Nicky Prince

This interview with Nicky Prince explores her long career as a singer and performer from Milton Keynes, charting her early creative beginnings through to major musical successes and her ongoing work in the industry. Born in Aylesbury and raised in Milton Keynes, she grew up surrounded by 1970s soul and funk, inspired by artists such as James Brown, Gladys Knight and George Benson through her mother’s musical tastes. Her first entry into performance was not singing but dance, beginning classes from the age of three and spending much of her childhood at the Compass Club in Bletchley. Dance became a crucial source of confidence and self-expression, helping her overcome shyness and shaping her identity as a performer.

As she grew older, her involvement in performance gradually shifted from dance into music. Her first step into singing came through local cover bands, including The Business, before forming the original dance band Face with Colin Preston. Recording in Preston’s home studio allowed her to develop her vocal skills and begin performing original material. Through the 1990s she became involved in a number of Milton Keynes-based groups, including RPM and United People, performing regularly at pubs, festivals and venues such as Best Cellars. These local gigs and collaborations were central to building a name for herself in the area.

Her connection to hip-hop culture came mainly through collaboration and shared spaces rather than being part of the rap scene directly. United People incorporated a rapper into their line-up, and she performed at events like Flip the Script, which brought together DJs, live musicians, dancers and graffiti artists. She describes these events as creative melting pots where people from different musical backgrounds came together and “made things happen” themselves.

A major turning point in her career came through working with producer Z-Bias. Their UK garage track Neighbourhood, released in 2000, reached number 25 in the UK charts and became widely recognised as a genre classic. The success led to TV appearances, major club performances, radio play and later performances at large venues such as the O2 Arena. She also released earlier vinyl collaborations and continued recording across garage, house and soul genres.

Alongside recording work, she has maintained a long-term career as a professional vocalist, performing in theatre tribute shows and touring regularly across the UK. She later released the vinyl project Listen Up, which reflects her soul and funk roots. Reflecting on Milton Keynes, she emphasises the importance of self-starting creativity: opportunities were often created by individuals rather than institutions. For her, music and hip-hop culture bring people together through shared passion, collaboration and community, particularly among those who feel different or outside the mainstream.