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 is famous around the world for her songs and music skills. Niki lives in the United States and works with the music company 88rising.
Her first album, Moonchild (released in 2020), was even called one of the best Asian albums of that year by NME magazine. She later released Nicole (2022) and Buzz (2024). Niki has performed solo concerts in many countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These tours included the Nicole World Tour (2022–2023) and the Buzz World Tour (2024–2025). She even played in big arenas in places like Canada, England, and the Philippines.
Niki is the most-streamed Indonesian artist. As of April 2025, her songs have been streamed over 4.6 billion times on Spotify. Some of her popular songs include "Every Summertime" and "You'll Be in My Heart", which appeared on the Billboard Global 200 chart. Other hit songs like "Lowkey", "La La Lost You", "Oceans & Engines", "High School in Jakarta", "Backburner", and "Take a Chance with Me" reached the top 40 in several Asian countries. In 2020, Forbes magazine included Niki in their 30 Under 30 Asia list.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Niki was born on January 24, 1999, and grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. She started learning to play and write music when she was very young. Niki received her first guitar when she was 9 years old. She listened to a lot of '90s music, R&B, and hip-hop while growing up. Her mother also sang gospel music in church. Niki attended Pelita Harapan School in Jakarta.
When she was 15, Niki won a contest. This allowed her to perform as the opening act for Taylor Swift's The Red Tour concert in Jakarta. As a teenager, Niki had a YouTube channel. On her channel, she shared her own songs and covers of other songs. She would play these songs on her acoustic guitar and film them in her bedroom.
Niki's Music Career
Starting Out and First Releases
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 released her first songs, "I Like U" and "See U Never". She released these songs under the name Niki through the American music company 88rising.
On July 20, 2018, Niki was featured on the 88rising album Head in the Clouds. She contributed five songs to this album.
In 2019, Niki released the song "Lowkey". This song was part of her second EP (a shorter album) called wanna take this downtown?. Later that year, she also appeared on 88rising's Head in the Clouds II album. To support the album, Niki released a live acoustic EP called Niki Acoustic Sessions: Head in the Clouds II.
Debut Album and Movie Soundtracks
On April 2, 2020, Niki released the song "Switchblade". She also announced her first full-length album, Moonchild. After "Switchblade", she released two more songs, "Selene" and "Lose". Moonchild was released on September 10, 2020. To celebrate the album, Niki held a special online concert called Moonchild Experience. This concert was shown on YouTube and Kaskus TV on October 10, 2021. Niki also released a holiday song called "Hallway Weather" on December 15, 2020.
On August 10, 2021, Niki released "Every Summertime". This song was the main song from the official soundtrack for the movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Niki contributed four songs to the movie's soundtrack, which came out on September 3, 2021.
In April 2022, Niki performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She performed alongside another artist from her label, Rich Brian. They were the first Indonesian artists to perform at this big festival.
New Albums and World Tours
On June 3, 2022, Niki released "Before". This was the first song from her second album, Nicole. After this, she announced The Nicole Tour, which was her first tour across North America. Other songs from Nicole included "Oceans and Engines" (released July 8, 2022) and "High School in Jakarta" (released August 5, 2022). The full album Nicole was released on August 12, 2022. Critics praised Nicole for exploring feelings of heartbreak.
Along with the album, a short film called But I'm Letting Go was released on August 18, 2022. Niki starred in the film, which was available on Amazon Prime Video. In October 2022, Niki announced more dates for The Nicole Tour in Asia.
In April 2023, Niki was featured on the cover of Vogue Singapore magazine.
In May 2023, Niki released Niki: Live at The Wiltern, which was her first live album. She also announced more tour dates for The Nicole Tour. These included performances at big festivals like Lollapalooza and Outside Lands. On May 31, 2023, Niki performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. She sang "Every Summertime" and three songs from her Nicole album.
On January 12, 2024, Niki released the song "24". She wrote this song to reflect on what 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 Buzz include "Blue Moon" (released June 21, 2024) and "Tsunami" (released July 26, 2024). The album Buzz was released on August 9, 2024.
Other Activities
Brand Partnerships
In October 2020, Niki became a brand ambassador for Blibli. This is an online shopping platform in Indonesia.
Helping Others
In May 2020, Niki took part in an online concert called "Asia Rising Forever". This event was organized by 88rising to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It also helped raise money for Asian Americans Advancing Justice. During her part, Niki cooked orange chicken and encouraged people to donate. The event raised over $21,000.
Niki's Music Albums
- Moonchild (2020)
- Nicole (2022)
- Buzz (2024)
Concert Tours
Headlining Tours
- Nicole World Tour (2022–2023)
- Buzz World Tour (2024–2025)
Opening Act for Other Artists
- 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 Recognitions
Niki has received several awards and honors for her music.
- In 2020, Forbes magazine included her in their 30 Under 30 Asia list.
- Also in 2020, NME magazine named her album Moonchild the 1st best Asian album of the year.
- In 2022, she was nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Asian Act.
- In 2025, her song "Every Summertime" received a Gold Certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
See Also
- Rich Brian
- Stephanie Poetri
