Katherine Nicole "Nikki" McKibbin (born September 28, 1978) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rock music

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 singer-songwriter who finished third in the debut season of the reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series American Idol

American Idol

American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

. Prior to American Idol, McKibbin appeared in the first season of Popstars

Popstars

Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...

. In May 2007 she released her debut album, Unleashed.

American Idol

In 2002, Nikki appeared on American Idol

American Idol

American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...

, placing third. With the exception of 1960s week, Nikki was in the bottom three every week, a total of six times (including elimination).

Round	Song choice	Original artist	Theme	Result
Audition	"I Will Survive I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris... " "One Moment in Time One Moment in Time "One Moment in Time" is an Emmy Award winning song written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, and recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Paralympics held in Seoul, South Korea.-History:... "	Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul... Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...	N/A	Advanced
Pasadena audition	"Unchained Melody Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.... "	The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...	N/A	Advanced
Semi-final	"Total Eclipse of the Heart Total Eclipse of the Heart "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night... "	Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...	N/A	Advanced
Top 10	"Ben Ben (song) "Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop... "	Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...	Motown Motown Records Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...	Bottom 3
Top 8	"Piece of My Heart Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a hit with it... "	Janis Joplin Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...	1960's week	Safe
Top 7	"Heartbreaker Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar song) "Heartbreaker" is a song recorded by Pat Benatar on her 1979 album In the Heat of the Night. Written and composed by Geoff Gill and Clint Wade, it reached No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It is a staple of her live shows.... "	Pat Benatar Pat Benatar Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...	1970's week	Bottom 3
Top 6	"Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah) Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah) "Hard Hearted Hannah " is a popular song from Tin Pan Alley.The music was written by Milton Ager, the lyrics by Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, and Charles Bates... "	Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...	Big band Big band A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...  week	Bottom 3
Top 5	"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me " Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written in the 1960s by songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David.-First charting versions:... "	Naked Eyes Naked Eyes Naked Eyes is a British New Wave band that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. Originally a duo, the band is known largely for its singles: a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard " Always Something There to Remind Me" , as well as the band's subsequent hits "Promises, Promises", "When...	Burt Bacharach Burt Bacharach Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...  week	Bottom 2
Top 4	"Mary Jane" "I'm the Only One I'm the Only One "I'm the Only One" is a Melissa Etheridge song that appears on her 1993 album Yes I Am. The single itself was released in 1993, and hit number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts in January 1995... "	Alanis Morissette Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination... Melissa Etheridge Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...	1980's week 1990's week	Bottom 2
Top 3	"Black Velvet Black Velvet (song) "Black Velvet" is a rock song written by Canadian musicians David Tyson and Christopher Ward, and recorded by Canadian singer Alannah Myles in 1988. It became a number one hit for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1990 and reached number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart, as well as... " "Edge of Seventeen Edge of Seventeen (song) "Edge of Seventeen " is a song written and recorded by American singer Stevie Nicks, the third single from her successful 1981 solo debut album Bella Donna... "	Alannah Myles Alannah Myles Alannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album... Stevie Nicks Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...	Judge's Week	Eliminated

Post-Idol career

Immediately following her stint on American Idol, McKibbin signed with 19 Management and RCA Records

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

. They urged her to record a country

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 album, but she was determined to stay true to her rock roots; she rejected the idea, saying she felt she would be "selling out." The creative differences resulted in no releasable recordings being produced.

McKibbin ran Angelfire Productions, a karaoke company, but after Idol, "got out of the karaoke business" to focus on her music career.

In 2004, she appeared on the holiday CD Christmas in a Fishbowl with several other reality stars for Fishbowl.com.

In May 2005, McKibbin joined Dallas rock band Downside. They did several shows together including a sold out show at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas, but due to creative and personal differences McKibbin left the band in September of the same year.

In 2005, McKibbin appeared in several reality shows, including a "Reality TV Stars" episode of Fear Factor

Fear Factor

Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...

, and the sports competition show Battle of the Network Reality Stars

Battle of the Network Reality Stars

Battle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...

, in which her team won. She also appeared in the E! Entertainment reality show Kill Reality

Kill Reality

Kill Reality is a 2005 series which ran on E! Entertainment television about the all-stars of reality television making a horror movie called The Scorned. During the filming of the movie the cast lived together in a house that quickly turned into the real house of horrors...

, which documented the filming of The Scorned

The Scorned

The Scorned is a 2005 horror movie. It was the first movie cast entirely with the people from previous reality television series. The movie was filmed during the E! behind-the-scenes reality show Kill Reality....

, a television movie featuring a cast of people who had been on reality television shows; McKibbin played a singer in the film.

Later in 2005, it was announced that she was signed to Australian indie label Astral Records, with her rock-influenced album originally intended to be released in February 2006. Recording began in December 2005, starting with a cover version of Mr. Big

Mr. Big (band)

Mr. Big is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin , Paul Gilbert , Billy Sheehan , and Pat Torpey ; Mr. Big also included Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999...

's "To Be with You

To Be with You

"To Be with You" is a song by the American hard rock band Mr. Big. It appears on the album Lean into It. The song charted in 20 plus countries, many of them at number one, such as on the United States Billboard Hot 100...

". A single of "The Lie"/"To Be with You" and a limited edition behind-the-scenes DVD was made available through her official web site.

McKibbin's debut album Unleashed came out May 22, 2007. For the promotional 2007 tour, McKibbin worked with Texas heavy metal band Rivethead

Rivethead

Rivethead can mean:* The head of a rivet* Formerly, since the 1940s, a nickname for American automotive assembly line workers* A fashion style, as described here----...

.

Late in 2007, McKibbin recorded two Christmas songs for the American Christmas album. One was a cover of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance and the Valiants and the other was an original, "Alone With The Christmas Lights."

In 2008 McKibbin appeared on the second season of the VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

 reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is a reality television show airing on the cable network VH1 that chronicles a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first season premiered...

, in which she received treatment for cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

 and alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 addiction at the Pasadena Recovery Center (PRC). While receiving a physical examination

Physical examination

Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...

 from Dr. Drew Pinsky in the season's first episode, she revealed that she was sexually, physically

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

 and emotionally abused as a child. On top of that, she also lost her mother to addiction the previous year, causing her to carry a heavy amount of emotional pain

Psychological trauma

Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...

. Dr. Pinsky noticed signs of hepatomegaly

Hepatomegaly

Hepatomegaly is the condition of having an enlarged liver. It is a nonspecific medical sign having many causes, which can broadly be broken down into infection, direct toxicity, hepatic tumours, or metabolic disorder. Often, hepatomegaly will present as an abdominal mass...

 during the examination, most likely caused by her alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

. She said that she was on prescription ziprasidone

Ziprasidone

Ziprasidone was the fifth atypical antipsychotic to gain FDA approval . In the United States, Ziprasidone is Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, and the intramuscular injection form of ziprasidone is approved for acute agitation in schizophrenic patients...

 and dextro-methamphetamine

Amphetamine

Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...

 to reduce her anxiety, but Pinsky told her that it was unwise for a serious addict to be on such powerful medications. Her withdrawal was painful, and the day after she was taken off her medications she experienced the lethargy of withdrawal syndrome

Withdrawal syndrome

A withdrawal syndrome, also called a discontinuation syndrome, occurs when a person suddenly stops taking or reduces the dosage of some types of medications...

.

After McKibbin completed the program at the PRC, she moved into a sober living environment

Sober living environment

Sober living environments are facilities used by addicts recovering from substance abuse, which serve as an interim environment between rehab and a return to their former lives. SLEs grew out of a need to have safe and supportive place for people to live while they were in recovery...

, which was filmed for the Celebrity Rehab spinoff Sober House. During a group night out for McKibbin and her fellow sober living housemates, which fell on the anniversary of her mother's death the previous year, she gave her first-ever performance while sober, singing her song, "Inconsolable".

McKibbin later appeared in the fifth episode of Celebrity Rehabs fifth season, during which she marked three years of sobriety, and performed for that season's cast.

Personal life

McKibbin was born in Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie, Texas

Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Grand Prairie is a suburb of both Dallas and Fort Worth and had a population of 175,396 at the 2010 census.- History :The city of...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. She is married and has children. Her husband, Craig, appeared with her on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is a reality television show airing on the cable network VH1 that chronicles a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first season premiered...

.

McKibbin marked a year of sobriety on June 10, 2009.

Singles

• "To Be With You" (2006)
• "The Lie" (2006)
• "Naked Inside" (2007)
• "Save What's Left of Me" (2007)
• "Cry Little Sister" (2007)
• "Here to There" (2009)
• "Inconsolable" (2009)
• "Made It" (2011)
• "Celebrity High" (2011)

External links