Utah Visit

Its always good to go home. And this time I was REALLY looking forward to it. Ive been doing so much traveling lately and have been meaning to squeeze in a trip to Salt Lake but its been extra difficult these last few months. When I found out my Brother and Sister-in-law moved back to Utah from Washington DC with their newborn baby girl, that sealed the deal! I booked my flight while I was in Baku and couldn't wait!!

Joe and I stayed with my sister-in-law Jessica and baby Jayda :) We were still experiencing a bit of jet lag from Baku so we would fall asleep before this newborn and wake up before her! lol so funny. One morning, Jessicas mom Pamela came over and took us for a little morning hike in Draper, it was so beautiful. It is that perfect time of year when all the leaves are changing and it hasn't snowed yet. Having four seasons is definitely something that I miss about living in Utah. Its such a beautiful place!

Hot pink leaves!

Draper Temple.

Me and Joey in the opposite of hiking gear. We didn't pack for this little adventure. I was actually wearing flip flops.. oops. But it was so worth it. Pamela gave Joe a full blown tour experience. I loved it! 

Ok, this picture needs no explanation.

Two things baby Jayda loves, TV and Joe :) She barely took her eyes off the tube but she somehow managed to always find Joey's finger. lol She had a little crush on him and it was soooooo cute to see him with her. I'm pretty sure I sat on the couch and held her for 8 hours. She is the best baby, I only heard her cry once.. and the rest of our visit she was just ALL smiles :) It was so good to catch up with Jessica too, since my brother Bryan was out of town. She is such an amazing mom already and Im so proud of her! I can't wait for our next visit. 

Giving back to Musicians Institute

Now that I am back in LA for a little while (about a month). I wanted to make myself as useful as possible. I contacted the school I went to while I was living here in LA a few years ago. I attended MI in Hollywood as a Vocal student and then later as a Keyboard student. I had the best time at the school, I met some amazing people and made some great friends. My auditioning skills were insanely polished and I truly feel like my time at school gave me the confidence to put myself out there more than I ever had before and shortly after leaving school I started booking jobs. So THANK YOU MI :)

I recently reached out to them to let them know I would be around this month and if they needed anything to let me know. When I heard back from them I was so excited because they offered me a spot as a guest career counselor. While I was going to school, I met with a few counselors so I understood what the position would entail. It's mainly successful industry folk that they bring in to listen, encourage and give helpful advice to aspiring students. And the fact that I get to be one of those individuals now is incredible. I hope that I can be as helpful as possible and inspire musicians and singers to gain as much confidence as they can and start putting themselves out there like I did. Im so thankful for my time at MI and I'm even more grateful that I get this amazing opportunity to give it all back!

If any students are reading this, I'll be there every Friday this month (October) from 4-6pm, go sign up!! :)

xoxo

Nicole

Baku 2012

Here is a map of Azerbaijan I found online. Mostly for myself so I could figure out where the heck I was! lol We stayed in the Capital, Baku and it was lovely... for the first few days, then I started feeling like I was in the twilight zone.. Honestly, THE WORST jet lag ever. It was a full 12 hours difference from LA. So every morning I would wake up at 2 or 3am craving lunch.. UGH! 

The FIFA World cup is a competition between the top 16 female soccer (football) teams in the World! And I had the pleasure of performing for one of the three events held in Baku. Jennifer Lopez performed at the Opening Ceremony and Shakira will perform for the Closing next week!

RiRi's poster. These we everywhere!!! :)

View from my hotel room. We were fortunate enough to stay at the JW Marriott (Absheron) and I LOVED it!! It was beautiful and the Spa/Gym was SOOOO nice! I'm pretty sure room service hated me because I was calling every morning at 4am ordering something stupid like a cheeseburger or pasta.. oops. Damn jet lag.

Poppy and I walking around on our day off.. I had to do major research online to see if these shorts would be appropriate to wear.. the only other bottoms I packed were long pants and it was hot as hell there!!! Thank you TripAdvisor ;) Apparently, the Country which is 93% Muslim is pretty secular in culture. So with the exception of some random cat calling, I was fine :)

No idea..

"Old Town"
 I was expecting something much different considering Baku is one of the Worlds oldest cities.. Unfortunately this Old Town was just a series of street vendors selling some pretty elaborate rugs and refrigerator magnets.. boo! 

Flag.
 People kept saying it was the biggest flag in the World. Up close it did look monstrous,  so I did some research and turns out Guinness has recognized this as the Worlds Highest Flag. It is hoisted right next to the venue we performed in so I was able to see it everyday for a week!! 

Caspian Sea.
OMG can someone please tell me if this is where the Little Mermaid is from!? I spent the first 3 days singing the entire soundtrack, but mostly Ursula's song "Unfortunate Souls". Theres a part where she says "...Come winds of the Caspian Sea" So I just figured... ;) I am a nerd and did some online searching and some smart ass said the Little Mermaid is set in a fairy tale place made up by Disney..(Jerk) He's probably right but I'm just gonna go with my theory, it was based under the Caspian Sea, and I was JUST there! So cool :)

Posing 101. Tyra would hate me.

This is a place we went for dinner one night and it was delicious. I had a hard time eating there (Baku) in general because I am a picky eater and the 12 hour time difference was messing me up quite a bit.. but this night was just what I needed. SO YUM. It also turned out to be the lounge we went to for the pre-party, the night before the show. I can honestly say that was one of the funnest nights of my life!! Good spot.

Dinner @ChiNAR

We likey.

My Per Diem. And its last moment in my possession. You were good to me, Manat :)

I had a great time in Baku, but I am happy to be back in LA. The show was so much fun and I can't wait for the next one! Next stop for me is Salt Lake City. I am the only person in my family who hasn't met the most beautiful baby girl, my niece Jayda Faye. It has been KILLING me but I'm finally coming for ya sweetie!! Obnoxious proud Auntie photos to come!

over and out.
xoxo

Nicole

Recap of 2012 so far..

I’m baaaaaack ☺ I know it’s been awhile (almost a year!) since I’ve blogged but I have good reasons! If you are super bored and want to hear how I’ve spent the last year of my life, please read on.. 

After wrapping up the LOUD tour last December, I was excited to finally see my family in Utah, celebrate Christmas and then get back home to LA. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to be back at Mommy’s house, sleeping in a nice warm bed.. Especially after sleeping in a moving bus and/or a hotel room for a year! Ouch, my back ;) But seriously, the Tour was unbelievable. There is nothing on earth that can prepare you for a World Tour. It was like living through a crash course of life on level 10.. or something dramatic like that.. I feel like I learned more in one year than I have in my entire life. And for that, I consider myself one lucky girl. 

 I was keeping up ok with this little Blog while I was on the road because I was on a strict schedule. I knew exactly where I was going to be every second of every day. So even though I was traveling from place to place, I still had a sense of consistency. Now after the tour ended, that’s a whole different story, and actually the story of how I came to be living a gypsy life this year.. 

After Christmas in Utah, I went back to LA. Back to my studio apartment in Hollywood, that I hadn’t seen in months. After about a week of being there, I started to feel claustrophobic and I knew I had outgrown it.. not just the apartment, but my life there. I knew it was time to move on. 

For a long time, I told myself I would go on a World Tour, and then after that, I would move to Europe for a year to work on my music. So in January I turned in my 30-day notice at my apartment. And by February, I was on a plane to London, England. My original plan was to move to Berlin, but I hadn’t picked up the language as well as I thought I would.. oops. German is hard! So I told myself that England would be the next best thing because it IS in Europe, but I get to speak English.. Although at times, British English sounds like Chinese to me.. ;) Anyway, I was living in a lovely house in Wandsworth, which is just south of Chelsea in London and I was beyond excited to start this new chapter of my life. With one World Tour under my belt, I truly felt like I could take on the world! I’ve never been more excited to write and record my own music. I finally felt inspired and wanted to lock myself in a studio and get it all out. Things were going according to plan for a couple of months. I had a few songs recorded and even played my first gig in the UK as a solo Artist. It was great. But as the year went on, I found myself popping in and out of the country for work, and it just felt like more work was coming. Thankfully, I spent most of the summer touring again performing at various festivals , TV and award shows. However, it took me away from my adventure in London, which had only just begun… 

Sometimes life doesn’t work out exactly like you plan it (and I definitely planned this one out hard core) but that’s ok. It was difficult, but I decided to put my project on hold for the moment. Not only was I working/traveling too much for it to make sense, my heart wasn’t in it. My vision for this year was to be 100% dedicated to my music, my project. That was the only way it was ever going to mean something to me. And I still feel that way. So “project on hold” for now.. 

Meanwhile, I was basically back on tour, and the beautiful house in Wandsworth sat (and currently still sits for a few more weeks... damn lease) empty.. I fought hard to try and make this year work out like I planned, but in the end I realized this year was always just going to be busy. Someday, I’ll have a house with a yard and a couple of bratty kids driving me crazy.. That is an upcoming chapter for sure. But I waited and worked my whole life to get an amazing job and have singing be my career. Now it is, and that sometimes means living out of 2 suitcases, mostly sitting at an airport or on a plane, in a hotel room or on a bus, but most importantly on a stage singing for sometimes thousands of people and nothing can compare to that feeling.. On a separate note, I will say that I am a Master Packer now. And to be honest, I can’t think of anything more exciting than doing what I do. I am thankful. My boyfriend makes fun of me when I say “blessed” because that word gets overused (he’s right) so I say THANKFUL. I am. I sometimes forget to say that because life has been so fast lately. 

Anyway I’m back in LA for the moment, you guessed it, working. And I must say, the weather sure beats London’s! lol I’ve said it before, I love that city! And when the time is right, I’ll go back and spend some real time there.. Cheers for now London..

So to recap the work for this year so far, well what I can remember: The Grammys, The Brits, some Japanese festivals, a few charity events, SNL, American Idol Finale, summer music festivals in London, Norway, and Sweden, the VMA’s… I’m sure I’ve left stuff out.. and now, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Baku, Azerbaijan. A place I never even knew existed. I’m actually looking at my two passports right now. Yes, I said TWO. A few months ago I had to order a second one because I filled up the first! Unreal. I know some people that don’t even have a passport. And I have 2. Stop the madness! ☺ 

I guess the point of this long ass entry, is to say that even though my year didn’t turn out like I planned, locked in a studio recording music in London, I really cant complain. I’ve actually grown quite fond of my new life on the road.. I had big dreams as a kid, but nothing I ever dreamed could compare to this. I am happy. And I get to sing every day. Life is good. I have no idea what I’ll be doing next year, to be honest I don’t even know where I’ll be next week. But I think if its anything like the last 2 years, this Blog is fixing up to be pretty interesting… 

 Peace and Love 

Nicole, the Singing Gypsy ;) 

I love my friends.. and the Tour is almost over!!! and Merry Christmas ;)

A few weeks ago, my friends from LA came to London to visit me! After being on the road for over 3 months, you can imagine how refreshing it was to see some friendly familiar faces :)

Dear Erin and Melissa, you beautiful amazing girls made my week! I am so happy you came to see me... and Rhianna ;) I have so many memories from your trip and I still laugh every time I think of the "razzle" lolol I love you both so much, thank you again for coming, I hope you had as much fun as I did. I can't wait to see you again for Christmas!! yay!! 


I hope you enjoy the photos I've put up, especially the creepy one of you guys in the subway! lol 


On a Tour note, we officially have TEN shows left! I can't believe its almost over, what a crazy year this has been. I know this is annoying and I say it too much, but I am SO thankful for this incredible job. I must be the luckiest girl in the world. I've grown so much and seen places I never imagined I would see, and to be honest, some places I've never even heard of.. :) 
our last show is in London on December 22nd and I can't think of a better way to end this year. 


And on a personal note, I just want to thank everyone who has recognized my Christmas album. I know that in Utah, where its mostly being promoted, a lot of people are excited about it and have been supporting it. Since that is my hometown, I just have to say how proud I am to be from Salt Lake! You guys are so loyal, supportive and awesome :) I'll be home for Christmas!!! 
And thanks to everyone else around the world who has been helping to spread the word. Here's another link in case you haven't downloaded it yet...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!! :) xoxo

Official Christmas Album release today!!

The countdown is over and my album, 'Tis the Season is here! Available on iTunes.
I just have to say again, THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting me the last year or so, with this blog and Facebook etc. It means the world to me and I truly hope you enjoy your Holidays this year!!
Please go to iTunes and check out my gift to you!!


much love,
Nicole

Let the Countdown begin...

5 Days until I release my very first Christmas album 'Tis the Season, on iTunes!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it :) Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone I am officially an annoying, over the top, in love with Christmas person! lol


Going to see Arthurs Christmas movie in 3D today as per my moms request, she said her and my dad were cracking up the whole time! I wish I could have watched it with them, but I can't think of a better way to spend my day off :)


Thank you all for your support. The release of my single Christmas Crush went very well. Thanks to everyone who purchased it and took the time to comment on Facebook/iTunes etc.. That really meant a lot to me and I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I can't wait for you all to hear the entire album! Get it on iTunes December 1st.


Happy Holidays everyone!!!
xoxo


Me

Greetings from Denmark, and a favor..

Hello people! I am sitting in a beautiful dressing room in the cutest little town in Denmark. Of all the incredibly fashion frenzy cities I’ve been to so far, (Paris, London..) I randomly decided to go on a shopping spree here in Herning. Lol so funny. Got some good stuff tho.

I recently started missing home a little bit so I thought I would write about that a little.. The holidays are coming around and I’m so far away from everyone I usually celebrate with. Last year, me and Jenn threw an amazing Halloween party. It was pretty much epic.. ;) We shopped for days for costumes and finally settled on Queens. A red Queen and a Black Queen, with crowns and Scepters. We hit EVERY costume store from Hollywood to Pasadena looking for those damn Scepters.. but they were soooo worth it.. lolol

This year I will be in Sweden for Halloween.. 

And I know this is random, but after being on the road for a while I’ve learned that you are never too old to miss your mommy. Wow. Mom, if you’re reading this, I LOVE YOU and miss you sooooo much. Can’t wait for Christmas!! 

I also want to take a moment in this post to wish my very dear friend Janelle a Happy Birthday! It was a big one and I feel terrible that I wasn’t there to celebrate with you. I adore you. Thank you for being such a light in my life. I don’t know what I would do without you. When I come back to Utah, I’m kidnapping you and we are gonna catch up on this year and have a proper Bday celebration snoop doggy dog style ;) Love you Nelly…xo

On another note, I’d like to thank everyone who has purchased my single “Christmas Crush”. If you haven't already, there is a link below!

As you can probably tell, the holidays mean a lot to me, and so does this song. I had so much fun recording it and am so proud that its finished and I’m able to share it with everyone this year. I was hoping to get some feedback for the song, so please feel free to leave a comment on iTunes for me!

Thanks again to everyone who reads this silly little blog of mine and continues to support me. There are many good things in the works, so stay tuned in! 

Xoxo

Me

What I did on my Tour break..

We recently had some time off from the LOUD Tour. 3 weeks to be exact, and during that time, I recorded a few Christmas songs! lol It was awesome! For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to make my own Holiday record. Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday and I'm obsessed with the season's music :)


As soon as I found out I had that time off, I booked myself into the studio and seriously didn't leave except to pack for the rest of the year, the day before my flight! (which was super stressful, won't be doing that again..lol)


I was able to co-write a couple of songs along with some incredible songwriters, Sven Martin, Lene Dissing and Todd Wright.
It was great to be surrounded my such talented people and have them all be as excited as I am about Christmas! :)


The Single is called "Christmas Crush" and it is available now on iTunes
Check it out and let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas! :)


xoxo


Me

LAND OF POTTER..

Long time no see! I know I know, I suck...
I am so new to touring that I've been struggling to manage my time on the road. We are eight shows in and I think maybe I've got the hang of it now.?.? We'll see.
In Glasgow today but just came from Manchester. We had a day off there and it was lovely! We walked around in the rain and experienced the outdoor food festivals. Our hotel was great, besides the spa, where the skin was properly waxed off my eyebrow :( ouch!! Think I'll stick to tweezing from now on..
I also spotted the boys from Naughty by Nature!! omg whatta throwback :) They were performing right across the street from our hotel and we got to chill with them for a bit before they left. Nicest guys ever! I'm totally down with OPP!! hahaha


I'm having a blast! Learning a lot and still can't believe that I get to perform for thousands of people every night. Complete Dream Come True.


I'll update soon!


xoxo
Nicole

European Festivals 2011!

Last week, we spent 10 days in Europe doing a music festival run. It was my first time going to a festival ever so I was super excited. And to be there as a performer was even more amazing!

We started off in Helsinki, Finland at the Beach Festival. It was so cool to see the beach from the stage, however, it was a bit cold and I was shocked to see people in the water during the show. omg.
The next day we flew to Bergen, Norway. OK most beautiful place I've ever been!! I had no idea what to expect because I never thought I would ever end up there, but I am hoping I get a chance to go back there someday :)

A few of us walked up this gigantic mountain and got the best view (photos below) We performed two nights in Bergen and I was happy for the extra day there. Santigold was our opening act, I love her music!

Our next stop was Birmingham for the first day of V Festival!!! Seriously can't explain how much fun I had there. Not only were we opening up for the incredible Eminem, but there were also a couple of my favorite bands performing on site, I hopped in a shuttle and was able to catch some awesome shows like HURTS (look em up!)  from the UK. Seriously Love Them. :)

During the 2nd V Fest show in Chelmsford, we performed for what seemed like Billions of people. At one point I look out into the crowd and couldn't see where the people ended. It was unreal, I got chills :) CHECK OUT THE CHEERS VIDEO BELOW and you'll see what I mean. Freaking amazing crowd!
Back in LA now and preparing for Rih's European tour... YAY!
Stay tuned :)
xo

Mom and Dad meet Rih! :)

I was fortunate enough to have most of my sweet family come to see the show last week in Anaheim. I was escorting 14 Kehl's around backstage! it was madness... lol
My parents had seats on the front row! and the rest of my fam was split up on either side of the stage. So I was completely surrounded by them! It was amazing to look out into that crowd and see them. I really needed that and I'm so thankful they were all able to make the trip to come support me.


As always, I am so freaking blessed :)


Life on the road is crazy! I mostly see the inside of the tour bus ;) but on my days off I try to explore and see the cities. Best city I've been so far is Vancouver, I think its because I ate the best meal of my life there, at the Italian Kitchen. Seriously go there if you get the chance and order the Spaghetti with spicy kobe meatballs! YUMMMMMMY! 
http://www.theitaliankitchen.ca/index.html
It was also really fun just walking around there and everything was really close. Great times!


The US leg of this tour is almost over :( It went by so fast, I can't believe it! But I am looking forward to Europe.. yeeeeeaaaaahhh baby!

Birthday Glee :)

**I'm still on the road and its been craaaazy busy!! but so awesome. I get to make a pit stop in LA soon and cant wait to see home for a minute. I'm learning so much on this tour and I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity to sing with Rhi. She's one beautiful, talented young lady and I am blessed to be on stage with her every night!
more road stories to come :)




I know this is a few weeks old but I was going through my iphoto and saw these and wanted to share :)

My friend Jenn had a birthday recently and a few of us spent a couple of days together to celebrate. While we were having a birthday breakfast, Jonathan mentioned he had a few tickets to the Glee concert downtown. Since there wasn't enough for everyone, I volunteered to stay home.. But then suddenly we were all in Jenns car headed to the Staples Center..hmmm lol Thankfully, sweet Jonathan worked his magic and got me in, thanks boo :)
We all had the best time, the concert was super entertaining! and I did my best to not point out the obvious lip synching.. lol
Afterwards, we went to VIP cause thats how we do it! and got to chill with the cast for a little while. Jenn thinks I was a little too friendly with the Cory guy but whatever! lol It was fun, and topped of Jenn's bday weekend extravaganza!!! wooohooo!
Enjoy.

Hello and some news! :)

Donetsk, Ukraine

Incredible! We performed for a stadium of people, I think someone said it holds 50,000!! It was a rush for sure. I was so excited to see Ukraine for the first time. Ever since I started working for Lena Katina, I've been kind of curious and interested about eastern Europe :)
It was WAY too short of a trip but what I saw was really cool. Our hotel was beautiful and we shared it with Mila Jovovich, OMG she's so beautiful!! 


After the show, we flew home on a private G4... First time flying around like a star, felt pretty nice ;)
I'm So happy! and So extra thankful for all of my blessings and especially for the safe travels.


Please enjoy my first vlog with Shayna AND a video from the Ukraine show.


xoxo              
                                                         

Working hard

Seriously, production rehearsals for the LOUD tour have taken over my life! :) in a good way of course. 
I have neglected my precious blog and I wanted to drop a line and let everyone know I'll be back in Blog-Business ASAP!


Recently went to London and Hamburg for the first time and I believe they are 2 of the most beautiful cities I've seen... so far :)

In London, we were able to visit Battersea Power Station, which is an incredible building. And was used as the cover of Pink Floyd's album Animals.. Awesome!!! 
I can't wait to go back to Europe :) 

American Idol Performance

Had so much fun last night with Rih and the MadHouse at Idol. How funny is it that I auditioned for this damn show 4 times and finally got on! LOL I really didn't see this coming :)

My Mom and I had a talk a couple weeks ago when I was in Utah and she reminded me of my American Idol dream. I remember thinking that there was nothing better or bigger than this show for me as a singer and when the judges told me 'No' I was devastated. For awhile I felt so bad and didn't think there would be anything else for me to do in this business, I basically almost gave up on myself (dramatic, I know). And now, I'm singing with one of the most successful Artists and finally got to perform on a stage I never thought I would be on.

Something to think about when you don't get what you want or THINK you want: Your life is happening exactly how it is meant to happen. Just when you think you've lost the most important thing to you, something a million times better comes along. So just be patient, positive and believe.

...Life is CRAZY. I am BLESSED...

.ASK NICOLE.

Just wanted to take a minute and say hi to you guys. I appreciate all the views and interest in this lil blog I do :) 
I was really hoping to make it helpful as well as entertaining so, I've created an "ask Nicole" link 
Please feel free to submit your questions there. I'm happy to share what information I know about the Biz so far and what it's been like to be a Singer in LA :) 
All you have to do is click the sparkly question mark on the top, right side of the page, and I will answer them here on the blog.


Thanks again for all the love!!
xoxo
Nicole

LOVE on your People today...

Last week I went home to visit my family and friends in Utah and wanted to share a few thoughts and express how THANKFUL I am for all of them!


So many incredible things have happened for me over the past two years, both in my career and in my personal life. I feel like I've spent so much time praying, wishing, hoping and chasing my dreams out here in LA that I haven't actually taken the time to sit back and look at all I have accomplished. I've also neglected to properly appreciate the people in my life who truly deserve it. Please forgive me for being cheesy for a minute but I have to thank my Mommy and Daddy for supporting and believing in me, you have NO idea how hard these last five years would have been without you. My eight brothers and sisters who, no matter how long it's been since we saw or spoke to one another, will drop everything they are doing to meet me for lunch when I'm in town :) Or my close and dear friends who will let me vent anytime I want and not ever pass judgement, or give me a haircut when I need one, pass along a inspirational book, give me a much needed make-up tip, or simply just remind me how loved I am when I feel alone. (You all know who you are and I love you SO much its unreal.) 


Basically, what I'm saying is that if you are embarking on a challenging path or event in your life, take the time to acknowledge your "folks". It changes everything and makes such a difference. I am so grateful for the things that have happened in life that remind me who my people really are and how much I need them. I'm lucky to have so many, but even if I only had one, I'd still be the luckiest girl in the WORLD!! 


Much Love my Loves!
xoxoxxxx