Nicolette Louisa "Nikki" Palikat (born 1 November 1985) is a

Malaysian American Malaysian Americans (Orang Malaysia di Amerika) are Americans of Malaysian ancestry. Rather than a single ethnic group, Malaysian Americans descend from a variety of ethnic groups that inhabit the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, all of which ...

singer from

Tambunan Tambunan ( ms, Pekan Tambunan) is the capital of the Tambunan District in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 35,667 in 2010. It is located 80 kilometres east of the state capital, Kota Kinabalu ...

, Sabah, and a finalist in the first season of

Malaysian Idol ''Malaysian Idol'' is the Malaysian version of the Idol Series that started in UK, similar to shows such as UK's '' Pop Idol'' and ''American Idol'' in the franchise. This show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Malaysia, with t ...

. She is known for her

vocal belting Belting (or vocal belting) is a specific technique of singing by which a singer carries their chest voice above their break or passaggio with a proportion of head voice. Belting is sometimes described as "high chest voice" or "mixed voice" (not to ...

and her ability to sing in the

whistle register The whistle register (also called the flute register or flageolet register) is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register. This register has a specific physiological production that is different ...

Career

While a university student, she successfully auditioned for Malaysian Idol in

Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...

, Sarawak, impressing the judges with her rendition of

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 whi ...

Emotions Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

. She eventually progressed through to the 'Final 12' of the competition. After six weeks, Nikki was voted out on 12 September 2004 to some controversy, as she had been seen as a favourite to win by Malaysian Idol judge,

Paul Moss Paul Raymond Moss is the general manager of Media Prima network's media portal and a judge in 8TV's '' One in a Million'' singing contest. Moss was the AS A&R director of record company Positive Tone from its inception in 1994 until last year. ...

. The following lists Nikki's ''Malaysian Idol'' performances: * Audition – Emotions – (Mariah Carey) * Workshop –

One Moment in Time "One Moment in Time" is a sentimental ballad by American singer Whitney Houston and written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, produced by Narada Michael Walden for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea. It was released by Arista ...

– (

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 ...

) * Wildcard –

The Voice Within "The Voice Within" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her fourth studio album, ''Stripped'' (2002). The song was written by Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production handled by Ballard. It is a piano-driven ballad that talk ...

– (

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

) * Top 12 –

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, featuring a rap verse and ad-libs from her future husband Jay-Z from her debut solo studio album ''Dangerously in Love'' (2003). The song was released as her official debut single a ...

– (

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

) * Top 10 –

I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 6, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...

– (

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

) * Top 8 – Against All Odds – (

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

) * Top 7 – I'm with You – (

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...

) * Top 6 –

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

– (

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 ...

) Originally planning to continue with her studies after her exit from the competition, Nikki secured a recording contract with Artistes United Records and released her debut album, ''Maharani'', in Malaysia on 28 November 2005. The title means 'Empress' in Malay. This album showcases Nikki's abilities in the whistle register, with one critic mentioning it as "whistling a la Mariah Carey." The ballad 'Pinta' marked Nikki's official debut in the music industry. Nikki's second single, Caramu, won Nikki and collaborating artist,

Zahid Zahid is a male given name particularly popular in several Asian countries. It has its roots in the Arabic language. In Arabic, there are a few variations based on the exact pronunciation of the name thus having different meanings. One of the meanin ...

, an award for best vocal duo at Anugerah

Era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

2006, a Malaysian music awards ceremony. Following Caramu, Nikki teamed up with fellow Malaysian singer, Yanie, and both featured in

Ning Baizura Ning Baizura binti Sheikh Hamzah (born 28 June 1975), better known by her stage name Ning Baizura, is a Malaysian pop and R&B singer, actress who sings in Malay, English, Japanese, Italian, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Early life She w ...

's August single release, Drama. On 28 December 2008, Nikki released her second album, ''Hawa'' featuring the singles "Relakan" and "Selamat Tinggal".

Personal life

Palikat married Malaysian music composer and producer Audi Mok in June 2009. They have one son. In 2022, she revealed that she and Mok had split back in March 2021. Palikat is Catholic.

Discography

Albums * ''Maharani'' (2005) * ''Hawa'' (2008) Singles * ''Caramu'' * ''Imaginasi'' * ''Drama'' * ''Relakan'' * ''Selamat Tinggal'' * ''Cantik'' * ''Belas-Mu'' * ''Hawa'' * ''Sudah''

Filmography

Television series

References

External links

Nikki Palikat Official Webpage/Blog
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palikat, Nikki 1985 births People from Sabah Kadazan-Dusun people Living people Malaysian women pop singers People from Berrien Springs, Michigan Malay-language singers Malaysian Idol participants 21st-century Malaysian women singers Malaysian Roman Catholics