Nick Fradiani
Nicholas James Fradiani IV (born November 15, 1985)[1] is an American singer from Guilford, Connecticut.[2] He rose to regional attention as the lead singer of pop/rock band Beach Avenue when they won the Battle of the Bands at Mohegan Sun in 2011. He gained national recognition in 2014 when he competed on the ninth season of the reality talent show America's Got Talent, although he only made it to "Judgment Week".[3]
Nick Fradiani
Nicholas James Fradiani IV
November 15, 1985
Guilford, Connecticut, U.S.
Singer
2011–present
Beach Avenue
In 2015, Fradiani entered as a solo singer on the fourteenth season of American Idol. Fradiani won the show in May 2015, becoming the first winner from the Northeast region. He released an album, Hurricane, with Big Machine Label Group in August 2016. He has subsequently released a six-song EP in fall 2017, as an indie artist[4] and toured with The Alternate Routes.[5]
Early life and education[edit]
Fradiani was born on November 15, 1985, in New Haven, Connecticut. He is the son of Nick Fradiani III, a musician who, as of 2016, regularly performs at Water's Edge Resort and Spa,[6] as well as in clubs and restaurants, and on cruise ships, and Elizabeth Fradiani (née Maher).[7][8] He is of three-quarters Italian and one-quarter Irish descent.[9] His father gave his son a drum set when he was two years old,[10] and encouraged him to learn to play piano and later guitar.[8] Fradiani has a sister, Kristen, who was born a day before his sixth birthday on November 14, 1991. Kristen and their paternal cousins Jamie and Nicole attend Southern Connecticut State University. Their paternal cousin, Dean Fradiani Jr., son of the elder Nick's late brother Dean Fradiani Sr., is the owner of Fradiani Landscaping, LLC, in East Haven.
Fradiani graduated from Guilford High School in 2004.
Fradiani has a bachelor's degree in history from Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts.[11] He intermittently worked as a substitute teacher at schools while mainly focusing on picking up gigs at local bars wherever he could. He also briefly held a daytime job as a computer software salesman.[12]
Career[edit]
2011–2014: Beach Avenue[edit]
Fradiani rose to regional attention as the lead singer of Milford, Connecticut-based pop/rock band Beach Avenue when they won the Battle of the Bands at Mohegan Sun in 2011. The five-member band released original materials including the Something to Believe In EP in June 2012 and Driving That Road EP in July 2013. In 2014, they released two singles: "Coming Your Way" and "Feel the Beat."[13]
The members of the band are: