Nik West
An explosive stage presence isn’t enough to describe the way Nik West moves, wows, and shocks crowds everywhere. With collaborations that include work with artists such as Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Prince, John Mayer, Glee, and many more, the bassist, singer & songwriter has found her place in the music industry. Known for impressively recording a cover of Back In Black by AC/DC, Nik shocked many rock fanatics and instantly became a new favorite of legend Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) and Lenny Kravitz.
West’s musical journey began in her hometown, Phoenix, (Arizona). It was there that her father, an accomplished guitarist, taught her how to play the rhythm guitar when she was just 13 years old. West’s family, who grew up in a household filled with music and creativity, and includes her sisters (keyboards, drums, violin & guitar). They were her first band and singing act, and with an older brother, a few of whom with she still records today. Though she began her musical journey playing the guitar, she soon realized her calling when she discovered the bass in high school while listening to Michael Jackson’s You Wanna Be Startin Somethin. After discovering the instrument there was no stopping her.
Music was not the only area West excelled in. The accomplished catwalk and press model as well as musician was a brilliant student in high school and a track & field state record holder. She’s so passionate about calculus that she has a blog dedicated to her love for it. Unfortunately for the universities that offered her scholarships for her mind and athletic acumen, West chose music as her career path.
While working on her first album Just In The Nik Of Time, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) also became acquainted with West’s work, fell in love with her soulful voice, and reached out to her to work with him on several projects. Within days she was performing with Stewart in Los Angeles to capacity crowds. She also began working with Stewart and Grammy-winning songwriter & producer Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, George Strait & Michael Jackson) on a recording project. Since then, Nik has become the first coloured artist to compose music for Disney’s Sports channel ESPN. She has accompanied, recorded, and jammed with a few well-known artists, such as Prince, Quincy Jones, John Mayer, Santana, Larry Graham, Macy Gray, Esperanza Spalding, Orianthi, Bootsy Collins and many more.
- Line-Up:
- Nik West: bass & vocals
- Joey Ziegelbauer: guitar & bass
- David Collum: drums
- Clifton Williams: keyboards
- Jeniffer Criss: chorus
