When the MadonnaTribe team met Madonna's Confessions Tour backing singer Nicki Richards in Paris last August and spent some time with her, we left with the mutual promise of sitting down for a nice chat about her carrer and her tour experience with M, as soon as the tour would have ended.
And here it is.. MadonnaTribe meets Nicki Richards!

NR: I did indeed audition, and it was good. She was funny and professional and knew exactly what she wanted right away. I respected that immediately.

MT: Were you already familiar with Madonna's music before the show? Do you have a favourite Madonna song?

NR: The first time I heard "Everybody" I thought I was gonna fall down, it had such great energy. Just sassy! I was in a store today and they played "Die Another Day" over the speakers, and me and everyone in the store danced and sang along. Hysterical.
I love "Music", "Like A Prayer", "Vogue", "Nothing Really Matters", "Justify My Love", "Frozen", "Bedtime Story".... I could keep going.... The songs with a message appeal to me. She's talking about some deep stuff.

MT: Is this the first time you happened to be in a show that is more like a theatrical presentation, where you have to dance, sing and act, all at the same time?

NR: No, I've always done things where I'm able to do it all, luckily.

MT: How was it working with Stuart Price on the musical part of the show?

NR: I think everyone at some point or another upon knowing Stuart will have a gigantic crush on him! He is one of the sweetest, funniest, most giving people I know. Musically it was cool because he knows what he wants, communicates it clearly, no muss no fuss. There was a lot of experimentation and laughter.
He's quite the droll little bad boy.

MT: Was it hectic behind the stage during the tour?

NR: Definitely, but it was more like an elaborate dance; I go under the stage and pass Sofia on the left while a crane lifts the cage overhead before I crawl into a "toaster" and pop up out of the floor.. You have to know where you're going and exactly when if you don't want to get run over by 80 other people!

MT: Do you have a favourite moment in the show, even if you're not on stage?

NR: You know I'm going to say "Lucky Star", because that's when I get to interact with both the audience and Madonna. I got to talk mess and trade jokes for a second. Best part of the show!!

MT: Soon after the birthday show in London on August 16th we spoke to Donna and she said Madonna was really surpised by the surprise of you two on stage singing happy birthday.

She said she was worried you were on stage because you were supposed to have your hair done for the next number... What do you remember of that occasion?

NR: That was fun... The look on her face was priceless! Donna and I just wanted to bring the love and get everyone in the place to sing "Happy Birthday".
And it definitely was a quicker, more hectic Charlie's Angels Hairdo moment, but we managed to still pull it off!

MT: That couple of nights were also special because they were shooting the DVD.
It was great for us to be front row those nights and see how the cameramen worked.
What do you recall of those night with all those extra cameras around.

NR: The cameras were fine... I was going to say that you get used to them, but you never really do! We were all so in the swing of things by that point that our mission was to just do what we do, make it hot, try to forget the cameras, and let the magic take over. I like to think that's what we did.

MT: With this tour Madonna visited some countries for the first time, like Russia and the Czech Republic. Did you feel the audience had a different energy in thosecountries and what do you remember of those days?

NR: It was interesting. The fans in London, Paris, Rome or New York are wonderfully enthusiastic. They ferociously let you know if they like what you're doing as soon as you walk out of the hotel, say.

Prague and Moscow were so interesting because it was almost like they weren't quite sure it was okay... I'd walk out of the hotel and they'd just watch silently, until I said "Hi!"... Then the enthusiasm came pouring out!
Just as excited, but not as used to it in the same way, maybe. Once they got going, though, they were truly moving. I hugged and cried with more people in Moscow than anywhere else. Oh yeah, I'm excited to say that I'll be back in Moscow in December with Tina Turner, if you can believe it. I mean, who gets to go there twice in a year?

MT: The Moscow show was also unique because you all sang "Give Peace A Chance" on stage before "Drowned World", in the moment when Madonna usually has her longer speech with the audience.
How did it feel to take part of that special moment?

NR: Madonna really knows how to shake things up and move the world. To be a part of that in any way is just staggering. She meant it from the heart, we all meant it. It's important that folks heard it.

MT: How was working with Jamie King, the musical director of the Confessions Tour?

NR: I first met Jamie on Anastacia's gig... He is the hardest working man in show biz! I don't know how he does it. And he manages to stay so calm and gorgeous, even when thing are completely hectic! He's also so great at giving direction. He tells you why he wants what he wants and engages everyone. Powerful.

MT: The group of people working on this Madonna tour seemed really like a big family. What's your fondest memory of touring together with the dancers? Do you have a favourite one?

NR: The dancers cracked me up daily. They have so much energy so they're always moving and cracking jokes. Cloud and Mihran could make me laugh so hard my abs hurt all day, 'til the tears would just run freely. Charm is just like a little sister to me.

I loved watching everyone's rituals before a show... Hypnosis was funny in rehearsals and completely focused at showtime. I love the whole gang.

MT: The tour schedule was really tight and the show very demanding, so let me ask you, which was your best day off?

NR: Any day off felt completely decadent! And a day off still didn't mean you could just chill out... There still were workouts, maybe laundry... The best days off would have to be the ones where I could really stay in my PJ's all day... And you know there weren't too many of those!
I loved the days I could wander around whatever city I was in - Prague, Rome, Dusseldorf, my beloved Paris...

MT: And what about Donna De Lory. She is great and you became great friends.
You even gave her a nickname calling her Delroy...

NR: Donna De Lory is a tiny little angel here on earth... Yes, she's just my soul sister DelRoy! She's warm-hearted, mischievous, fun-loving.

She doesn't take no for an answer! She does a lot of yoga so I tease her and call her "Bendy".
This was an intense summer and we've been through a lot together. It means so much when you know you can really count on someone when it comes down to it. It was a blast singing with her onstage and off, and we're trying to put some things together musically now.

MT: Do you stay in touch with fellow crew members of the Confessions Tour?

NR: Everyone is from a different part of the world, and the internet has been a great way to stay connected with some folks...

MT: Was working with Madonna somehow different from the other artists you teamed up with? Is there something you brought with you from these 6 months - as a professional singer and of course, as a human being as well?

NR: Absolutely! I don't know if I've ever worked so hard in my life. I felt respected, encouraged and challenged. My discipline muscle got kicked up a few notches!! There's no half-stepping when you know you'll walk into rehearsal the next day and Madonna's going to be there, warmed up, ready and working harder than anyone there! How she works and how she thinks really raises the bar, and I will always keep that with me.

MT: How was your relationship with the Madonna fans. You meet many of them around the world, including the Tribe team.
We were very impressed by the energy and joy you have when you interact with people!

NR: Tribers are the best!! Y'all brought the love... Couldn't help but have fun! People were great everywhere.
I was new so people were sweet, but you should have seen them around DelRoy!! Out of control!! lol

MT: Going back to music, you wrote and co-produced your own album "Naked to the World" on Atlantic Records.
How would you describe the experience of working as a solo artist, what inspires you and how different is the relationship with your own audience?

NR: Being a solo artist is so great. It's such a blessing to be able to write a song about what's on your mind, play and sing the mess out of it and then have maybe someone hear it, and maybe even like it!
I'm just standing here in my truth with the music. It's so obvious to me how powerful and omnipresent music is when I hear from people that are listening from all over the world. It just blows me away.

MT: What are you working on right now? I know there's a single coming out with David Morales called "Keep It Coming".
Personally I grew up listening to dance music and every time David put his magic touch to a song for one of his remixes it was pure brilliance. His remix of "Deeper And Deeper" is no exception.

Did you have a great time in the studio recording the song? The vocals are so full of energy...

NR: Oh, wow, I've known David Morales for a long time, and we'd been threatening to do something together for ages. He's incredible. His music is indeed exciting…. Makes the butt bump! Can't help it! It's always a party when David's in the house. I adore him. I got to sing my face off on that record, and he gets that little half smile when he likes something... It was too much fun.

MT: And what are your plans for the future? I read that you are working on a new record, so I guess the one-day-of-jet-lag-per-hour went away quickly :-)

NR: See, there's that influence! Yeah, I'm hot and ready to go. New tunes, new vibe, great musicians. Should be a good time.

MT: Xmas and the end of 2006 are coming, what is in retrospect the biggest gift you have received this year?

NR: The gift I received this year was the gift of an unforgettable, incredible life experience! I learned some life-changing lessons like what's going on with global warming (I went and changed out all my lightbulbs for energy-efficient ones, for instance), I traveled the world with a wild bunch of colorful people, I performed in front of and connected with audiences as big as 85,000 strong in the most successful show on the planet. Now that's what I call a freakin' gift!

MTribe: This is something we ask all the artists we interview to usually close our interviews. What's your fondest memory of Madonna?

Nicki: Successfully making her crack a smile at the beginning of "Lucky Star"... Or anytime she laughed; I was just moved...

MTribe: Ok, and is there something you wish to "confess" to our readers to close this chat?

NR: Stuart Price has the cleanest underwear in the band... lol
(What? He did his laundry...) ;-)

MT: Thanks a lot for having been chatting with us Nicki :)

NR: My pleasure, truly. I Love y'all!!!