, Gartner, Nike, and McDonalds
* Shared the stage singing with the following artists and bands: Rascal Flatts, Chicago, Kool & The Gang, Spin Doctors, Huey Lewis and the News, Kenny Loggins, Kansas, Boston, Lynyrd Skynryd, Steve Augeri (Journey), Theo Peoples (Temptations and Four Tops), Uncle Kracker, Coolio, Sara Evans, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Starship, Loverboy, Rusted Root, Tone Loc, and more
Testimonials
To Tim from Walter E. Smithe:
Just a quick note to thank you for the fantastic promotion and anthem yesterday. While your comments were perfect, that might have been the best anthem of the year. Thanks again Tim
JBluck--Chicago CUBS Marketing and Promotion
"There's a new R&B star on the rise, as 21-year-old singer Nicki G celebrated the release of her full-length debut CD, Versatility, with a free all ages concert last month at Andorra Banquet Hall. The event was a huge success."
~Tom Lounges/Editor, Midwest Beat Magazine
http://www.midwestbeat.com/ezine/Dec-Jan2006/nickig.htm
"Nicki G is the stage name of Schererville's 21-year-old Nicole Garza, former Lake Central choir member, cheerleader and member of the state and national championship title-holding Centralettes Dance Team who graduated in 2002 and recently released her debut album, Versatility.
The 10-song collection is a mix of upbeat R&B and ballads. It is available online at www.nicolegarza.com and at online music retail sites like www.CDBaby.com, www.BestBuy.com and www.Tower.com
Nicki will be a guest host with Tom Lounges and Freak and perform a handful of her songs live at the Rumble between bands.
"Having Nicki on this year's show gives ticket-buyers more bang for their buck. She is a rising talent from the region that they really need to know about," said Midwest BEAT Magazine publisher Tom Lounges.
"I used to sing stuff by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and a lot of Bette Midler when I was growing up. Today my biggest inspiration is Stevie Wonder. He amazes me."
After honing her skills in the recording studio with producer Chris G (no relation), who has worked with the likes of TLC, Devanti (of Jodeci) and disco stalwarts, The S.O.S Band.
This summer Nicki G performed plenty of prestigious gigs the legendary Apollo Theatre; the Viva Chicago Festival in Grant Park; The Daley Plaza; and as part of a February FOX-TV News Special on hometown talent that included her as the only unsigned artist, alongside such established Windy City stars as Kayne West and R. Kelley, and staffers of Chicago's Icee Records and radio station, WGCI.
Don't miss this fast-rising star from the Hoosier heartland perform live at this year's Rumble!"
~Ernie Thomas, Midwest Beat Magazine~
"After speaking with Jim Rubino at the Wallace CD Release party last weekend, I remembered him telling me about his other project called Georgia Street. He enthusiastically spoke about the vocalists' harmonies. So I decided to take the trip to the Radisson Khaki club last night to check them out. Two beautiful girl singers and 4 fantastic musicians makes up a great band called Georgia Street. Let me tell you, Nicole Garza better known as Nicki G and Whitney put together some of the most incredible harmonies while strutting their stuff and showing the crowd that they love what they are doing. I have seen at times bands who put up a girl singer that has the voice but no personality and that's a shame. This is not the case with these girls. Listening to their voices you may have thought these girls have been doing this professionally for 20 years. Although, Nicki G does have her own solo work. Her debut album is called Versatility. They performed two of her originals last night while I was there. "Caught You Lookin'" and "My Heart" both filled with Latin influences which I love. Some of the other tunes they performed were "Proud Mary", "My Favorite Mistake", and a medley which had everyone boogyin' consisting of "Superstition" and "Play that Funky Music". This band plays a lot of other songs that are different from the normal sets you here around the region. Its really refreshing. Thanks again Jim for the tip."
~Steve Blaze 09-04-05 NWILive.com~