Niki (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Niki
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Niki performing in 2022
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Nicole Zefanya
24 January 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia
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| Alma mater | Lipscomb University |
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| Origin | Jakarta, Indonesia |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
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Nicole Zefanya (born on January 24, 1999), known as Niki, is a talented singer and songwriter from Indonesia. She lives in the United States and works with the record label 88rising. Niki released her first full album, Moonchild, in 2020. After that, she released Nicole in 2022 and Buzz in 2024. Her first big concert tour, the Nicole World Tour (2022–2023), took her to over 40 cities around the world.
Niki is known globally for her amazing songwriting and musical skills. She is one of the most popular female artists from Indonesia. In 2020, Forbes magazine included Niki in their special list of "30 Under 30 Asia". This list highlights young people who are making a big impact.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Niki was born and grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. She learned to play music and write songs by herself from a young age. This started after she received her first guitar when she was just 9 years old. She went to Pelita Harapan School in Jakarta.
When Niki was 15, she won a contest that allowed her to perform. She got to be the opening act for Taylor Swift's The Red Tour concert in Jakarta. As a teenager, Niki also had a YouTube channel. On her channel, she shared her own songs and covers of other artists' songs. She would play them on her acoustic guitar, often filmed right in her bedroom.
Music Career Highlights
In 2017, Niki moved from Jakarta to Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States. She went there to study music at Lipscomb University. During this time, she started releasing her first songs under the name Niki. These songs were released through the American record label 88rising.
On July 20, 2018, Niki was featured on the 88rising group album called Head in the Clouds. She contributed five songs to this album.
In April 2019, Niki released a popular song called "Lowkey." This song was part of her second collection of songs, an EP, titled Wanna Take This Downtown?. Later in 2019, Niki also appeared on 88rising's Head in the Clouds II album. To support this album, Niki released a live acoustic EP. It was called Niki Acoustic Sessions: Head in the Clouds II.
First Albums and Film Music
On April 2, 2020, Niki released the song "Switchblade." With this, she announced her first full-length album, Moonchild. She then released two more songs from the album, "Selene" and "Lose." Moonchild was officially released on September 10, 2020. To celebrate the album, Niki held a special online concert. It was called the Moonchild Experience and aired on YouTube in October 2021. In December 2020, Niki also released a holiday song called "Hallway Weather."
On August 10, 2021, Niki released "Every Summertime." This song was the main single from the official soundtrack for the movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Niki contributed four songs to the film's soundtrack, which came out in September 2021.
In April 2022, Niki performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She performed alongside her labelmate Rich Brian. They were the first Indonesian artists to ever perform at this big festival.
Nicole Album and World Tour
On June 3, 2022, Niki released "Before." This was the first song from her second album, Nicole. After this, she announced The Nicole Tour. This was her first big tour across North America. More songs from Nicole were released, including "Oceans and Engines" (July 2022) and "High School in Jakarta" (August 2022). The full Nicole album was released on August 12, 2022.
Many people loved the Nicole album. Vanity Fair magazine said it was like a "sonic time capsule" about heartbreak. NPR also talked about Nicole on their podcast. They said Niki is very good at getting to the "emotional heart of the matter" in her songs.
Along with the album, a short film called But I'm Letting Go was released. Niki starred in it with Peter Adrian Sudarso. The film was shown on Amazon Prime Video in August 2022. Special screenings were held in Los Angeles, New York, and Jakarta. In October 2022, Niki announced the Asia part of The Nicole Tour.
In April 2023, Niki was featured on the cover of Vogue Singapore magazine's "Pop" issue.
In May 2023, Niki released Niki: Live at The Wiltern. This was her first live album. With this release, she announced more dates for The Nicole Tour. These included performances at big festivals like Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. She also performed at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023. On May 31, 2023, Niki performed on NPR's popular Tiny Desk Concerts. She sang "Every Summertime" and three songs from her Nicole album.
Recent Music and Tours
On January 12, 2024, Niki released the song "24." She wrote this song to reflect on her early twenties. It was about the many important lessons she learned before turning 25.
On May 3, 2024, she released "Too Much of a Good Thing." This was the first song from her third album, Buzz. She also announced The Buzz World Tour (2024–2025). Other songs from the album include "Blue Moon" (June 2024) and "Tsunami" (July 2024). The full Buzz album was released on August 9, 2024.
Albums
- Moonchild (2020)
- Nicole (2022)
- Buzz (2024)
Concert Tours
Headlining Tours
- Nicole World Tour (2022–2023)
- Buzz World Tour (2024–2025)
Opening Act Tours
- Taylor Swift's The Red Tour (Jakarta only) (2014)
- Rich Brian's Australia & New Zealand Tour (2018)
- Halsey's Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour (All Asia dates) (2018)
Awards and Nominations
Niki has been recognized for her music. Here is one of her nominations:
| Award Ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
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| MTV Europe Music Award | 2022 | Best Asian Act | Niki | Nominated |
See Also
- Rich Brian
- Stephanie Poetri
