Nikki Ponte
| Nikki Ponte Νίκη Πόντε |
|
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nikki Ponte |
| Born |
1 August 1991 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario |
| Genres | Pop, dance, R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Greece |
Nikki Ponte (Greek: Νίκη Πόντε; born 1 August 1991), is a Canadian singer who rose to fame in Greece and Cyprus through her participation in the third season of Greece's version of the singing competition The X Factor, in which she placed third. While still participating in the show, she signed with Sony Music Entertainment Greece and was one of six candidates who were selected to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. Ponte competed in a national final held in March 2011 with the song "I Don't Wanna Dance", but did not manage to win. The song later entered the 2011 OGAE Second Chance Contest and came 6th out of 21 songs.
Nikki Ponte was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to immigrant parents; her father is Portuguese and her mother is originally from Cyprus. Ponte is fluent in English and proficient in Greek. She attended St. Monica Catholic School for elementary school, and later Saint Mary Catholic Secondary School in Pickering, Ontario. She took opera lessons for ten years and attended Sheridan College's renowned Music Theatre Performance program. Moreover her uncle was the famous Greek-Cypriot actor Sotiris Moustakas.
In 2010, at age 19, Ponte auditioned for Greece's talent show The X Factor at auditions held in New York City. Ponte received approval from the judges and was invited to bootcamp in Athens, Greece, eventually making it through to the live shows. Throughout the competition, she was one of the favorites to win and would spend her free time in her hotel room alone practicing her songs. She ended up placing third.
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