Born Erin Alexandra Nester, May 19, 1984 in Simi Valley, California to parents Russell and Candace Nester. Russell (a structural and geotechnical engineer, and established jazz musician) and Candace (a well-known acting coach/director) nurtured Alex’s singing abilities at a very young age by exposing her to jazz, soul, and blues. At age 9, she recorded her first radio spot for “Yo-Gel” products. The spot was produced by Robby Robinson (Music Director for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons). Robby started using Alex for Concordia Publishing House’s “Vacation Bible School” series from 1998 until 2004. Alex joined the singing trio, “Teen” (later renamed, “Knockout”), at the age of 15 after recording “The Children of Christmas” with Desi Arnaz, Jr. The pop group was produced by Jason Williams and Clay Manska, toured many of California’s Jr. High schools and played regularly at Disneyland’s Downtown Disney District. In 2000, Robby and Alex began working on a solo project and at age 16, she was awarded “Outstanding Female Vocalist” at the 2000 Los Angeles Music Awards for her original composition, “Unique”, co-written and produced by Robby Robinson. A few months later, in February of 2001, Alex was diagnosed with Non-Hotchkins Lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free later that year, but full recovery from the effects of chemotherapy took several years more. During this time, Alex took to writing, composing, and recording. Nearly 9 years after Alex was diagnosed, Robby and Alex, released their first solo project entitled, “Rattle the Walls”, much of it based on her experience battling cancer. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.