Nivea Hamilton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of three sisters, and was raised in a musical household. Like most aspiring singers in the South, the church played a pivotal role in bringing the naturally shy Nivea out of her shell. But instead of the choir and the pulpit, it was the TV and Mariah Carey's performance of her debut single “Vision Of Love?on the Apollo, when Nivea was just seven, that convinced the Atlanta youngster where her own future lay.
Nivea’s dreams started to near fruition when Colin Lampkin, a recording studio owner in the Atlanta area, agreed to manage the 15-year-old singer on a full time basis. Through Lampkin's contacts and sheer persistence, Nivea ended up recording demos and referencing songs for various top rung Atlanta producers. Word soon spread about Nivea in A&R offices across the country. Both manager and artist had their sights set on Jive Records, impressed at the company’s incredible winning streak through such acts as Britney Spears, R. Kelly, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and Joe.
The label was impressed with Nivea's voice, age and the nature of her demo--particularly the caliber of producers who worked on the demo. The end result is that an impressive seven songs from Nivea’s original demo made it to the album’s final cut, earning the teen and her manager executive producer credits and the position to head their own production company based in the Atlanta area.
Sound Files (MP3)
Don't Mess With My Man (w/Jagged Edge) - from the album Nivea
