NIKI unveiled her latest album “Nicole” in August, which sees her returning to her singer-songwriter roots in a carefully crafted coming-of-age juncture that sees present-day NIKI meet with her teenage self. The album contains archived songs from NIKI’s past that have been re-imagined for the album, in addition to a number of brand-new tracks.
Throughout the 12 songs on the project, NIKI uses her innate and detailed storytelling abilities to expertly explore themes of love, heartbreak, and every emotion in between.
On the release of Nicole, NIKI shares “During the pandemic, I did a deep dive of the archived videos from the YouTube channel I started in middle school and realized that these songs are where my heart is. We made most of the songs in my collaborators’ garages and living rooms, and the whole process felt so carefree and energizing, like being a kid at the playground. With this record, I learned to trust my gut and have real confidence in myself as a songwriter and producer, and it was so freeing and so much more fun.”
Fully written by NIKI, Nicole features production from Jacob Ray (Alison Wonderland, Evan Giia), Tim Anderson (Halsey, BANKS), Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Remi Wolf), and Jacob Reske (Vince Staples, Trippie Redd), with additional production from NIKI.
Her most recently released “High School in Jakarta” has already amassed over 45 million streams. The track’s music video surpassed 15 million views since its release, becoming NIKI’s fastest video to ever reach this milestone. “High School in Jakarta” follows previous single “Oceans & Engines,” a heart-wrenching ballad on surrendering to a broken relationship that serves as an impassioned moment of clarity and demonstrates NIKI’s songwriting ability. NIKI first announced Nicole with the release of lead single “Before,” a reflective nostalgia-tinged record that upon release, received acclaim from NME, UPROXX, and Teen Vogue who praised that the record “perfectly highlights NIKI’s songwriting prowess.” All three tracks appear on Nicole.
In April this year, NIKI became the first Indonesian artist to ever perform at Coachella, alongside Rich Brian. NIKI will follow up her Coachella appearance with a performance at 88rising’s 2022 Head in the Clouds Festivals in Jakarta and Manila. NIKI previously headlined at the 2021 Head in the Clouds Festival last November with a striking set that received acclaim from MTV, Flaunt, and The AV Club who hailed her a “goddamn superstar.”
To date, NIKI has accumulated over 1.8 billion streams across all platforms. Her hit single “Every Summertime” from the soundtrack of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings went viral earlier this year, reaching Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits and currently has over 220 million streams and climbing. The track, written and produced by NIKI and longtime collaborator Jacob Ray – is an exuberant love song with a throwback sound reminiscent of classic R&B and soul.
