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My name is Nikki English. I'm a singer/songwriter/musician from Peterborough Ontario. My Journey started at the age of 3 when I was teaching myself to play piano by ear. I would be singing along to old disney movies (back when they had singing in them)...one in particular being "The Little Mermaid". That movie I think is a big reason behind my singing...just ask anyone who lived with me. I would be singing songs from it all the time! I would also be singing with my dad. He played guitar and sang as well, and he would always be encouraging me to sing any chance he got..but I was shy to sing infront of people back then.

When I was 17 my father was diagnosed with esphagus cancer, and unfortunately ended up taking his life within 9 months. He and I were always very close and shared a very powerful common interest; Music! So I knew what I had to do. Since his passing I was no longer scared to sing infront of an audience. So I started singing at things like exhibitions, talent contests, recitals, etc. Anything I could do so I could be out singing.

I then came across a talent group called Eagle Talent Bank. This was a group of singers who would go sing at nursing homes. I did this for about a year, and I really enjoyed it. I then auditioned for Stars On Stage which was another talent group who would perform at local events like car shows, customer appreciation parties, farmers markets, and Showplace! It was a great experience being with them as they coached me in becoming a better performer, and gave me the experience of playing at different venues.

After that I started playing in an acoustic trio, which was called "The Nikki English Trio" which consisted of Keith Robertson, me, and Matt Williams. I really enjoyed this as I was playing with a live band!

During this time I had started teaching vocal lessons at Tadpole Music Academy which was run by Tara Lyn Hart. It was a great experience helping people to sing. I did that for a year, and hope to do it again someday!

I also got the opportunity to sing a duet with country artist John Landry. This was such a great experience for me as it was in my home town, and the audience was MORE than supportive. And he is such a great guy, and hope I get the pleasure of singing with him again.

More recently we have added a drummer to the Nikki English Trio. His name is Noel Savage. So since it wasn't a trio anymore, we changed the name to "Western Avenue". And we are playing a lot in the Peterborough/Cobourg area.

On top of that Keith and I play a lot of shows just the two of us. So I'm loving life and hope to record an album soon!

Set Me Free got Track of the day at Garageband.com for September 13th, 2006