Nicole Fuller
She’s currently with a band called Skyway. She’s sung with bands like Fever, Hypnotix, and Atlantic Crossing. She’s also a local celebrity in Connecticut and in southern Massachusetts for her tributes to Lady Gaga and other famous women singers. But, exactly who is Nicole Fuller, the Connecticut based singer and tribute artist. Trained as dancer and a piano player, Fuller just took her confidence into the music scene and made things happen.
“I auditioned for the band Skyway over a year and a half ago. They were looking for a new female lead singer and I was out and about singing with another band Hypnotix at the same clubs that Skyway performs at,” Fuller said. “The booking agent recommended me to Skyway. They reached out to me seeing if I would be interested and I asked to see a list of their music. I knew all of the songs already so it was pretty easy.”
After auditioning for two hours, Fuller had the job. She’s been at every gig since then. Disco, R&B, dance, pop, rock, and country covers make up the Skyway set list.
“t’s all very familiar music that people enjoy dancing to,” the singer said. “I like it because it’s stuff I like to sing and it suits my style.”
Nicole Fuller with Skyway
Fuller didn’t have any previous connection to Skyway. It was a twist of fate the she became their female vocalist. “I didn’t know they existed until they reached out to me. I didn’t research them or anything before I showed up. I just knew they knew people I knew and it was all word of mouth. The band leader started the band before I was even born.”
Joining the Connecticut-based Skyway was a step in the right direction.
“They know what they are doing and they teach me how to be in a band,” Fuller said. “They are seasoned experienced musicians and I am learning.”
Fuller’s first band was Atlantic Crossing, an outfit managed by its singer Rick Larrimore who also sings for his own Rod Stewart tribute band. Fuller leapt into the band through her interest in tribute shows. She was performing in a Lady Gaga tribute act and she was interested in performing in a Christmas tribute show with Larrimore.
“I had called him asking him if he would like to do a little show with me,” she recounted. “He said he’d think about it and invited me to audition as a backup vocalist for his tribute band.”
Larrimore already had a band called Blondes Have More Fun based out of the Boston area but he was then living in western Massachusetts and started up Atlantic Crossing. He sent Fuller his music and she learned all of his songs before auditioning.
Nicole Fuller; Rick Larrimore
“They picked three random songs to practice and I just jumped in with some background stuff and he hired me on the spot after my audition,” she said. Unfortunately, the world shut down shortly after due to the Covid pandemic that hit in 2020. Fuller and Atlantic Crossing were one of the first to play Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire when its owner held Covid era concerts out in the parking lot.
“I remember we hadn’t been in front of audiences for a long time so it was very exciting to do a show. It was just an Atlantic Crossing show.” Fuller found herself on another adventure when Atlantic Crossing got to perform at Daryl’s House in upstate New York.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting into or what Daryl’s House even was before I got there but I found out it’s a kind of a big deal cool place to do a gig, after I did it,” Fuller said. “It was pretty neat. It was live on YouTube and it’s still on YouTube. I was just a background singer doing oo’s and ah’s at that gig and a newbie so I just smiled along and did my best.”
Not long after that fortuitous success, the clubs, restaurants, theaters, and casinos heard about her by word of mouth and they came calling.
“I just started doing it, and it all led to the next thing,” Fuller said of her circuitous route into the live music scene. She was a backup dancer for a while with a friend who performs a Cher tribute and she had done karaoke here and there. She was already performing professionally at Six Flags which gave her some experience in front of a crowd.”
At that time, there was a new singer named Lady Gaga making her debut in the music world and Fuller began experimenting with ideas for a Gaga tribute, which she came to title Lady Niki.
“I just started getting gigs. At first some of them were free gigs or low paying gigs but I just would get an opportunity, and I would show up and do it and then someone would see me and they would hire me,” the singer recounted.
Developing connections along the way was a boon. “I have a lot of show business friends and connections too so that seemed to help with the opportunities,” she said. “All the places that hire me seem to hear about me from somewhere else. I don’t try to reach out to anyone. I’ve done that a couple times and it seems like the job would fall through. It really seems to work out for the best when the client really wants me to perform for them.”
Performing as Lady Gaga eventually lead to Fuller playing special events and LGBTQ+ gigs. One of her first Gaga gigs was at a gay club. She has performed her Lady Gaga tribute for Pride events in the Massachusetts town of Suffield, Enfield, Springfield, Avon.
“I think it’s because the artist Lady Gaga is very pro LGBTQ and she has the “Born This Way” anthem. So it all fits together and that’s why I have gotten chosen for the Pride gigs in the past. Because I have friends who know someone who knows someone and they heard of me. I really don’t know how people hear about me but they seem to find out and they reach out and I show up.”
Fuller researched Gaga after hearing “Poker Face” and perceiving this new singer was going to be big. Fuller participated in a talent show at work singing Gaga songs with back up dancers.
“At first it was just for my friends for fun and then I started getting gigs! I remember I posted a couple videos on Facebook and just told people on Facebook this is what I’m doing now. And that’s how it started. I was lucky to have friends who knew I was capable and they gave me opportunities to perform. I took advantage of every opportunity.”
Nicole Fuller as Lady Niki, tribute to Lady Gaga.
Fuller’s Gaga show was initially dance oriented with two backup dancers at all performances, heavily choreographed. Her Gaga shows bridge a gap between her tribute shows and her live band gigs. Fuller performs on the keyboards during portions of the Gaga show instead of relying merely on backing tracks.
“Gaga plays piano so I would put that into my act when I could. I used to take lessons when I was a kid. Before I took lessons I would sit and play by ear and try to play songs I heard on the radio and figure out where the notes were,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say I’m wicked good at it, but I know how to read music. I learned Gaga’s songs which were pretty easy to learn in her earlier work. Her recent work is more difficult and challenging to learn but I try to learn her new stuff too.”
Fuller gets a lot of work in live bands and for her tribute acts for someone who doesn’t reach out to interested parties as much as interested parties reach out to her. Her name recognition stretches from Connecticut to southern Massachusetts to southern New Hampshire.
“I think it’s because I’m just a very good person to work with and people like it and they talk about me and say good things,” Fuller said. She offers new bands and tribute shows the full professional resume.
“I am a trained dancer and performer so I am very professional,” she continued. “I show up prepared. I practice. I don’t cause drama. I learn new songs. I am not afraid to sing any song. I don’t say no to songs. I can harmonize easily. I have a good voice. I’m just easy. I don’t complain. I do the work. I show up on time and early. I show up to rehearsals. I’m reliable. I don’t drink or do drugs. I take time to put together good outfits.”
Fuller recently created and performed in her own Taylor Swift tribute, but she doesn’t take credit for it. She had clients asking her for a Swift tribute as her friends are always recommending her.
“She’s a very popular singer right now so it’s a smart idea for any female singer out there right now to know her songs,” Fuller said. “Luckily, people hire me to tribute her as well so that’s an honor. Her music is taking me longer to learn because I wasn’t actually a fan of her music. I don’t listen to Taylor Swift. I had to learn all of that stuff in order to perform it and thankfully it went well and people want to hire me again after my performance. I’m still learning her music and it’s a totally different sound and style from Gaga.”
Fuller’s Taylor Swift tribute suddenly became more meaningful to her than what she expected. It was a whole new ballgame singing to Swifties. “The energy from the younger audience is very sweet. The little girls look at me like I’m famous and it’s very cute;” Fuller said. “I never heard anyone screaming before I went onstage until I started doing Taylor Swift. So that is very exciting and it makes me feel pretty special. They tend to sing every single word too at those shows which is entertaining for me and fun.
Hypnotix, one of Fuller’s former bands.
Whether it’s the live music scene or her tribute shows, Fuller maintains didn’t really have a blueprint or strategy to end up doing shows several miles from home. It just happened.
“Working with Rick Larrimore brought me to a lot of places. I worked with a wedding band, Fever, too, for a while which connected me to a lot more musicians and more word of mouth,” she said. “Working well with others, showing up, being prepared, and doing the job, trying not to suck, no complaining, putting in the work and practice.” Fuller noted that everyone in the music scene know each other and that it pays to have a good attitude because people will talk about you. “You really need to have a good attitude if you want to make friends and get more jobs. And it helps if you learn fast too.”
Nicole Fuller playing keyboards as Lady Niki
Fuller has no formal music training aside from some piano lessons and two voice lessons. “It’s a gift from God. I used to sing a lot growing up in my room and I joke and say that all the singers on the radio are my voice teachers. They trained me. I picked up by listening to them and using my ears.”
Despite all of the work Fuller does in live music bands and in tribute shows, it’s all a second career to her. She is actually a dancer first and she has been teaching dance for 26 years, saying it’s her “real job.”
“I teach five nights a week and now I’m training future dancers and performers,” she exclaimed. “Now my students want voice lessons because they see what I’m doing and they want to do it too. So I am inspiring the youth I guess too. I’m lucky I am trained in dance because it has helped me with my stage presence.”
Nicole Fuller’s live music schedule for the next two months is: 
