Lounge Talk: NIKI

Amid lessons of heartbreak and the struggles of growing up, NIKI’s firsts became our own as we navigated the way through our youth. Now with the release of her latest album Nicole, NIKI’s lyrical storytelling shines once more as she brings back her origins as 15-year-old nzee24 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reminding us that it’s okay to love and let go, here’s a glimpse not just into the life of NIKI but the life of Nicole Zefanya, the teenager who started off recording songs in her bedroom.

When you opened for Taylor Swift at only 15 years old, what was going through your mind performing in front of such a large audience?

I just kept telling myself to try and relax because my heart was racing and I couldn’t process the level of adrenaline that was surging through me! It was the wildest experience of my life up to that point, and I honestly remember thinking that I blinked and it was over. It really did, though, solidify my curiosity towards performing and really set a positive, formative tone for the years to come being on stage.

Your unique talent for storytelling through songs gives listeners a glimpse into your life until now. How has your style of music changed throughout the years? What stayed the same?

I listened to such a wide array of music growing up that I always felt my spectrum of taste was too vast in order for me to hone in on just one, and that explains my wide-ranging body of work. I think I used the last five years as a way to explore what exactly my sound is, and with Nicole I feel like I have finally found it. Or perhaps, a more accurate way of putting it would be that I found my way back to it. When I started as NIKI, I was so young and was still trying to figure out what it was that I liked or didn’t… So much has changed since then, but the biggest change in my opinion, would be my perspective. I learned that as an artist, it is OK to be nuanced and have varying tastes, many things can be true at once. What has stayed the same however, is my deep love for language and lyricism, and my musical tendencies or as I like to call them, my “isms”. I think at their core, NIKI songs sound like NIKI songs no matter the genre because of those two elements.

As the first Indonesian artist to perform at Coachella (alongside Rich Brian), you have paved the way for Asian musical artists. How has your cultural background influenced your music and outlook on life?

I think there is a deep love and appreciation for music and singing back home. I grew up around musicians and singers, as my mom sang at church. So, having my childhood set against the backdrop of Indonesia and church, I think I have always been adjacent to music and I understand it on an emotional and spiritual level that makes it feel like second nature.  Virtually everyone I know back home loves music and enjoys singing! Growing up and seeing everyone around me appreciate music so deeply modeled this profound,  inherent connection to it.  It’s like my first language, I suppose. I’m not sure I know how to speak or exist without it.