:Niykee Heaton
{{Short description|American singer (born 1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Niykee Heaton
| image = Niykee Heaton 2015 (14 cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Niykee Heaton in 2015
| birth_name = Nicolet Aleta Heaton
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=y|1994|12|4}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Singer
- songwriter
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Jeff Logan|2019|2022|end=divorced}}
| children = 2
| organization = Naturyl by NBK{{Cite web|url=https://www.naturylbynbk.com/shop|title=Naturyl by NBK}}
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| genre = {{flat list|
}}
| instrument = {{flat list|
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
}}
| years_active = 2011–present
| label = {{flat list|
- Independent (current)
- Capitol
- Awesomeness (former)
}}
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|niykeeheatonmusic.com}}
}}
}}
Nicolet Aleta Heaton (born December 4, 1994), known professionally as Niykee Heaton, is an American singer-songwriter. She was discovered through her YouTube channel after uploading acoustic guitar covers of contemporary hits, most notably hip hop songs, that went viral. In 2014, Heaton released her debut single "Bad Intentions" and an extended play of the same name. The single charted on Billboard and became gold-certified by the RIAA.
Heaton embarked on her first headlining concert tour, The Bedroom Tour, in late 2015, and released the similarly titled mixtape, The Bedroom Tour Playlist, in March 2016. The mixtape compiled remastered material she had previously shared online for free streaming and debuted for her live shows during the tour. Her follow-up EP, Starting Over, was released in 2018 through Capitol Records.
Early life
Nicolet Aleta Heaton was born on December 4, 1994,{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2016/06/13/niykee-heaton-day-in-the-life-photos|title=Exclusive: A Day in the Life of Niykee Heaton|work=Rap-Up|date=June 13, 2016|access-date=July 3, 2016}} in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Geneva, Illinois, but she has noted she has a stronger connection to the time she spent in her mother's South Africa, though she spent little time there. In actuality, she spent most of her time in the aforementioned Geneva, Illinois.{{cite web|url=http://www.vibe.com/2016/04/niykee-heaton-interview/|title=Interview: Niykee Heaton Takes Us On Her Journey From The 'Net To A National Tour|work=Vibe|date=April 27, 2016|access-date=July 3, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9cxKuy4Q1o|title=Niykee Heaton's Sexy Image, In Tears Over Sister's Passing + Performs on Ladies First|publisher=Youtube.com HOT 97 (11:40)|date=April 20, 2016|access-date=July 3, 2016}}
After writing her first song at age five and teaching herself to play guitar at nine, Heaton dedicated her childhood years to making music. Despite realizing early on that she wanted to be a musician, she never saw herself as a performer and just wanted to make music, developing a stage fright. She gave herself vocal training by singing along to a Diana Ross greatest-hits CD, since her family couldn't financially support her musical education. Heaton has an older brother and also had a sister Rachel, who beat liver cancer but died in 2007 at age 21 while waiting for a second liver transplant, whom she regularly notes taking inspiration from.
Career
File:Niykee Heaton 2015 (5).jpg as part of the Bedroom Tour in 2015]]
In 2011, while still enrolled in high school, Heaton began uploading clips recorded in her bedroom on YouTube, including covers of contemporary hit songs along with occasional originals, for which she accompanied herself on acoustic guitar. In December 2012, her cover of Chief Keef's "Love Sosa" was featured on the website WorldStarHipHop and Heaton began meeting with record labels.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2012/12/meet-niykee-heaton-the-white-girl-who-covered-love-sosa|title=Meet Niykee Heaton, the White Girl Who Covered "Love Sosa"|date=December 10, 2012|work=Complex|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/niykee-heaton-mn0003266922/biography|title=Niykee Heaton - Biography|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=July 4, 2015}} Heaton graduated high school six months early and self-financed the recording of a host of her own songs, opting to take a step back and build "a catalog that we were proud of" with her manager Lauren, eventually signing with All Def Digital in 2014, a YouTube-based label founded by Steve Rifkind and Def Jam-founder Russell Simmons, in partnership with Capitol Records.{{cite web |title=Niykee Heaton Biography |url=http://www.niykeeheatonmusic.com/biography/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511195000/http://www.niykeeheatonmusic.com/biography/ |archive-date=May 11, 2015 |publisher=Niykeeheatonmusic.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/lbh2c3/niykee-heaton-kanye-west-instagram-music|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715025140/https://www.vh1.com/news/lbh2c3/niykee-heaton-kanye-west-instagram-music|url-status=live|archive-date=July 15, 2023|title=Niykee Heaton Recalls the Random Time Kanye West Sang for Her, Talks Instagram + Music to Come|date=June 22, 2015|publisher=VH1|access-date=July 5, 2015}} She topped Billboard's Next Big Sound chart on April 24, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.nextbigsound.com/charts/2311/2311|title=Next Big Sound - Analytics and Insights for the Music Industry|date=April 24, 2014|publisher=Next Big Sound|archive-date=July 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708042650/https://www.nextbigsound.com/charts/2311/2311|url-status=dead}}
On September 23, 2014, Heaton released her debut extended play, Bad Intentions, digitally in the United States, topping the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart and reaching the top ten in the U.S. iTunes Store on the day of its release.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/real-time-charts/6266625/niykee-heaton-russell-simmons-charts|title=Niykee Heaton Heats Up, With Assistance From Russell Simmons|date=September 29, 2014|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=281996|title=Rumor Mill - Heaton|date=September 23, 2014|work=Hits|archive-date=July 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707015203/http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=281996|url-status=dead|access-date=April 19, 2020}} On April 28, 2015, she posted an open letter online expressing frustration with her label and explaining the delay for her music.{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/04/niykee-heaton-open-letter-to-her-fans|title=Niykee Heaton Expresses Frustration With Her Label, Says Kanye West Told Her To Never Change|date=April 29, 2015|work=Complex|access-date=July 4, 2015}} On June 13, 2015, she launched a website, NBK (Naturyl Born Killers), stating "NBK is the movement", where new music was then independently released for free regularly in following months.{{cite web|url=http://singersroom.com/content/2015-06-15/Niykee-Heaton-NBK/|title=Niykee Heaton - NBK|date=June 15, 2015|publisher=singersroom.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7597328/niykee-heaton-nude-nbk-acoustic-ballad-infinity-pics|title=Niykee Heaton Puts The Focus Back on Her Music With Gorgeous Acoustic Ballad "Infinity"|date=June 18, 2015|publisher=idolator.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7598953/niykee-heaton-nude-say-yeah-full-song|title=Niykee Heaton's "Say Yeah" Is Astoundingly Good: Listen To The Rule-Breaker's Latest Gem|date=July 1, 2015|publisher=idolator.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7603817/niykee-heaton-nude-indiana-jones-21-grams-full-song|title=Niykee Heaton Gets Serious With Dark, Sprawling "21 Grams": Listen|publisher=Idolator.com|date=August 10, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7615451/niykee-heaton-best-thing-ever-full-song|title= Niykee Heaton Ups The Tempo With Catchy Banger "Best Thing Ever"|publisher=Idolator.com|date=October 18, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2015}} Heaton later clarified, "We are now in a place where we can create music that I want to create, and we are no longer tied to the people that were holding me back", revealing she had started producing music herself as well. On October 20, 2015, she premiered her debut music video for a song titled "Lullaby", on Apple Music.{{cite web|url=http://hypetrak.com/2015/10/niykee-heaton-releases-debut-music-video-for-lullaby/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023164952/http://hypetrak.com/2015/10/niykee-heaton-releases-debut-music-video-for-lullaby/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2015|title=Niykee Heaton Releases Debut Music Video for "Lullaby"|date=October 20, 2015|publisher=Hypetrak.com|access-date=November 29, 2015}} Also in October, Heaton announced her first headlining concert tour, The Bedroom Tour, with twenty dates throughout the United States and Canada, beginning on November 13 in Houston, Texas and concluding on December 18 in Los Angeles, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7610001/niykee-heaton-topless-donuts-bedroom-tour-dates|title=Niykee Heaton Posts Donut-Covered Nude, Announces 'The Bedroom Tour': See All The Dates|date=October 1, 2015|publisher=Idolator.com|access-date=October 13, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.idolator.com/7614990/niykee-heaton-live-review-bedroom-tour-houston-setlist|title=Niykee Heaton Heats Up The House of Blues in Houston, Texas: Live Review|date=November 16, 2015|publisher=Idolator.com|access-date=November 29, 2015}} On March 18, 2016, Heaton released The Bedroom Tour Playlist, a mixtape titled similarly to the tour, compiling remixed and remastered material she had shared online and debuted on live shows in previous months.{{cite web|url=http://theearlyregistration.com/2016/03/18/niykee-heaton-releases-new-mixtape-via-capitol-records-the-bedroom-tour-playlist/|title=Niykee Heaton Releases New Mixtape via Capitol Records, "The Bedroom Tour Playlist"|date=March 18, 2016|publisher=Theearlyregistration.com|access-date=March 18, 2016}} In a mid-2016 interview, Heaton announced that she was planning her debut studio album, stating "I want my it to be an actual masterpiece... I want my first album to be legendary". The Centerfold Tour was Heaton's second tour, containing forty-three shows in North America. It began on October 6, 2016, in Athens, Georgia, and ended on December 16, 2016, in Austin, Texas.
Artistry
While talking about her songwriting, Heaton said, "My music is a direct reflection of who I am. My writing is everything to me because that's all I had growing up. I had a really tough childhood and at a point when I was very young, I sort just stopped speaking because I stuttered", mentioning her inability to have friends, causing her to always be alone due to her mother staying with her sister in the hospital, her father being drunk and the rest of her family living in South Africa, so she "would just write all the time."{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/niykee-heaton-bad-intentions_n_5913212.html|title=Niykee Heaton's 'Bad Intentions' Reveal The Struggles Behind Her Best Intentions |date=October 1, 2014|work=Huffington Post|access-date=July 4, 2015}} "Even when I'm not writing literally about things that have happened to me, all the pain of my childhood and losing my sister ends up getting pushed into my music", she adds about her creative inspiration and wanting to be proud of the message in her music, "It shapes my songs and builds this deeper meaning under everything, which is one of the most important things to me." She has mentioned being heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and Tom Waits and is also a fan of hip hop, pointing out rappers like Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Jay Z, Drake and Nicki Minaj as other inspirations.{{cite web|url=http://elitedaily.com/entertainment/celebrity/niykee-heaton-bad-intentions/804816/|title=Bad Intentions: Meet 19-Year-Old YouTube Sensation Niykee Heaton|date=October 23, 2014|publisher=Elitedaily.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}
Heaton addressed claims regarding her raunchy social media presence in platforms such as Instagram overshadowing her music saying, "If I can use what I have aesthetically to draw people in, then why not use it? I'm not going to put on a turtleneck just to prove a point, or to make people feel more comfortable according to society's standards."{{cite web|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2015/04/niykee-heaton-crush-on-you-april-may-2015|title=Niykee Heaton Has Everyone on Their Thirst Behavior|date=April 1, 2015|work=Complex|access-date=July 4, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/who-niykee-heaton-singer-ignites-instagram-bikini-pictures-photos-1567270|title= Who Is Niykee Heaton? Singer Ignites Instagram With Bikini Pictures |date=April 3, 2014|publisher=Ibtimes.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}} Heaton notes her writing style and musical roots come from growing up with "older siblings who listened to a lot of soul and bluegrass and alternative", and her sister's love of poetry, having discovered rapper Lil Jon when she was ten, which sparked her interest in hip-hop music, describing her sound as "those two worlds colliding, like folk, rhythm, and Shakespeare sonnets mixed with Kanye trap beats."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/6785847/niykee-heaton-instagram-industry-interview|title=Niykee Heaton on the 'Gift & Curse' of Social Media & Her Kanye-Meets-Shakespeare Music|date=December 4, 2014|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 8, 2015}}
Personal life
She married actor, model, personal trainer and entrepreneur Jeff Logan on July 14, 2019, and gave birth to their first son on May 1, 2020.{{cite web |date=November 17, 2014 |title=Niykee Heaton's 'Bad Intentions' come from a good place |url=http://www.redeyechicago.com/entertainment/music/redeye-niykee-heaton-interview-redeye-20141117-column.html |access-date=July 4, 2015 |publisher=Redeyechicago.com}}{{cite web |date=September 24, 2014 |title=Pop star Niykee Heaton stops in hometown Geneva |url=http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2014/09/25/pop-star-niykee-heaton-stops-in-hometown-geneva/a4ptzu9/ |access-date=July 4, 2015 |publisher=Mysuburbanlife.com}} Niykee also gave birth to another son named Nikyta Heaton in 2022. Jeff and Niykee separated in the same year.{{cite web |url=https://www.thefocus.news/lifestyle/niykee-heatons-cryptic-ig-stories-spark-jeff-logan-divorce-rumours/ |title=Niykee Heaton and Jeff Logan confirm divorce rumours in IG baby drama |publisher=The Focus |date=4 April 2022 }}
Discography
{{Main|List of songs recorded by Niykee Heaton}}
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of extended plays, with selected details and chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:14em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:18em;"| Album details |
| scope="row"| The Lullaby Album
|
|
|---|
=Extended plays=
=Mixtapes=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of mixtapes, with selected details and chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;" rowspan="2"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions |
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US |
|---|
| scope="row"| The Bedroom Tour Playlist{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-bedroom-tour-playlist/1092250827|title=The Bedroom Tour Playlist by Niykee Heaton on iTunes|publisher=Apple Inc.|date=March 18, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Bedroom-Tour-Playlist-LP/dp/B01GVIUUJU/|title=Niykee Heaton - The Bedroom Tour Playlist [LP] - Amazon.com Music|website=Amazon|date=July 29, 2016}}
|
| 39 || 8 |
=Singles=
=Promotional singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of singles, with selected details and chart positions ! style="width:17em;"| Title !| Year !| Album |
| scope="row"| "Infinity" (original or Infinity House of Chords remix) | 2016 | The Bedroom Tour Playlist |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Finally"
| 2019 | rowspan="1" {{TBA}} |
| scope="row"| "Go to Sleep Little Baby"
| rowspan="2"| 2020 | rowspan="2"| The Lullaby Album |
| scope="row"| "Renegade" |
=Special releases=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Title
! scope="col" style="width:1em;"| Year |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Free"
| rowspan="16" | 2019 |
| scope="row"| "Set Me Free" |
| scope="row"| "Won't Stop" |
| scope="row"| "Check On Me" |
| scope="row"| "Little Bit" |
| scope="row"| "Angel in a Centerfold" |
| scope="row"| "Gimme" |
| scope="row"| "Young Angeline" |
| scope="row"| "Next Kill" |
| scope="row"| "Good Girls" |
| scope="row"| "Firestarter" |
| scope="row"| "Dollar Bills" |
| scope="row"| "Damage" |
| scope="row"| "Remember It All" |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of music videos, with selected details ! scope="col" style="width:15em;"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Director(s) |
| scope="row"| "Lullaby"
| 2015 | Niykee Heaton{{cite web|url=http://www.vevo.com/watch/niykee-heaton/Lullaby/USUV71600806|title=Lullaby - Niykee Heaton - Vevo|publisher=Vevo|access-date=July 3, 2016}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Bad Intentions" {{small|(featuring Migos)}} | 2016 |
| scope="row"|"Meicate (Remix)" (unreleased) (with DJ Nomad) | 2017 | {{N/A|Unknown}} |
Tours
Headlining
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{official website}}
- {{AllMusic}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/user/niykeeheaton Niykee Heaton] on YouTube
- [https://futurestarbio.com/nicolet-aleta-heaton/ Niyke]
Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters
Category:American women singer-songwriters
Category:American people of South African descent
Category:American pop rock singers
Category:Capitol Records artists
Category:People from Geneva, Illinois
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:Singer-songwriters from Illinois
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heaton, Niykee}}