|  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | Bio of the Artist | Valerie grew up in rural Birdsboro, PA, but always had her sights set on bigger and better things. She always jokes that she practically came out of the womb singing and knew at a very early age that music would be a significant part of her life. As a kid, she listened to The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Aerosmith (her mom's favorite bands), which were a definite influence on her appreciation of music. She began singing in choirs at age 6, playing piano at age 7, and playing flute at age 8. Involvement in numerous music groups throughout her entire primary, intermediate, and high school years soon followed.
Her passion for music led to her decision to study music in college, where she received formal training in music theory, ear training, sight singing, and composition. This is when she picked up a guitar for the first time and fell in love with it. She also discovered her natural talent for songwriting shortly afterwards. After four years of hard work, she completed her Bachelor's of Music in Music Education from Elizabethtown College in 2005. She was even awarded the Theodore Presser Scholarship for outstanding achievement as a music major her junior year!
After graduation, she spent a few years teaching general/vocal music in the elementary schools, but decided teaching was not for her. So, she read everything and anything she could about the music business and jumped full-force into pursuing a career in music. After competing at the 2007 American Model and Talent Competition in Orlando, FL, she was awarded 3rd place in the singer/songwriter category. She also had her single "Can't Imagine" accepted by Indie Express to be on their Volume 1 CD in March 2008. This CD was distributed at Canadian Music Week as well as to press and radio stations in Australia! She has been featured in local eastern PA newspapers and radio stations such as The PA Musician, The Reading Eagle, Ticket Magazine (Montgomery Newspapers), Berks-Mont News, and WCHE 1520 AM.
Valerie Nicole writes and sings her own original pop/rock material and plays acoustic guitar and keyboard. She has been touring eastern PA and NJ since January 2008, including special showcases at Musikfest, Millennium Music Conference, and SS Cape May. She now performs with a back-up band. Her new album "From the Heart" was released on January 9th, 2009, which has opened up several opportunities for Valerie. She was recently nominated in the Best Female Vocalist category for the 717 Music Awards held in Harrisburg, PA this June.
Future projects in 2009 include a music video for "Misunderstood", recording her 3rd album in LA, and tv/film licensing opportunities. | | |
|
 | |
