Nikko Smith

Osborne Earl "Nikko" Smith Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is a singer-songwriter who was the ninth-place finalist of the fourth season on American Idol.^[1][2][3][4]

For the anti-apartheid activist, see Nico Smith.

Nikko Smith
Nikko Smith in April 2006
Background information
Birth name	Osborne Earl Smith Jr.
Born	(1982-04-28) April 28, 1982 (age 42)
Origin	St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Genres	R&B, pop
Occupation	Musician
Years active	2005–present
Labels	The N Music Group
Website	nikkosmith.com

Biography

Nikko Smith, the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith,^[5] is currently working on an album entitled The Revolution.

On October 26, 2006, Smith performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 4 of the World Series, at the home field of the St. Louis Cardinals for whom his father had played 15 seasons.

American Idol

Smith auditioned for American Idol in 2005 with the song "All I Do" by Stevie Wonder. Smith made it to the third round of the semi-finals, but was voted off on March 9 along with Travis Tucker.

Days later, Smith got a phone call from the producers asking him to come back in place of Mario Vazquez, who left for "family reasons". After returning, Nikko was dubbed "The Comeback Kid" by judge Paula Abdul after a performance of "One Hand, One Heart". However, in the same week, Nikko was voted off the show, placing ninth overall.^[6]

American Idol performances

Week #

Song

Original artist

Result

Top 24

"Part-Time Lover"

Stevie Wonder

Safe

Top 20

"Let's Get It On"

Marvin Gaye

Safe

Top 16

"Georgia on My Mind"

Ray Charles

Eliminated1

Top 12

"I Want You Back"

The Jackson 5

Safe

Top 11

"Incomplete"

Sisqo

Safe

Top 10

"Can We Talk"

Tevin Campbell

Safe

Top 9

"One Hand, One Heart"

West Side Story

Eliminated

^Note 1 : Nikko was originally eliminated in a semi-finals results show, He was called back after Mario Vazquez withdrew from the show and he replaced Mario on the final 12.

References

1. American Idol. Season 4.
2. Jennifer Brett (April 23, 2005). "No regrets about his 'Idol' experience". The Atlanta Constitution. p. J8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Jaina Wald (April 6, 2005). "When it's "Idol" time at Ozzie's, folks go crazy for Nikko". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. E1, E4. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Jamie Ingle (January 22, 2006). "No time to be idle". The Belleville News-Democrat. pp. 5, 7. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Myers, Jared; Smith, Jared; Josephson, Erik; Chris Myers (February 8, 2011). Your All-Access Pass to American Idol. Cedar Fort. pp. 130–. ISBN 9781599555263. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
6. "Idol's "comeback kid" Nikko Smith is gone, again". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Associated Press. April 8, 2005. p. D1. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.