Tuesday Artist Spotlight: Nick Fradiani

Another week, another standout artist to learn more about! For this week’s installment we’re focusing on the one and only Nick Fradiani, who’s performing at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City on Saturday, March 25th. Born and raised in Guilford, CT, Fradiani is best known for winning the 14th season of American Idol in May of 2015. Unlike some American Idol contestants, Fradiani is well know for writing and co-writing his own songs, as well as playing other instruments like the acoustic guitar to accompany his award-winning vocals. If you haven’t already, check out this video of Nick’s first audition at American Idol.

What some people don’t know is Fradiani developed a considerable reputation in the music industry before competing on American Idol. After graduating from Wheaton College with a Bachelor’s Degree in History, Fradiani went on to pursue a career in music as the lead singer of the Milford, Connecticut-band band Beach Avenue. In 2011 Beach Avenue won the Battle of the Bands competition at Mohegan Sun where Fradiani’s father performed with the group as the keyboardist and backup vocalist. This lead to Beach Avenue competing in the ninth season of America’s Got Talent, where the band performed their original song, “Coming Your Way,” on national television in July of 2014. Fradiani still calls this his “biggest career break,” as the song went on to reach #53 on the iTunes Pop Singles Chart and sell more than 10,000 copies.

After his victory on Amercian Idol Fradiani released his debut studio album, Hurricane, in August of 2016 through Big Machine Label Group and 19 Entertainment. The record debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and included songs co-written and co-produced by musicians like Jason Mraz, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, and Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty. This past January, Fradiani parted ways with Big Machine and 19 and is currently touring and recording as an independent artist. Tickets for his show at the Gramercy Theatre on March 25th are still available and can be purchased at this link. As a parting thought, enjoy this official music video for “Love Is Blind,” which was released on January 23rd and shows Fradiani surprising a bride and groom by performing the song for their first dance together as a married couple.