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SINGER
NIKI
HARIS
has
garnered
a
gay
audience
for
a
number
of
reasons.
One
is
her
powerful
vocals
in
the
dance
hit,
“Rhythm
is
a
Dancer,”
with
the
group
SNAP.
But
maybe
just
as
important
is
her
long-standing
role
as
one
of
Madonna’s
two
back-up
singers.
(The
other
is
Donna
DeLory.)
Haris
toured
with
Madonna
during
her
height,
on
such
shows
as
the
“Blonde
Ambition”
tour
and
the
“Girlie”
tour.
She
was
also
prominently
featured
in
the
notorious
film
“Truth
or
Dare,”
and
the
videos
for
hit
songs
like
“Music.”
Consequently,
many
a
gay
man
knows
Niki
Haris
well.
But
Haris
hopes
that
her
relationship
with
gays
runs
deeper
than
being
known
as
one
of
Madonna’s
two
sidekicks.
“I
have
always
shared
a
close
relationship
with
gays,”
Haris
says.
“My
assistants
have
all
been
gay
and
many
of
my
friends.
I
have
a
nephew
that
is
openly
gay.
I
think
my
lack
of
passing
judgment
on
people
plays
into
it.
And
I
hope
my
following
is
not
only
because
of
the
Madonna
connection,
but
because
of
my
love
for
music
overall.”
When
Haris
performs
at
Pridefest
2005
of
the
Palm
Beaches
on
Sunday,
April
3,
crowds
will
witness
Haris’s
love
of
music
firsthand.
She
will
perform
a
half
hour
dance
set
featuring
not
only
“Rhythm
is
a
Dancer”
but
also
new
dance
cuts
titled
“This
Time
Baby”
and
“Let
Me
Hear
the
Music.”
MUSIC
IS
A
NATURAL
TO
Haris,
who
has
it
in
her
background.
As
the
daughter
of
Grammy-nominated
jazz
pianist
Gene
Harris,
jazz
runs
in
her
roots.
It
led
her
to
record
a
CD
titled
“Jazz
Alley
Cats.”
And
she
has
long
been
drawn
to
Gospel
music,
performing
concerts
at
Los
Angeles’s
massive
Agape
church.
“Believe
it
or
not
there
is
a
huge
following
of
gay
men
in
the
church,”
Haris
says.
To
further
round
out
her
musical
talents,
in
2005
Haris
is
the
new
voice
of
the
R&B
group
Rufus,
stepping
into
the
shoes
of
legendary
Chaka
Khan,
the
original
voice
of
the
group.
“I
got
the
greatest
letter
from
her
stating
how
proud
she
was
of
me,”
Haris
says.
“It
was
like
the
passing
of
the
baton.”
But
if
you
went
to
Madonna’s
“Reinvention
Tour”
last
year,
you
didn’t
see
Haris
on
stage.
It
was
the
first
time
in
18
years
that
Haris
didn’t
hit
the
road
with
the
queen
of
pop.
Saying
no
was
not
a
hard
decision,
she
says.
“I
had
a
beautiful
baby
looking
up
at
me,”
Haris
says.
“She
just
turned
two
on
February
20,
so
she
was
almost
one
around
the
time
the
tour
was
getting
off
the
ground.
And
I
was
still
nursing.
It
was
time
to
stop.
Madonna
knew
it
and
I
knew
it.”
Yet
faithful
fans
and
followers
of
the
Material
Girl
missed
Haris.
“I
got
a
lot
of
e-mails
letting
me
know
I
was
sorely
missed
on
the
tour,”
Haris
says.
“And
I
was
told
it
was
a
different
tour
because
I
wasn’t
there.
Can
I
say
I
missed
it?
I
can’t
say
I
did.
Later
on
I
was
doing
my
own
show
in
almost
every
city
they
were
in,
and
that
felt
good.”
But
Haris
is
not
closing
the
door
on
her
back-up
days
for
good.
She
says
she
is
always
open
to
possibilities,
as
long
as
they
are
fulfilling.
“I
did
what
I
needed
to
do,”
Haris
says.
“I
think
Madonna
has
to
do
what
she
wants
to
do.
I’m
not
interested
in
the
revamping
of
old
stuff.
I
think
we
did
the
best
we
could
in
the
‘Blonde
Ambition’
and
‘Girlie
Show’
tours.
From
then
on
it
was
kind
of
regurgitation.
I
loved
the
‘Drowned
World
Tour’
but
I
think
we
started
to
move
to
a
darker
side,
even
though
Madonna
thought
it
was
a
more
spiritual
side.
It
didn’t
feel
that
way
to
me,
so
that’s
when
I
knew
it
was
time
to
step
off.”
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