HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nicole Zefanya (born 24 January 1999), known professionally as Niki, (stylized in all
uppercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...
), is an Indonesian singer, songwriter and record producer. She is currently based in the United States and signed with the record label 88rising.


Early life

Zefanya was born on 24 January 1999 and raised in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
, Indonesia. At nine years old, Zefanya taught herself how to play the guitar. At 13, she began writing original music. Although her music is partially influenced by her mother, who exposed Zefanya to soul, gospel, and 1990s' R&B like
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
and
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
when she was young, Zefanya's earliest original music skewed towards the folk and indie genres. She attended Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Village (Sekolah Pelita Harapan) and obtained a high school degree before pursuing an undergraduate degree in music at
Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
on a scholarship.


Career

At 15, she was the opening act for
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
's The Red Tour in Jakarta after winning a competition arranged by Swift and the ice-cream brand Walls, called Ride to Fame. Zefanya maintained a YouTube channel throughout her teenage years, which gained over 40,000 subscribers. She uploaded many original songs and covers, most of them stolen/stripped, including ballads "Polaroid Boy" (2016) and "Anaheim" (2017), which were eventually released and on Spotify under Nicole Zefanya. In 2017, Zefanya moved to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
to study music at
Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike ...
. She released two singles, "See U Never" and "I Like U" under the American mass media company 88rising as an artist under their label. She released the song "Vintage" in May 2018 as the first single for her debut extended play titled ''Zephyr''. Zefanya has stated that she tries to empower Asians and African Americans through her music. In the first Head in the Clouds Festival, NIKI took a moment to address the 10,000-plus audience gathered in Los Angeles' Historic State Park. "I just want to say, as an Asian female, I do not take this day and this stage for granted. My hope is that above everything else today, that you feel heard, you feel understood, but most of all that you feel represented." NIKI's mission is to empower young Asian artists under-represented in the American music industry. After 88rising announced their collaboration with popular food festival
626 Night Market 626 Night Market is an annual night market food festival located in the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. Its events are held 10 times a year from May to September. Each 3-day night market event draws up t ...
to curate a food section at their second " Head in the Clouds" music festival, Zefanya made a special guest appearance with a meet-and-greet at the 626 Night Market event at
Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
in
Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of t ...
on 11 August 2019. In September 2020, Zefanya released her debut album '' Moonchild''. In an interview she was quoted saying,
In terms of genre or sound, I wouldn't even know how to describe this album. It doesn't really fit into any box and I'm completely ok with that. I personally love projects like that – ones that push boundaries and don't adhere to any convention. Music is expressive; it's art. Formulas get old and boring. I think that's how this project differs from my past projects. I sort of just let go of any and all preconceived notions, rules and limitations I had in my head and just let my creativity take the wheel in any direction.
In December 2020, Zefanya dropped "Hallway Weather", a holiday single reminiscent of her folk/indie roots. She says the song is in "the style of music & songwriting he remembersfeeling most like erself It is genuine & it is true." Zefanya was involved with five tracks for the soundtrack of the 2021 film ''
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film ...
''.


Artistry

Zefanya's music was influenced by her favorite pop, folk, R&B and indie artists, including
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
,
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...
,
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
,
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...
,
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
,
Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) a ...
, and
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
. She grew up very exposed to music as her mother sang church gospel music as a backup singer. Zefanya has been exploring new sounds outside R&B since the release of her debut album Moonchild. She has also said that she listens to and is influenced by all kinds of music. She cites growing up in Indonesia as influencing her worldview, and in turn, her music.


Discography


Studio albums


Live albums


Extended plays


Singles


Guest appearances


Tour


Headlining

* The Nicole Tour - NIKI (2022)


Opening act

*
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...
The Red Tour (Jakarta) (2014) *
Rich Brian Brian Imanuel Soewarno (born 3 September 1999), known professionally as Rich Brian, is an Indonesian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his viral debut single " Dat $tick", which was first released in March 2016 on ...
– Australia & New Zealand Tour (2018) * Halsey
Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Tour The Hopeless Fountain Kingdom World Tour was the second headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Halsey, in support of her second studio album ''Hopeless Fountain Kingdom'' (2017). The tour began on September 29, 2017, in Uncasville ...
(Asia) (2018)


Awards and nominations

The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by
Paramount International Networks Paramount International Networks (PIN) is the international division of Paramount Global. The division oversees the production, broadcasting and promotion of key Paramount's brands outside of the United States. These brands include Paramount Net ...
to honour artists and music in
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...
.


See also

*
Rich Brian Brian Imanuel Soewarno (born 3 September 1999), known professionally as Rich Brian, is an Indonesian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his viral debut single " Dat $tick", which was first released in March 2016 on ...
* Stephanie Poetri


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niki Living people 1999 births 21st-century Indonesian women singers Indonesian contemporary R&B singers Indo people English-language singers from Indonesia Musicians from Jakarta Indonesian expatriates in the United States