Nikki Webster (b. April 30, 1987) is an Australian
pop singer, actress, dancer, businesswoman and
Former Child Star who is best known for performing to an audience of billions during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. For anyone who only vaguely remembers the events, she was the little red-haired girl who appeared in the dream sequence, "swimming" with fish (with the help of a harness), getting caught up in Aboriginal festivities and the like. She also sang the songs "We'll Be One" and "Under Southern Skies" while standing in front of the Olympic Flame.
She went on to have a promising pop career, with her single "Strawberry Kisses" peaking at #2 on the ARIA singles chart, eventually going Platinum. After a year-long stint playing the part of Dorothy in the 2001-2002 run of
The Wizard of Oz stage show, she released two albums,
Follow Your Heart and
BLISS. The first was certified Platinum, the second Gold. However, her third album, an album half-full of covers entitled
Let's Dance, only barely peaked within the Top 50 of the albums chart and received no certification.
Her later career has included her competing in the Australian version of
Dancing with the Stars, guest-starring as an
ensemble member on the improv comedy show
Thank God You're Here and playing the role of Sheila in the musical
Hair. In 2006 she sought to discard her former "good-girl" image by
appearing in a sexy photoshoot for the Australian edition of
FHM. She followed this up by performing as a wind-up doll at the Sydney gay and lesbian dance party Sleaze Ball and releasing a single, "Devilicious", that dealt with her newfound sexual image.
She opened her own dance school,
Dance @ Nikki Webster, in 2008.
Discography:
This musician displays examples of:
- A Friend in Need: "Depend On Me".
- Americans Hate Tingle: There were attempts to properly launch Nikki Webster overseas, most notably in the UK, but they didn't work. Her singles and albums bombed everywhere outside of Australia.
- Auto Tune: In "Devilicious".
- Bare Your Midriff: Her trademark latex suits from the early 2000s often employed this trope.
- Beach Video: "The Best Days".
- Catholic Schoolgirls Rule: In the video for "24/7 (Crazy 'Bout Your Smile)".
- Celebrity Endorsement: For Jager Cosmetics in 2001 and Kmart in 2003, where she designed an exclusive clothing range.
- Child Popstar: Barely. Webster was 13 when she partook in the Olympic Games ceremonies and 14 when she released "Strawberry Kisses".
- Child Prodigy
- Conspicuous CG: Nikki's little robot friend, DJ, in the video for "Strawberry Kisses". The obvious greenscreen in the video counts too.
- Contractual Purity: Australians will never see Nikki Webster as anything but the childlike Idol Singer who was a regular in girls' magazines. This is most likely the reason why the Australian media practically disowned her after the FHM spread, and why "Devilicious" failed to chart.
- Cover Version: "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book, "Dancing In The Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston, "ABC" by The Jackson5ive, "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" by Leo Sayer, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves and "Be Mine" by Wild Orchid.
- Development Hell: Her fourth studio album has been this way for six years. The fact its planned lead single tanked on the ARIA Charts didn't help matters.
- Dream Team: "Let's Dance" was co-written by Delta Goodrem, which is kind of a big deal in Australia, especially in 2004.
- Every Girl Is Cuter with Hair Decs
- Fanservice: Practically embodied this trope from the mid-2000s onwards, though she seems to have turned it down since the the failure of "Devilicious".
- Follow the Leader: Webster herself was initially a follower of the "Pop Lolita" and kiddie-pop trend, but is it really that much of a coincidence that after her initial impact we are left with the likes of Kidz Bop, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez?
- Follow Your Heart: Her debut album is this trope word-for-word.
- Former Child Star
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Anyone who spent their childhood listening to "Strawberry Kisses" and then found out what they were once they reached a certain age...
- Hotter and Sexier: The FHM spread and especially "Devilicious".
- In Da Club: "Devilicious".
- Partially-Animated Music Video: "Strawberry Kisses", "Something More Beautiful", "I Wanna Be Like You".
- Pep Talk Song: "Depend on Me".
- Puppy Love: The subject of many of her songs.
- Self-Backing Vocalist
- Signature Song: "Strawberry Kisses".
- Silly Love Songs: Her discography is made of this trope. Four notable ones are "Strawberry Kisses", "The Best Days", "24/7 (Crazy 'bout Your Smile)" and "Something More Beautiful".
- Stripperiffic: Her outfits became this in the mid-2000s.
- Tastes Like Diabetes: Her earlier music falls under this trope.
- Teen Idol: In the early 2000s she was essentially Australia's answer to the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore.
- Three Minutes of Writhing: "Devilicious".
- What Could Have Been: Webster was supposed to play the main character in the movie Vanilla Gorilla
back in 2001-2002. Her casting was dropped when the movie finally began production in 2008. - Youthful Freckles
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