Nikki Leighton-Thomas was born to a Mauritian mother and Welsh father in Bath and grew up in England and Mauritius. She sang in choirs at an early age, competing in vairous festivals and began acting in theatre. While at school, she formed a smal jazz trio with local musicians and sang in hotels. She studed at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and had a successful a varied career as an actress in TV, film and theatre. She toured in plays and acted in Fringe Theatre. After a never ending tour of a play called Murder by Sex, she decided that her future lay in music and singing.

Her debut album 'Forbidden Games' was released on the Candid label and features many of the musicians she has appeared with on the London jazz scene. The album is a collection of songs written by Fran Landesman and Simon Wallace, who began writing together in 1994 and have been working with Nikki since 1996.