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Seventeen-year-old Nikki Leonti sings with a voice that is mature far beyond her years. Likewise, she thinks with clarity and awareness seldom found in one so young. But most importantly--and endearingly--she lives and loves with the pure, child-like faith that Christ instructed all his followers to model.

Recorded when she was the tender age of 16, Nikki's debut album, Shelter Me, marks the culmination of a childhood clearly blessed and marked with a divine purpose, and the beginning of a career destined to touch the masses. Under the sure hands of premier producers John and Dino Elefante, Shelter Me is, by turns, lighthearted and uplifting, deeply thought-provoking, and always overflowing with the joy of Nikki's passionate commitment to her music and her Lord. Though Nikki cites CeCe Winans and Crystal Lewis as important influences, it's clear that she has already found a voice that is uniquely and singularly her own.

And it's a voice that is now being recognized by tens of thousands. Since the release of Shelter Me in August of 1998, Nikki as had a #1 AC single with "Everlasting Place," and three Top 5 AC hits with "It'll Be Alright," "It Will Come To You," and "Love One Another," a duet with John Elefante. She has toured with Sierra, 4Him, Greg Long, Newsong, Clay Crosse, Aaron Jeoffrey, Russ Taff and Wayne Watson, in addition to doing numerous dates on her own. Over the summer of 1999, she was featured on the main stages at Creation East and West, Alive Fest and Icthus, as well as at several Luis Palau Crusades.

All of this started with the musical pleasure that is Shelter Me. With strong, deftly chosen material and a powerful performance and production, Shelter Me captures the energy and freshness of youth with a depth and appeal that touches people of all ages. "The songs on the album range from rock and dance music to big, pop ballads," Nikki explains. "It has diversity and I think it will appeal to a lot of high school and college-age kids as well as my parent's generation."

"Love One Another" is a dazzling ballad on which Nikki and John Elefante share soaring vocals. It's not surprising that the song has a special place in Nikki's heart. "That's one of my favorites," she says. "Singing with John was an incredible experience for me, and the lyrics have a message that's simple but still deep: We're all here, so we might just as well forget our differences and love each other, because that's what God would have us do."

A mid-tempo Top 40 gem, "It Will Come To You," artfully mixes substance with irresistible radio-ready accessibility. The title track stands as a cornerstone of the album, with a plaintive, heartfelt vocal crying out for God's mercy and protection.

"One World" is a compelling anthem written by Nikki. As she describes it: "It's a call to all Christians to go and tell other people about Jesus Christ. There are so many people who are hurting and lost, who really need to hear firsthand that Jesus is real...that He's your friend and He loves you."

Born with a gift for song, Nikki grew up in a home that nurtured both her spirit and her singing. She watched her mother lead worship every Sunday in the family's church, as her father played drums in the band. The Leonti's were active in ongoing evangelical outreaches to the community, and at an early age Nikki learned a love for music and the Lord, as well as compassion for the people and the world around her.

She began singing solos in church at the age of seven. By her 13th birthday, Nikki was recording on a small label owned by one of the judges in a local talent contest in which she'd taken first prize. Joined by her older brother on keyboard, Nikki and her parents wrote and performed all the songs on the album. The project was little noticed outside of Nikki's church, family and friends, but it was all the experience she needed to know what she wanted to do with her life.

The album did, however, find it's way to the Elefantes, and although they considered Nikki too young at the time to embark on a recording career, they were duly impressed with her talent and kept a distant, but interested, eye on her. Two years later, when the brothers heard a five-song demo of new material from Nikki, Dino--along with Mike Schatz, Pamplin Music Executive Vice President, and Willie Aames, Vice President of Pamplin Entertainment--flew immediately to her home in Corona, California, to hear her do a showcase performance. They offered her a contract with Pamplin Music the next day.

Nikki, in the most pleasant of ways, is excited but largely unfazed by all the attention. "My life is really normal, which is how it should be," she says. "I still sing in church, go to the mall and hang out with my friends. I believe this is something God's brought into my life and I don't deserve any glory. He could have chosen anybody. All the glory is His."

And even on the verge of seeing her childhood dreams realized sooner than even a vivid imagination could conjure, Nikki still holds tightly to the firm foundation her parents and the Lord have built for her.

"I've never dreamed of being some kind of big star or anything, and I still don't," she concludes. "I never even thought about music as anything but ministry until somebody came into my life and asked me to do an album. I just want to keep ministering the way my family and I have always done--the way I was brought up. If I can just continue doing that, I'll be happy and grateful to God."