Nicki Gonzalez

For Nicki Gonzalez, being a musician was more than a choice, it was a vocation. The fourth of five children of Filipino/Spanish descent, Nicki is continuing a musical legacy that has thrived in her lineage for generations. Her paternal great-grandfather, Juan S. Hernandez, is a renowned classical composer of symphonic orchestral music in his native Philippines. His daughter, Carmela Hernandez-Gonzalez was a concert pianist. Nicki jokes that the music gene “skipped a generation” with her father, Vincent, but he made up for it when he met and married, Mary Lou Perez, an accomplished cabaret singer in the mid-60’s Manila supper club circuit. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez immigrated to the United States in 1968 and started a family. All five of their children, now grown, are professional musicians.

The inspiring force behind the brood’s musical interest was their mother, Mary Lou. Though her own professional singing career was well behind her, Mary Lou’s passion for singing set the example that would spark a musical path for all her children. From the family living room to the church choir, from school chorus to All-State Chorus, and onto the local musical theatre stage “those Gonzalez’s” made their mark in their Northern Virginia community. Nicki has appeared in local productions of South Pacific, Annie, West Side Story and played “Leisl” in The Sound of Music and “Lola” in Damn Yankees.
Not long after high school graduation in 1992 Nicki jumped immediately into a professional, yet humble music career. Her first gigs were as lead vocalist in a society band, juggled with the front-woman spot in her brothers’ nine-piece funk band, The Magic Pocket Company. They were a hit in the Washington, DC bar/club scene but the maintenance on nine-piece ensemble was more than they were ready for. The Magic Pocket Company disbanded which, for Nicki, was fortuitous. She started her own ensemble; a simple acoustic guitar, bass and vox trio called The Nicki Gonzalez Band and entered a local songwriting contest. She won. Two years later, in 1999, The Nicki Gonzalez Band, now a five-piece act, recorded their self-titled, debut CD of all original material.

Five years later, The Nicki Gonzalez Band is stronger than ever. She released her second CD of all original material titled, “Spilt Milk”, to an eager D.C. fan base in December of 2002. Of the NG Band’s sophomore release, Washington Post music critic Mike Joyce said, “[Nicki has] a gift for turning out one imaginatively conceived and freshly structured song after another”. Baltimore Magazine’s John Lewis raved, “…the players shadow Gonzalez’s alluring vocals to richly underscore the vulnerability in her lyrics.”

For Nicki, duality has been an inevitable part of her professional career from the start. One project just isn’t enough for a full-time, working musician. Her Brazilian jazz trio, Trio Balança (ba-LAN-sa), which she started as a “side project” has gained a devout following and in October ’03 the trio released their debut album, “Chiclete com Banana” (Brazilian slang for “bubblegum and banana”; the union of American & Brazilian styles). Nicki is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish and has recorded music for various artists in both languages. The Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) awarded her the “Wammie” for “Latin Vocalist of the Year” in 1999 – just two years after she entered the DC jazz scene. They reprised the honor in 2002 naming Nicki Gonzalez “Jazz Vocalist of the Year”.

Her pop group, The Nicki Gonzalez Band, was also recognized by The Washington Area Music Association in 2001 for Best Pop Group. Nicki has since had the honor of performing our National Anthem three times for the Washington Wizards NBA team and twice for DC’s women’s pro-soccer team, the Washington Freedom. The Nicki Gonzalez Band played three sold-out shows at the legendary Blues Alley and were the headlining act at the 2002 Crosstown Jam. They’ve performed at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Kennedy Center Millenium Stage and opened at the 2003 USTA Tournament.