“My mom let me stay up late to watch Amy Grant perform on TV, and that’s the first time I thought...’I want to do that.’"
When Nicole Broussard looks back on that night as a five-year-old in her native South Baton Rouge, La.—and on the way her guitar-playing paralegal mother used Amy Grant’s “El-Shaddai†and “My Father’s Hands†to teach Nicole about singing harmony—her eyes sparkle with the memory of what it was like discovering her life’s dreams at such a young age. But that was just the beginning. Since then, Nicole has used her considerable vocal and writing talents, strong work ethic and prayerfully positive attitude to make those dreams come true in Nashville. And coming true they are.
After a 2007 “nothing ventured, nothing gained†cold-call to acclaimed singer/songwriter Billy Yates, Nicole not only impressed him enough with her tunes to co-write with him, he signed her to his Smoking Grapes Music Publishing and is helping her pursue a record deal. “I have a writer’s agreement with an office on Music Row...and just to be able to drive up and down these streets and feel I belong here is such a blessing,†smiles Nicole, still just in her mid-20s. But one listen to her songs “The Blanket,†“I Won’t Stop Loving You,†“Phone Tag†and others confirms that she does, indeed, belong. Her tunes—with lyrics as intelligent, funny, clever, passionate and powerful as the woman who writes them--reveal the breadth of her musical influences. From the James Taylor and Vince Gill songs she first heard played by her father, a gospel-singing welder, to Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Hornsby, Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Gary LeVox, Sarah McLachlan and others, Nicole has managed to learn from those she admires while maintaining her uniqueness—often a tough line for an aspiring artist to walk. And it doesn’t stop with songwriting.
Nicole and her “musician extraordinaire†youngest brother Jonathan auditioned for the Tootsie’s to the Ryman contest at legendary Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in October. After a long day of waiting and hoping, they learned they’d won the contest and the right to open for Vince Gill and Mel Tillis on WSM Radio’s 82nd Anniversary Show—at the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. “To open for Vince, a huge favorite and influence, on the stage of the Ryman, the night after his induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame, is such a thrill,†she explains.
Another thrill came when “The Blanketâ€â€”a wonderfully crafted song that’s one part Tony Joe White, one part Bobbie Gentry and all soulful country—aired on 103 WKDF during Billy Block’s Locals Only Live show, giving Nicole and Jonathan their first radio airplay and an entrée to perform at Nashville’s Cadillac Ranch. While the stars appear to be aligning for Nicole to achieve the success of her dreams, her good fortune is largely the result of years of hard work and preparation, beginning when that five-year-old girl started singing at school and church functions throughout Louisiana. She also wrote worship songs and led her high school’s worship band and, at 15, was one of the youngest members ever accepted into Dickinson College’s Sound of America Choir, which toured seven European countries for a month.
On a trip to North Carolina and Virginia scouting potential colleges with her mother, they took a detour to Nashville. Nicole fell in love with the city and enrolled at Nashville’s Belmont University at 17. She is the mother of a three-year-old daughter, Isa. Asked what she wants Isa to learn by watching her pursue her life’s career path with passion, Nicole responds simply, “I want my little girl to see me trying...doing everything I can to make my dreams come true. I believe this is what I’m meant to be doing. God wouldn’t keep blessing me with opportunities and open doors if it weren’t.†Amen.
