NIKI
NIKI performing at the 2023 Head in the Clouds Festival New York
Born
Nicole Zefanya

(1999-01-24) 24 January 1999
Jakarta, Indonesia
Alma mater
[1][2]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Musical career
OriginJakarta, Indonesia
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • ukulele
  • keyboard
  • piano
Years active2017–present
Labels
Websitenikizefanya.com

Nicole Zefanya (born 24 January 1999), known professionally as NIKI, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter.[3] She is currently based in the United States and signed with the record label 88rising. She has released two full-length studio albums, MOONCHILD (2020) and Nicole (2022). Her debut headlining concert tour, Nicole World Tour (2022–2023), visited over 40 cities across North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

NIKI has garnered global recognition for her songwriting and musicianship and is among the most popular female artists from Indonesia.[4] In 2020, NIKI was listed among Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.[5]

Early life

NIKI was born on January 24th, 1999 and was raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. NIKI taught herself how to play and write music from a young age, after receiving her first guitar at 9 years old.[6]

At 15, NIKI won a contest to perform as the opening act for Taylor Swift's The Red Tour in Jakarta.[7] As a teenager, NIKI maintained a YouTube channel, on which she uploaded original songs and covers, performed on acoustic guitar and filmed in her bedroom.[8]

Career

In 2017, NIKI moved from Jakarta to Nashville, Tennessee to study music at Lipscomb University.[1][2] During this time, she released her first singles under the name NIKI through the American record label 88rising.[9][10]

On July 20th, 2018, NIKI appeared on the 88rising collaborative album Head in the Clouds, contributing 5 songs. 

On April 24th, 2019, NIKI released single “lowkey”, leading into her second EP wanna take this downtown?.[11] In October 2019, NIKI appeared on 88rising’s Head in the Clouds II. In support of the album, NIKI released a live acoustic EP titled “NIKI Acoustic Sessions: Head in the Clouds II”.[12] 

On April 2nd, 2020, NIKI released single “Switchblade”, and announced her debut full-length album MOONCHILD.[13] This was followed by subsequent singles “Selene” and “Lose”.[14] MOONCHILD was released on September 10th, 2020. In support of the album NIKI premiered a livestream concert titled MOONCHILD EXPERIENCE, which aired October 10th, 2021, on YouTube and KASKUS TV.[15] On December 15th, 2020, NIKI released a holiday single titled “Hallway Weather”.[16][17]

On August 10th, 2021, NIKI released “Every Summertime”, the lead single from Marvel Studios’ official soundtrack to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. NIKI contributed 4 songs to the soundtrack, which was released September 3rd, 2021.[18]

In April 2022, NIKI made her debut appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and became, alongside labelmate Rich Brian, the first Indonesian artists to perform at the festival.[19]

On June 3rd, 2022, NIKI released the first single from her sophomore album Nicole, titled “Before”.[20] This was followed by the announcement for her debut North American tour, titled The Nicole Tour. Subsequent singles from Nicole include “Oceans and Engines” (released July 8th, 2022) and “High School In Jakarta” (released August 5th, 2022). On August 12th, 2022, Nicole was released.[21] Vanity Fair contributor Delia Cai wrote that Nicole is "a sonic time capsule of a breakup album that explores heartache in perhaps its most devastating form."[22] NPR discussed Nicole on its All Songs Considered podcast and stated "Something NIKI does really well is get to the emotional heart of the matter."[23]

Alongside the album, a short film titled But I’m Letting Go starring NIKI and Peter Adrian Sudarso and directed by Isaac Ravishankara was released through Amazon Prime Video on August 18th, 2022.[24] The short film was supported by screening events in Los Angeles, New York, and Jakarta. In October 2022, NIKI announced the Asia leg of The Nicole Tour.[25]

In April 2023, NIKI appeared on the cover of Vogue Singapore's "Pop" issue.[26]

In May 2023, NIKI released NIKI: Live at The Wiltern, her first live album. Alongside the release, she announced expanded tour dates for The Nicole Tour, which included festival performances at Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and headline shows across North America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Australia.[27] On May 31, 2023, NIKI made her debut appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series, performing 3 songs from Nicole and "Every Summertime." NPR writer and editor Stephen Thompson wrote that the set had him “swaying, swooning and swimming in high hopes.”[28]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with release date and label shown
Title Album details
MOONCHILD
  • Released: 10 September 2020
  • Label: 88rising, 12Tone
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Nicole
  • Released: 12 August 2022
  • Label: 88rising
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming, CD, Vinyl, Cassette

Live albums

Title Album details
NIKI Acoustic Sessions: Head In The Clouds II
  • Released: 12 November 2019
  • Label: 88rising, 12Tone
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Live at The Wiltern
  • Released: 12 May 2023
  • Label: 88rising
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

List of EPs, with release date and label shown
Title Album details
Zephyr
  • Released: 23 May 2018
  • Label: 88rising, Empire
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Wanna Take This Downtown?
  • Released: 17 May 2019
  • Label: 88rising, 12Tone
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Tour

Headlining

Opening act

Awards and nominations

Award Year Nominee(s) Category Result Ref.
MTV Europe Music Award 2022 Niki Best Asian Act Nominated

See also

Notes

      References

      1. 1 2 "NIKI and Rich Brian set to be the first Indonesians to perform at Coachella". Coconuts Media. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
      2. 1 2 "BAEwatch: NIKI The 88rising artist talks about the concept behind her debut album, 'MOONCHILD.'". hypebae.com. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
      3. ↑ "NIKI on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      4. ↑ "Niki". Kworb. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
      5. ↑ "30 Under 30 Asia 2020: Entertainment & Sports". Forbes. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
      6. ↑ "Indonesian singer Niki opened for Taylor Swift when she was 15 | The Star". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
      7. ↑ "88rising's NIKI Is Owning Her Past — And Taking a Cue From Taylor Swift Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
      8. ↑ "88rising's NIKI Is Owning Her Past — And Taking a Cue From Taylor Swift Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
      9. ↑ "In The Studio with NIKI". milk.xyz. 1 January 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
      10. ↑ Methanisa, Katyusha (29 September 2017). "Meet the Latest Indonesian R&B Singer Trying to Take Over the US". Vice. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
      11. ↑ Liotta, Edoardo (24 April 2019). "NIKI's Single 'lowkey' Could Be the Summer's Sweetest Hookup Anthem". Vice. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      12. ↑ Rudas, Matthew (13 November 2019). "NIKI Strips Back to Bare Her Heart in 'Acoustic Sessions: Head In The Clouds II'". Ones to Watch. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      13. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (2 April 2020). "NIKI Shares How 'Switchblade' Opens The Universe Of Her Concept Album 'Moonchild'". Forbes. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      14. ↑ Peters, Daniel (13 August 2020). "NIKI Shares How 'Switchblade' Opens The Universe Of Her Concept Album 'Moonchild'". NME. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      15. ↑ "MOONCHILD EXPERIENCE, NIKI to present livestream concert". Jakarta Post. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      16. ↑ @nikizefanya (14 December 2020). "'Hallway Weather' out tomorrow 🎄" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
      17. ↑ "Listen to NIKI's melancholic new Christmas song, 'Hallway Weather'". NME. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
      18. ↑ "Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings' Album Is More Than A Movie Soundtrack". Teen Vogue. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      19. ↑ "88rising's NIKI Is Owning Her Past — And Taking a Cue From Taylor Swift". Teen Vogue. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      20. ↑ "Niki Shares Single, 'Before,' and Music Video". BroadwayWorld. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      21. ↑ ""Nicole" is out everywhere now". twitter. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
      22. ↑ Cai, Delia (18 August 2022). "The Pop Power of Niki's Very Recent Nostalgia". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
      23. ↑ "New Music Friday: The best releases out on Aug. 12". NPR. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
      24. ↑ "But I'm Letting Go". Amazon Video. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      25. ↑ Singh, Surej (16 May 2023). "NIKI announces globe-spanning 'Nicole' world tour". NME. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      26. ↑ Chai, Amelia (3 April 2023). "NIKI on her exhilarating music journey and what ties her to home". Vogue Singapore. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
      27. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (31 May 2023). "NIKI: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
      28. ↑ Padin, Malvika (23 June 2023). "NIKI delves into live album 'Live at the Wiltern', her sonic evolution and tour". Earmilk. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
      29. ↑ Cung, Danie (5 June 2014). "Lautan Swifties di #REDTourJkt Taylor Swift di MEIS". Creative Disc. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
      30. ↑ Newstead, Al (26 March 2018). "Rich Brian announces debut Australian tour". Triple J. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
      31. ↑ Jones, Abby (26 March 2018). "Halsey Announces Final Installment of Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
      32. ↑ "See the Complete List of MTV EMA 2022 Nominees". MTV EMA. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
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