Nikki Webster (born 30 April 1987) is an Australian pop singer, actress, and dancer. She is best known for her song Strawberry Kisses and her cherub-faced performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The 37-year-old signed a contract with BMG after her debut single, Strawberry Kisses, reached number 2 on the Australian singles charts in 2001. She was named the face of Jager Cosmetics’ It’s a Girl Thing range for young teens.
Nikki Webster | |
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Nikki Webster is best known for performing at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics opening ceremony. | |
Quick Facts | |
Birth name: | Nicole Marie Webster |
Born: | 30 April 1987 (age 37 years old) |
Place of birth: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Nationality: | Australian |
Parents: | Tina Webster (mother) Mark Webster (father) |
Education: | The McDonald College of the Performing Arts |
Occupation: | Singer, actress, dancer |
Years active: | 1992–date |
Labels: | Gotham (2001–2004) Piller Records (2006–2010) Spirit Music Group + Yummie Records (2012–date) |
Spouse: | Matthew McMah (m. 2012-2018) |
Children: | Skylah (daughter) Malakai (son) |
Early life
Nicole Webster was born on 30 April 1987 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She told her parents, Tina and Mark Webster, that she wanted to enter show business. To support her, they enrolled her to take lessons.
Education
Webster studied at the MLC School in Burwood until Year 10. She then enrolled in The McDonald College of the Performing Arts in Sydney.
Nikki attended drama, ballet, musical theatre, and singing tuition. She holds a Higher School Certificate in Business Studies, Music, Dance, Drama, Unit 2 English, and General Mathematics.
Career
Webster made her debut stage appearance on stage at four years and on commercial at six years. She was among Aladdin’s cast in 1994 and made a guest appearance on Home and Away.
In 1995, she played a role in an Australian production of Cinderella and made a guest appearance on ABC TV’s G. P.
The actress played Young Cosette in the stage production Les Misérables in 1997-98. She was a guest host on Midday in 1998 alongside Kerri-Anne Kennerley. She landed the role of Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music with Lisa McCune from 1999 to 2000.
Her performance as Hero Girl in 2000 at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics rose her to stardom. She dropped a single We’ll Be One in Australia in 2000.
Following her success in the Olympics, Webster signed a contract with BMG. Her first single, Strawberry Kisses, reached the top 2 on the Australian singles charts in 2001.
The song remained in the position for over nine weeks and went double platinum. She dropped her first album, Follow Your Heart, which went platinum with her second single, Depend on Me.
As an actress, Webster played the starring role of Dorothy in a stage performance of The Wizard of Oz in 2001-02. She was a nominee for an ARIA Award for Best Selling album and bagged a John O’Keefe Encouragement Award at the 2001 Mo Awards.
Her 2000 BLISS album went gold with her first single, Something More Beautiful. She appeared in an episode of the Australian TV series Thank God You’re Here. She played Sheila in a Perth production of the rock musical Hair along with Rob Mills and Cosima De Vito in May 2007.
Webster gained the attention of many people with her performance as a wind-up doll at the Sydney gay and lesbian dance party Sleaze Ball in 2007. She made a regular appearance on the show 20 to 1.
In 2008, Webster announced her intention to open a performing arts school with her brother Scott. She appeared as a guest in an episode of the comedy series The Chaser’s War on Everything on 15 July 2009.
The Strawberry Kisses songstress performed Devilicious on The Morning Show in 2009. She was signed to the American independent label Piller Records from 2006 to 2010.
In 2012, Webster landed a role in the independent feature Circle of Lies. She was one of the contestants on The Masked Singer Australia as Alien, but was booted off in episode three of the show.
Webster runs a children’s dance school with three studios, Dance at Nikki Webster, which she founded in 2010 and located in Sydney’s Leichhardt, Minchinbury, and Erina on the NSW Central Coast.
Personal life
Nikki Webster married Matthew McMah on 10 November 2012. Matthew gave her the fairytale entrance of her childhood dreams on their wedding day. He surprised her with her horse and carriage. The duo got engaged in 2011 but separated in 2018.
Matthew and Webster had two children together, welcoming their daughter, Skylah, in 2014 and son, Malakai, in 2017.
In August 2023, Webster opened up about finding love again after her split from Matthew.
Discography
- Follow Your Heart (2001)
- Bliss (2002)
- Let’s Dance (2004)
- Girls (2020)
References
- J. Peterson. “Seeing triple! Nikki Webster steps out with lookalike daughter and son at Luna Park in Sydney“. Daily Mail Australia
- Erin Doyle. “Mum’s the word! The cutest photos of Nikki Webster and her kids Skylah and Malachi“. nowtolove.com.au. 17 August 2020.
- Alana Mazzoni. “From child star to private mother-of-two: Where is Nikki Webster now?“. who.com.au. July 18, 2024
- Savanna Young. “Nikki Webster doesn’t look like this anymore! Former child star who rose to fame when she sang Strawberry Kisses and performed at the Sydney Olympics is all grown up as she is leaves interview“. Daily Mail Australia.