Nikora "Niko" Walters is a New Zealand contemporary soul and R&B musician. Debuting in 2019, Walters is best known for the " Not My Neighbour" (2020), which was certified double platinum and was one of the top singles of 2021 in New Zealand. Walters released his debut album ''Escape'' in 2020, followed by ''White Flag Waves'' in 2022.

Biography

Walters grew up in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. Of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent, he has

whakapapa Whakapapa (, ), or genealogy, is a fundamental principle in Māori culture. Reciting one's whakapapa proclaims one's Māori identity, places oneself in a wider context, and links oneself to land and tribal groupings and the mana of those. Exper ...

to the Northland tribes of

Te Aupōuri Te Aupōuri is the second northernmost Māori iwi (tribal group), located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Te Hiku o te Ika. The iwi is one of the six Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Te Reo ...

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand. The iwi is one of five Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. Rūnanga and marae Te Rarawa has 23 foundation marae: *Korou Kore Marae, '' Ahipara'', represents the hapū of Ng� ...

and

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

. He learnt guitar socially from family members, never receiving formal lessons, and learnt to produce songs using a pirated copy of audio software

FruityLoops FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is availa ...

. In high school, Walters took part in

kapa haka Kapa haka is the term for Māori action songs and the groups who perform them. It literally means 'group' () and 'dance' (). Kapa haka is an important avenue for Māori people to express and showcase their heritage and cultural Polynesian identi ...

and Samoan cultural groups. He first considered pursuing music while on an OE (working holiday) in London. While there, Walters spent a week writing and recording a mixtape, which gained traction on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. On returning to New Zealand, he signed with

Universal Music New Zealand Universal Music New Zealand is the New Zealand subsidiary of the Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company. Universal Music New Zealand's corporate headquarters are located in Auckland, New Zealand. Universal Music New Ze ...

in early 2019. Walters released his first singles, "Moving On" and "Together" in mid-2019, and toured New Zealand as an opening act for

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of '' Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contrac ...

. In 2020, Walters was an opening act for New Zealand band

Six60 Six60 are a New Zealand pop rock band formed in Dunedin, Otago in 2008. The band consists of Matiu Walters (lead vocals, guitar), Ji Fraser (lead guitar), Chris Mac (bass guitar), Marlon Gerbes (synthesiser), Hoani Matenga (bass guitar) and E ...

's performance at

Western Springs Stadium Western Springs Stadium is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. Built within a natural amphitheatre, it is primarily used for rugby union matches during the winter and for speedway during the summer. It is also occasionally used for large concer ...

, and later that year released his debut album ''Escape''. A single from the album, " Not My Neighbour", was a hit in New Zealand, becoming one of the New Zealand top 50 singles of 2021. In 2021, the song was re-released as a single, in a remixed version featuring American singer

Kiana Ledé Kiana Ledé Brown (born April 3, 1997), known professionally as Kiana Ledé, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and pianist currently based in Los Angeles, California. She starred as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's horror series ...

. Walters opened for Six60 a second time in 2021, to their

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

performance in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. In 2022, Walters released his second album ''White Flag Waves''.

Personal life

Walters' older brother is the frontman of New Zealand band

, Matiu Walters.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Promotional singles

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Niko 21st-century New Zealand male singers Living people Māori-language singers Musicians from Auckland New Zealand male singer-songwriters New Zealand singer-songwriters Ngāpuhi people Te Aupōuri people Te Rarawa people Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)