As a member of Virginia native Pharrell Williams’ gospel choir, Voices of Fire, Nakia Madry-Smith was on stage at the Vatican — St. Peter’s Square — performing backup for world-renowned musical icons, including Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson and Williams himself. (VPCC)
HAMPTON — Before an enormous audience in the heart of Vatican City, Nakia Madry-Smith was part of a moment that was beyond imagination.
“It was overwhelming in the best emotional way,” said Madry-Smith, director of Campus and Community Initiatives for the Southeast Peninsula at Virginia Peninsula Community College. “Everyone was in tears as soon as we got there.”
As a member of Virginia native Pharrell Williams’ gospel choir, Voices of Fire, she was on stage at St. Peter’s Square, performing backup for world-renowned musical icons, including Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson and Williams himself. The concert was a musical celebration at the Vatican in September. Livestreamed globally via Disney+ and Hulu, the event was part of the Jubilee Year preparations, a Catholic tradition celebrated once every 25 years.
The Sept. 13 performance drew thousands in person, and millions watched the livestreamed event. This was not only a show on an unmatched scale, but history in the making, she said.
For Madry-Smith, the road to Rome didn’t begin in an audition room. In church is where the Connecticut native found her singing voice.
“My father’s a pastor. Both of my grandfathers were pastors,” she recalled. “I started singing in the church choir when I was a kid. I think I was three or four. I joined the adult choir by the time I was five.”
“It was always a dream … something I knew I wanted to do,” she added, emphasizing music was never a side hobby.
Madry-Smith’s love for the craft took her to Hampton University, where she studied music engineering technology. Though classically trained, she was drawn to eclectic genres.
“I have so many different musical influences. I grew up singing church music in the choir, but my dad was also a jazz pianist. So, as I got older, I would go out and I would do like, jazz gigs with him. In high school and in college, I studied classical music. So, I don’t know that I have a specific person as an influence,” said Madry-Smith.
“I love Whitney Houston. I love Nirvana. I love Prince and Michael Jackson,” she added. “There was this tug-of-war between my love of rock, jazz, gospel and pop, and trying to fit into molds that didn’t quite suit me.”
Joining The Fuzz Band, a local group that blends R&B, funk and jazz, allowed her to rediscover her identity as a vocalist.
“I lost a bit of who I was trying to be what I thought people expected. The Fuzz Band helped me get back to me,” she mused.
She also formed her own band, Rocky 7. Its name comes from the Rocky movies, of which she’s a huge fan. With the six-member group, Madry-Smith freely and fully expresses her rocker instincts while exploring alternative soul. Another of her groups is a duo with her husband.
Reflecting on her path to join Voices of Fire, she said it was a surprising turn in life.
In 2019, Williams and his uncle, Bishop Ezekiel Williams, issued a call for local vocalists in Hampton Roads to audition. The project was first pitched as a Netflix documentary. Madry-Smith’s husband, also the leader of The Fuzz Band, encouraged her and the group’s two other vocalists to audition as a trio.
“At first, we were like, absolutely not,” she laughed. “The fear of someone telling you you’re not good enough… it’s real.”
They auditioned anyway, submitting a video first. Then came an in-person try-out where they harmonized in a three-piece arrangement. She said of trio who auditioned, one person chose to leave before the process was complete and two of them have remained part of Voices of Fire ever since.
“I had no idea what I was getting into. But I’m so glad I did it,” she said.
The invitation to sing at St. Peter’s Basilica was shrouded in secrecy. Madry-Smith said participants couldn’t discuss any aspect of it until after the event.
“I had just started my job at VPCC,” she said, pointing out she was hired in March 2025. “I was like, ‘Are they going to let me go if I can’t even tell them why I need the time off?’ I’m so grateful they did. They were incredibly supportive.”
With leave approved, Madry-Smith’s whirlwind experience began. She said rehearsals for the Voices of Fire set began in July in Virginia. The group practiced once or twice a week. The intensity rose once they were in Rome.
“We had 12-hour rehearsal days. And we were still receiving new music the night before the show,” she reflected, noting they arrived in Rome about six days before the show.
She said Voices of Fire enjoyed a set, backing various artists. They were also part of a multinational, 400-member choir during the event. In all, they sang a diverse array of songs, including “Ave Maria,” “Amazing Grace,” “Glory,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and many more. In addition to collaborations with Hudson, Legend, and Bocelli, the event featured K-pop star BamBam, Jelly Roll, and a first for the hip-hop genre: legends Clipse performed.
Despite being so close to many big-ticket entertainers, she and her fellow choir members refrained from fan behavior.
“You have to be professional, and you have to be respectful. Even though there is this instinct to be like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I recognize I’m representing not only myself, but I’m representing the choir. I’m representing those who are supporting us. I come from an environment where we are taught to be professional in all situations,” she explained.
“This choir we’re aware of what we’re doing and why we’re there. So, everyone remains professional, but we’re all (very excited) on the inside,” she added.
Madry-Smith said performance day was as logistically demanding as it was spiritually moving. Choir members were required to wear long-sleeved, floor-length black clothing with no exposed skin, appropriate for the sanctity of the space. While she understood the fully covering attire was necessary given the venue’s sanctity, she remembers the heat was stifling.
“It was over 90 degrees. We were told, ‘You take small sips of your water, but you will not be able to leave the stage. You will not be able to use the bathroom.’ So, for five hours we were on stage,” she said.
“The first three and a half hours or so (involved) camera blocking for the film crew, and then we did the dress, the run through rehearsal with all the artists we were supposed to have,” added Madry-Smith. “Everything was just running … I think it ended up being like 35 minutes that we got (as a break). During that time, we had to eat, freshen up, use the bathroom and get back to the stage.”
Madry-Smith nearly missed the performance when a dreaded wardrobe malfunction happened during a break. Her zipper had broken, leaving the outfit fully open. She recalls running around backstage frantically asking if anyone had anything to help her cover. She was given a black T-shirt but realized it wasn’t enough.
“I’m panicking because this is one of the biggest opportunities of a lifetime. And I’m not sure I’m going to make it to the stage … Finally, one of the young ladies, I think, from the Parisian choir, gave me her scarf. I tied it around like a karate belt and was able to make it out with seconds to spare to be in my proper space.”
“The night … the moment was just overwhelming. I thought, ‘Am I going to make it to the stage? Am I going to remember my lyrics?’ It was all so amazing,” she said.
Despite the grueling conditions, the emotional weight of the experience kept everyone’s spirits up.
“It was humbling to stand in that space, knowing those doors don’t just open for anyone,” said Madry-Smith.
“These aren’t the kinds of things you can’t even imagine or wish for. No one says, ‘One day I’ll sing at the Vatican.’ It’s too big for the imagination. And yet, it happened,” she said.
She admits while performing at the Vatican was a high point that may never be topped, she’s no stranger to performing abroad. The 10-member Fuzz Band has done USO tours that took them to Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey and they’ve performed in the Bahamas and Amsterdam. International travel also comes with the territory as part of Voice of Fire. She said the choir has performed at Paris Fashion Week multiple times.
Still reeling from the life-changing experience in September, Madry-Smith is focused on growing as a musician and in her leadership role at VPCC. Her bands will continue performing at weddings, festivals, clubs, and other venues locally and in other states while also creating new music and releasing albums.
“I’m grateful for careers that I can be passionate about … that I enjoy doing, where I can have an impact and serve in this stable capacity and have an impact in the community. I’m also happy to be able to support my musical dreams, those don’t diminish just because you have a nine-to-five,” she stressed.
Madry-Smith, who also has an MBA from Old Dominion University, insists she’s just getting started, pointing out that she’s always dreamed big.
“My heart’s desire ever since I was a child was to win a Grammy. That is still my heart’s desire. I hope to do that as part of Voices of Fire. And I hope to do it as a representation of the music that God has given me to write and to put out there, she said. “I would love to see both of those things happen for the group, for The Fuzz Band, for me as an individual.”