Early Life
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter was born on 10 November 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand. Her mother Loretta Sheerin, of Māori descent, was a model. Coulter's parents separated before she was born, and she was raised by her mother. Coulter and Sheerin relocated to Gold Coast, Queensland when she was three months old. Coulter's father figure at the time was her grandfather Rocky. Sheerin gave Coulter every chance to visit her biological father in New Zealand. "He wasn't a part of my life. I'd go over there and stay with him and his family, it was just weird to me. Then when I got to an age where I could speak up to Mum, about six or seven, I said, 'I don't want to go; I don't like it.'"
She attended Southport State Primary School and experienced the personal struggles of a lonely childhood as she wanted a life similar to her school friends. "Their mums and dads were married. They had brothers and sisters. They had afternoon tea. They had a cooked dinner. I never had that. I'd get home from school and there was nothing in the cupboard. I would eat mouldy bread and drink water because that would fill me up". Coulter grew up mostly on her own because her mother had worked two jobs to pay the bills. During primary school, Coulter participated in many sports, including swimming, touch football and netball, which she played for six years. When Coulter was nine years old, her mother met John, a man of Scottish descent who she now calls her step father. Coulter has two step sisters, Jodie and Emily.
As a teenager, she attended Southport State High School. At the age of 15, Coulter had a serious knee injury which required reconstructive surgery. She was told she would never play netball again. Several months later, Coulter's ability to sing was discovered by her mother who overheard her, which led to her performing at gigs in the Gold Coast and Brisbane areas with live bands. Coulter had also secured lead roles in high school productions such as, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Cats, Rent, The Boy Friend, Phantom of the Opera, Grease and The Rocky Horror Show. Aside from singing, she also learned how to play several instruments, including the tenor saxophone, flute and trumpet, and would often play them in school concerts and in the school stage band. During high school, Coulter excelled in music and sport. After completing high school in 2002, she decided to focus on her music career, and began writing her own songs with her good friend Xy Latu.
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