Nikoletta Szőke - Golden Earrings (2008)

Tracklist

01. The North Sea
02. En la Orilla del Mundo
03. My Romance
04. Golden Earrings
05. Overjoyed
06. Centerpiece
07. You Must Believe in Spring
08. 'S Wonderful
09. Like Dreamers Do

Nikoletta Szoke was born in Zalaegerszeg (Hungary) in 1983. She was only four years old when her family moved to Budapest and started her studies there. Although she had been born into one of the Hungarian gipsy musical dynasties (her father, Sándor Szoke is a noted cimbalom player), she didn't start learning music until the age of 18. She was accepted at a conservatory and became a student of the noted jazz singer, Gábor Winand in 2002. She started to perform right after her first singing lesson. After three and a half years of studying and performing she entered for the Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition held at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in 2005. The competition was open to jazz singers under the age of 30 from all around the world. Nikoletta had been invited and was the winner of the first prize and the public prize, too. Chairing the jury was Barbara Hendricks and Randy Crawford was her deputy.
Nikoletta started to take classical singing lessons as well in 2005 as a student of Júlia Bikfalvy, who had coached the soprano diva Andrea Rost to international stardom. In January 2006 she took part at the conference of the International Associaton for Jazz Education (IAJE Conference) in New York, and she performed both at the New York Hilton and Dizzy's Club at the Lincoln Center. In 2006 she won the Lakatos Ablakos Dezso Hungarian state jazz scholarship which is given to three young Hungarian musicians every year. Since the competition she has been pursuing an increasingly successful performing career. Her debut album, Golden Earrings was released by the Hungarian company, Gramy Records in October 2008. In January 2009 she also signed a contract with the Japanese label, Atelier Sawano, the latter launching in Japan A song for you, Nikoletta's second album on 17th of the same month.
After the great success of "A Song for You" in 2010 she signs a five-album deal with Atelier Sawano. The first album of this contract, "My Song" is released in February. Nikoletta and the band launch the album at the Cotton Club, Tokyo simultaneously. In August she is featured as special guest at the Budapest concert of the extraordinary vocalist, tenfold Grammy-winner, Bobby McFerrin, where they perform a duet. In February 2011 her 4th album, "Shape of My Heart" is out in the stores. In 2011 this album becomes a best-seller at the label...

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