Category: 2006

Zoo Weekly interview

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Australia’s sexiest pop singer Nikki Webster is in Nashville, writing songs for her new album. Good news: she still prefers Aussie blokes!

What the hell are you doing in America?
I’m working with some songwriters in Nashville, really just honing the craft. It’s exciting. I’ve been working with people who have done stuff with Jessica Simpson.

So have you taken a sudden liking to gangsta rap?
Let me see… um, no. Other than when I’m in LA walking down Hollywood Boulevard and there are rap wannabes on the side of the street selling their CDs, probably not. I like seeing them busk and stuff; it’s good fun but I’m not really into the gangster side of things.

What about the Crips and Bloods – have you been caught in the crossfire of machine-guns yet?
I do a lot of sightseeing and travelling but don’t really venture into the downtown areas. Continue reading Zoo Weekly interview

The girl who flew too high

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At the Sydney Olympics she was the most famous girl in Australia. How did teenager Nikki Webster become an object of ridicule, and what does her treatment say about us, asks Larry Writer.

Last time we looked, Nikki Webster wasn’t responsible for the war in Iraq, or the hike in petrol prices. In fact, there is no evidence she has ever wronged a soul. Most agree she is blessed with talent, spirit and ambition. So why are people saying such terrible things about her? Why did Rove McManus and Eddie McGuire feel it necessary to make jokes about her virginity on national TV? Why does a gossip columnist she’s never met defend her frequent attacks on the teenager because “there’s something about her that’s irritating”? And why would The Sydney Morning Herald say last month, when reporting on possible new girlfriends for James Packer: “Around the dining tables of Sydney’s harbour front mansions all sorts of names have been suggested as potential Parker mates, ranging from the sublime (Nicole Kidman) to the ridiculous (Nikki Webster)”? Want to take a shot at Webster? Get in line, folks.

Her star turn at the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, when she soared and sang 30m above Stadium Australia, made Webster, at 13, a household name. But Hero Girl has never flown quite so high again. She finds herself today without a record label, striving for an image and music that will propel her to new phases of her career.

It’s not that she lacks fans. Last year, when Dancing with the Stars judge Todd McKenney eliminated her by awarding her 1 out of 10 for her attempt at the tango, the Seven Network switchboard, says Webster, “went into meltdown. People were so angry. And it wasn’t just devotees. [Fellow contestant, actor and towering ex-rugby league champ] Ian Roberts went ballistic at Todd. He looked like he was going to punch him.”

Pundits are divided over the causes of her stuttering trajectory since the heady days of late 2000: overexposure, a saccharine image, fans’ changing tastes, poor advice and songs. Yet one factor they all agree has helped bring her down is the virulent derision she has copped from sections of the public and the media.

Continue reading The girl who flew too high

High School Formal

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Nikki Webster
Performer and recording artist
McDonald College of Performing Arts, Sydney – Class of 2004

What do you remember of your high school formal?
The most memorable part of the night was everyone in my year arriving in their beautiful gowns and the love and happiness that were spread throughout the room.

What is your favourite memory from the night?
My favourite memory of the night was actually graduating. I never thought I could do it! Also being able to share such a wonderful night with family and friends.

Did you take a date, go with friends or go alone?
I took a great school friend, as I knew he would feel comfortable and I wouldn’t have to baby-sit all night. We still keep in contact. Continue reading High School Formal

Webster’s warning

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SYDNEY Olympics teen performer Nikki Webster has warned next week’s young opening ceremony stars to get thick skins in preparation for the knocks to come.

Webster says Australia turned on her after the 2000 Games and she thinks she’ll never outlive the stigma.

“For a 13-year-old who’s just represented their country . . . to be knocked by your country wasn’t the nicest thing,” she said yesterday.

“Hopefully Australia has learnt from my experience and learnt how much it damages and hurts young children.

“Hopefully it’s all over because it is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

Webster, now 18, sang and soared before a TV audience of billions at the 2000 Olympics opening ceremony.

She says the Olympic cauldron was barely cold before the sniping began.

“I’d gone from over-the-top nice comments like ‘She’s our hero’ to the total opposite.

“People didn’t want to get to know me and give me a fair go.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m 45 years old, there’s always going to be that stigma.”

In 2000, after the Games, Webster sang at the Melbourne Cup and was profiled on 60 Minutes. Since then, she has had one hit single, in 2001, and seven others that missed the top 10.

A suggestive photo shoot for men’s magazine FHM caused a stir a month before her 18th birthday.

Webster urged children in the ceremony to cherish their moment in the spotlight.

“I still lay there at night thinking about what it was like walking out in the middle of the arena and looking around at everyone.

“Get out and have fun. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Source: The Daily Telegraph