Nicki Richards is the real deal – a world class singer, songwriter, producer, arranger and performer who brings the sizzle and the thrill back to that rarified realm known as “music beyond category.”

Born into a household rich in jazz and the gospel of the Primitive Baptist Church, yet raised on the radio of the `70s and `80s – when airwaves overflowed with amazing R&B, rock, pop and dance music – diva Richards delivers a dizzyingly eclectic musical palette to your eardrums.

Every composition is hers and she arranged them all in her living room laboratory of beat banks, keyboards, computers and microphones.

Nicki has recorded and performed for the past several years with Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Linda Ronstadt, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Lenny Kravitz, Anastacia, Bette Midler, Maxi Priest, the Rev. Al Green, and that's just scratching the surface.

Over the years she has starred in films such as "Colorz of Rage", appeared in television commercials for Burger King, Coca Cola and Colgate toothpaste, and in several theatre productions, including the late Cy Coleman's "Like Jazz" in Los Angeles, Jim Steinman's challenging "Over The Top" on the East Coast, and the Penumbra Theatre's "Spunk" by Zora Neale Hurston and "Beehive" in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

She was a Grand Prize Winner on Star Search. She performs on the children's television show "Between The Lions" on PBS. Originally a Navy brat, she currently lives in Manhattan where she does studio and jingle work when she's not touring. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.