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