BOTW #70 – Nikki Yanofsky

This week’s Band of the Week is no newcomer to the music scene. Canadian jazz prodigy, Nikki Yanofsky, is only 20 years old but has already been gracing jazz festivals and stages around the world since she was a mere 12.

It is always so refreshing to see and listen to young jazz artists, something that is not so common these days. Nikki does a stellar job of incorporating contemporary elements in her voice and music with this old school genre. If you have never heard her scat, well let me tell you, her scatting is ON POINT. The clarity of her tone, powerful and controlled belt, and the precise execution in her notes is something that is rare in professional “pop” recording artists.

Nikki’s first two albums Ella…Of Thee I Sing and Nikki are both impressive jazz records that are worth your time. In her latest release, Little Secret EP, her sound fuses more 60’s, R&B, and soul vibes with her usual jazz vocalizing. Her most recent single, “Necessary Evil,” credits Yanofsky and a team that has worked with Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Janelle Monae, Ariana Grande, and Chris Brown – you can totally hear these R&B vibes here, yet Nikki was able to add her signature jazzy stamp on it. I can totally her some Jazmine Sullivan ques in this song, and I’m obsessed!

Stream her entire Little Secret EP here:

Peace, Love, & Rock n’ Roll,
A-Tran.