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“When attending Church even as a toddler, Nic would stand in the aisle clapping and singing along. He always amazed me being right on pitch and perfectly on beat.†           Mrs. Carmella Neufeld
Rivenmaster’s Place is always happy to find new young artists to introduce to our readers. I think one of the greatest joys of working this site is being able to follow some of these youngsters from the very beginning of their musical journey, and watching their progress along the way! While some take off like rockets other just slowly plug along gaining invaluable experience, honing their musical prowess as they go!Â
Eleven year old Nic Neufeld lives in the very small town of Dodsland , Saskatchewan. By small town, I mean a population of 200 people. But there is nothing small about the talent or the drive that Nic Neufeld demonstrates to succeed as a performing vocal artist.
Nic has been singing since he was able to talk, often performing for family and friends. When younger, Nic would walk around with his microphone and toy guitars. Even as a baby music was a comfort to Nic.  If he was crying, his parents would turn on music and he would immediately stop.  At 3 years old he would walk around the house singing his favorite Wiggles, or Backyardigans songs.
Nic covers Justin Bieber “Love Meâ€
When YTV began playing Justin Bieber videos, Nic became and instant fan. Nic’s parents enrolled him in piano lessons but soon found that he just wanted to play, not really enjoying the structure of lessons.  While they encourage him to continue, Nic only wanted to play by ear. At 6 years old he stopped taking lessons, but continued to sing and just have fun on the piano.
In December of 2010 Nic was given the opportunity to sing a short solo in the school Christmas Pageant. The response Nic received was amazing! Leaving the audience with tears in their eyes, Nic had found his “Giftâ€.
He performed again in the spring of 2011 at the school’s Showcase Night, singing Justin Bieber’s “Baby” bringing the audience to their feet. He practiced a few songs at home after that, but had no place to perform.Â
Nic’s Mom explained;
“One of the songs he had been practicing was “Pray”. When Nic’s grandfather passed away in August of 2011, Nic’s aunts asked him to sing at the funeral. He went up and sang his little heart out for his grandpa in front of 700 people. I am sure there was not a dry eye in the Church and I have never heard applause at a funeral, but we heard it that day.â€
Slide show featuring Nic’s first live performance
 
In June of 2012 Nic’s mom put together a video slideshow of Nic’s performance from his grandpa’s funeral. She then contacted Wes Inaba of Pure Artists, who said he had one opening left and would accept Nic as a student. Nic’s parents liked the Pure Artist mandate to give back to the community through the gift of song, as they had always thought of Nic’s voice as a gift.
In July of 2012 Nic started lessons in Edmonton , Alberta. The family has to travel 4 hours each way, but Nic uses the time wisely by practicing and looking for new songs to sing. Â Nic performed at his first Event in July at the Woodcroft Community Hoe Down and on the same day at the Sherlock Holmes Charity Car Show in support of Youth Empowerment Support Services of Edmonton. His parents didn’t know what to expect as this was a big city in front of a large crowd, not a small town school gymnasium.
His Mom confessed;
“It was like watching a bird fly for the first time, he had found his wings and he was soaring, I knew there was no stopping him. After the show he said it was the most fun he had ever had in his life and he couldn’t wait to hit the stage again.â€
Nic then performed at the “Whyte Avenue Street Festival†for the Edmonton Food Bank in September as well as “The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CIBC) Run†for the Cure Edmonton. This was by far the largest fundraiser Nic had been a part of with the others from Pure Artists. With a crowd of around 10,000 people his mom thought he might freeze, but Nic performed 5 cover songs by artists One Direction, Justin Bieber and Jason Mraz, he even got the crowd singing along with him to “Babyâ€.
Nic sings “I Want†by One Direction
In October he performed for the “Kathy’s Run for Pancreatic Cancer†in Edmonton which was an outdoor event. Even though the weather was inclimate, Nic and 4 other artists faced the elements performing for 4 hours, taking turns singing and trying to stay warm.
Nic put on a Halloween concert at lunchtime at school for the kids to introduce them to the “New Nic”. One of the other students Mother called Nic’s Mom saying her son was going on about how good the Justin Bieber Concert was at lunch, it made them all chuckle.
Nic began taking Hip Hop lessons in October at Shelley’s Dance Studio to learn additional moves for his stage performances. He especially enjoys working with Shelley Tookey on choreography for some of his songs. He will be entering competition for Hip Hop in the spring,
On December 1st, he performed for the “Stuff A Bus Food Bank Drive†in Sherwood Park. Even though he was ill the night before, he insisted on being there. With a fever of 101 and a chest and head cold he sang two sets with 7 songs each, he did not want to let anyone down.
In December of 2012 Nic also had the chance to sing at West Edmonton Mall for the “Kids Kottage Radiothon†on Shine FM on December 13.  Kids Kottage is a respite for families that are dealing with crisis and need a safe place for their children to stay.
Nic’s Mom exclaims,
“It’s amazing for me to see the transformation in my child and his teachers comment on how confident and more settled he is now.â€
Nic is very dedicated to singing and practices for hours. His biggest influences are Justin Bieber, One Direction, Austin Mahone, Jason Mraz, and Cody Simpson. He loves to give back and help others and has had so much fun meeting other young people who love music and are so encouraging. The artists at Pure Artists are like family and they are always ready to help and offer words of advice. Nic truly feels like he fits in for the first time in his life. Being from a small town all the others play hockey and he did too until 2 years ago, it just wasn’t for him. 
He still spends time at the rink watching his younger brother play and officiates minor hockey games.
The young girls love Nic and rush to meet him as he gets off the stage, it is quite intimidating at times but he gets off the stage and is a normal 11 year old waiting to go play on the playground or ride his dirt bike.
In addition to performing Nic enjoys dirt biking, officiating hockey games, computer programming and playing with his dogs and cat. He also loves being out in the shop greasing a truck or helping his Dad fix things. He has also started pulling apart small motors to figure out how they work and has fixed a couple as well.
I asked Nic to leave you with a little Q & A so you could meet him up close and personal. The following video is an exclusive self introduction created especially for this article. Â
Thanks Nic! We wish you the very best of success in the future!
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