Penticton singer named best new artist at Portuguese music awards
Although born and raised in Penticton, Nikita Afonso has always been proud of her Portuguese heritage.
The 23-year-old musician, who now lives full-time in Vancouver, added another accolade to her already impressive resume, winning Best New Talent at the 5th annual International Portuguese Music Awards held in Boston.
“I feel honoured to be recognized for all of my hard work,” she said. “I’m proud of my heritage and it’s something very close to my upbringing and my culture.”
Her grandparents were born in Portugal, as well as her father. She’s not fluent in the language — she understands it better than she speaks it — but will brush up because with the award comes a promotional trip to Portugal.
She and one other were nominated in the new talent category after submitting a video for consideration. Both nominees performed at the ceremony and the award was decided on by their performance.
Afonso submitted a song she wrote, “Frost Bite,” from her new album “Games.”
“It’s definitely a ballad, a love song about the desire to be in love but for some reason it’s not working out,” she said, admitting it’s partly autobiographical.
“It’s my strongest song so far in terms of honesty and lyrics. The format is different from a typical pop song in that it’s not verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus and it helped me stand out a bit.”
Her parents, Tony and Anna, were in the audience and the day after the awards, were able to spend time together as a family sightseeing in Boston.
A graduate of Selkirk College’s contemporary music and technology program, Afonso now sings six nights a week in clubs and lounges in Vancouver, hoping to take her career to the next level.
“I’m very fortunate because in the lounges I play, the managers do want to hear some originals and I’m not limited to strictly covers.”
She performs mostly as a soloist, but does have a band for larger gigs which includes drummer Terence Wendenburg, who also hails from Penticton.
“Games,” her second official release, is available on iTunes and all major streaming sites and on her website: nikitaafonso.com.