Introducing Nicky Lawrence: Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, playwright and director whose debut album “Ugly Black Woman” is out on October 18th to coincide with ‘Black History Month.’
Today [August 23rd], Nicky releases “Middle”, the second single from the album – Nicky’s song about ‘yet another gaslighting lover.’ The accompanying video is out today, too [watch it, below].
The album is “a window into my soul,” says Nicky. “As Black women we are consistently accused of being angry, yet UBW is a beautiful cacophony of sorts, conjured up through the dissonance I feel with such a powerful stereotype. It is the depths of my emotional degradation, pain, sorrow, fears and joy.
“It’s also a way for me to share so closely and relate with other Black women, the suffering and the commonalities of hurt which we share without even necessarily knowing each other personally. This album has become a way of relating to all women no matter race or class.”
Across the album’s 18 tracks – nine full length songs and nine poems/monologues – Nicky tells her story, and that of numerous other Black women throughout Canadian history. From sweeping success to heart breaking lows. For more than a decade, “Ugly Black Woman” was carefully crafted and patiently curated.
Nicky dutifully pays homage to the suffering and anguish of the sisters who came before her. Knowing all that they had sacrificed so she could stand on her own and create her art, Nicky’s evolution became a dedication to the incomparable Black women who in the end provided the very life force of this record.
Nicky recently made her directorial debut on screen with the film release of “My Name Is Jackie,” an endearing tribute to Toronto R&B pioneer Jackie Shane. Nicky has toured the country with Canada’s celebrated legacy artist Amanda Marshall as her long time backing vocalist.
Nicky’s acting career has included roles in TV (Schitt’s Creek, Anne with an E, and Workin’ Moms), and theatre (The Shaw Festival, Neptune Theatre, YPT, Rainbow Stage and Drayton).
With her eyes now set firmly on the UK, she is currently in talks to bring the stage show of “Ugly Black Woman” across the pond.
Photos: Wade Muir
