Exclusive! NIKI Talks About Her 'Nicole' World Tour, Songwriting & Career Highlights

Despite being in the middle of a hectic world tour and being schedule to perform at the inaugural F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023 that night, NIKI was radiant as she sat in the hotel room, patiently waiting and making small talk as the crew set up around her. She was set to grace the F1 stage alongside international talents such as Jackson Wang, Post Malone and Kings of Leon. One could not tell if the Indonesian songstress was fatigued at all as we got ready to catch up with her. 

It has been a whirlwind year for NIKI having hit so many career milestones back to back and it looks like she is only going from strength to strength. She made headlines being the first Indonesian solo artist to perform at high-profile music festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza. The list of firsts continue to stack as NIKI was also invited to perform on NPR's Tiny Desk, a live acoustic music show on YouTube that has garnered millions of devoted global music fans for not only introducing rising stars and artists from all over the world, but also many iconic stars including Adele, Usher, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion and many more. 

Her most recent career highlight happened just two nights before our interview, as shared by the singer-songwriter. While on her 'Nicole' World tour, she sold out an arena in her first solo show in Manila. "I had never played an arena before," NIKI explained, "that was like my show. So that was just such a beautiful milestone." However, what made it a highlight was not just success of the first show there, but the love she felt from the fans came to the concert. "You could feel the love between me and them and them to me. It was very palpable and just a magical night," she said. 

As one of the headliners of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, naturally, we also chatted about the singer's memories of Singapore. Growing up in neighbouring country Indonesia, she was no stranger to our sunny island and has visited our bustling city many times prior to this performance. Just like us Singaporeans, they naturally revolved around food as she spoke excitedly about famous chicken rice restaurants, just like a local would. 

In our exclusive interview with NIKI, we got introspective with the star as we touch on the importance of representation on a global stage, her song-writing process, her experience performing at NPR Tiny Desk, the impact of social media and the ever-changing landscape of music trends.