I was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the age of three, my family moved to Doraville, GA so my dad could find work. I grew up in Doraville off of Buford Hughway and went to the same elementary school from kindergarten through sixth grade. I graduated high school with about 20 people with whom I went to school with all the way from kindergarten. I am currently still friends with five girls that I met in kindergarten.
In sixth grade, my life changed. A teacher came to our school and played different instruments for us. I knew before he even came that I wanted to play drums. But then, he picked up this huge wooden instrument called a bass, and started playing “Stand By Me.” That happened to be one of my favorite songs at the time. When I got home that night, I could still feel the vibrations of the bass and hear the sound of its deep bellow resonating within me, and knew that I was going to be a bass player. When I told my dad that I was absolutely, positively sure that I wanted to play bass, his words to me were: “Niki, are you sure you want to carry that big thing around all the time? Because dear ole’ dad is not going to do it for you. Think about it. You could play the piccolo.”
Well, I chose. I picked up the bass in sixth grade and have been playing ever since.
I believe passion and hard work can take you places, especially if you make getting an education a priority. Knowledge is power. Remember that.
