Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | 9th August 2024
Jakarta-born, LA-based singer-songwriter and producer NIKI firmly plants herself as one of the most dynamic artists of today with the release of her new album Buzz via 88rising, out now. Accompanying the release is the music video for title track “Buzz,” directed by Isaac Ravishankara. The video, a cheeky line-by-line depiction of the lyrics, encapsulates the rush of raw emotion and bittersweet nerves of a budding romance – glimpses of buzzing bees, a crackling guitar amp, and longing looks between two people, all signaling towards the start of something new. NIKI was initially inspired to name the record after the budding growth she observed in her garden every spring. Across thirteen tracks on the album, the singer encapsulates the feeling of being on the precipice of something undiscovered.
The album’s release joins previous singles; the love struck summer track, “Tsunami,” astrologically-inspired song “Blue Moon,” and flirty lead single “Too Much of a Good Thing.” NIKI plans to celebrate Buzz with a comprehensive world tour, produced by Live Nation, kicking off this fall. Tickets are available now HERE. See below for full routing.
NORTH AMERICA
Sep 5, 2024 - Toronto ON - Budweiser Stage
Sep 7, 2024 - Boston MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sep 8, 2024 - Washington DC - The Anthem
Sep 12, 2024 - Philadelphia PA - The Met
Sep 13, 2024 - New York City NY - SummerStage in Central Park
Sep 16, 2024 - Charlotte NC - Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sep 17, 2024 - Atlanta GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
Sep 19, 2024 - Houston TX - 713 Music Hall
Sep 20, 2024 - Austin TX - Moody Amphitheater
Sep 21, 2024 - Dallas TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sep 25, 2024 - Chicago IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
Sep 27, 2024 - Minneapolis MN - The Armory
Sep 29, 2024 - Denver CO - Fillmore Auditorium
Oct 1, 2024 - Salt Lake City UT - The Union Event Center
Oct 3, 2024 - Berkeley CA - The Greek Theatre *
Oct 8, 2024 - Phoenix AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
Oct 10, 2024 - Las Vegas NV - The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan
Oct 11, 2024 - Los Angeles CA - The Greek Theatre
Oct 12, 2024 - Los Angeles CA - The Greek Theatre
Oct 14, 2024 - San Diego CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
Oct 17, 2024 - Portland OR - Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds
Oct 18, 2024 - Seattle WA - WAMU Theater at Lumen Field
Oct 19, 2024 - Vancouver BC - Rogers Arena
* Non-Live Nation Date
EUROPE
Oct 27, 2024 - Brussels BE - La Madeleine
Oct 29, 2024 - Cologne DE - Palladium
Nov 1, 2024 - Paris FR - L’Olympia
Nov 2, 2024 - Tilburg NL - Poppodium 013
Nov 6, 2024 - Manchester UK - O2 Apollo Manchester
Nov 7, 2024 - London UK - OVO Arena, Wembley
Nov 10, 2024 - Dublin IE - 3Olympia Theatre
ASIA
Feb 9, 2025 - Hong Kong
Feb 11, 2025 - Manila
Feb 12, 2025 - Manila
Feb 14, 2025 - Jakarta
Feb 15, 2025 - Jakarta
Feb 18, 2025 - Singapore
Feb 20, 2025 - Taipei
Feb 22, 2025 - Bangkok
Feb 25, 2025 - Kuala Lumpur
Feb 26, 2025 - Kuala Lumpur
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Mar 5, 2025 - Perth AU
Mar 7, 2025 - Brisbane AU
Mar 9, 2025 - Sydney AU
Mar 13, 2025 - Melbourne AU
Mar 15, 2025 - Auckland NZ
What eventually became Buzz, the third studio album by singer-songwriter and globally-renowned star NIKI, started with an urgent quake from the innermost core of her being. What surfaced in its wake was a collection of warm, stirring folk-rock songs, which crackle and flare like a bonfire between close confidantes. “I went through an identity crisis,” says the 25-year-old of Buzz. “It took a lot of trial and error, and I just stumbled upon pieces of myself along the way. I named it Buzz because it feels like I'm on the precipice of something about to happen.”
For NIKI, things have been happening progressively since she was a high schooler in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a student at an international academy, she cut her teeth scribbling lovesick poems in English class and performed acoustic guitar covers of American pop songs on YouTube. With a six-string in hand, and her family and classmates cheering her on from the audience, Nicole Zefanya then staked her claim to global stardom as NIKI.
And claim it she has - with over three billion streams worldwide, sold out shows on multiple continents, massive sets at festivals across the globe, front row seats at Paris Fashion Week, four songs on a Marvel film’s soundtrack, and some of the most phenomenal, confessional songs being released in 2024, NIKI has already established a veteran’s resume before the age of 25.
On Buzz, her songwriting remains as intimate as ever. In her initial sketches of songs for Buzz, NIKI took cues from other lane-paving women with confessional, honest lyricism soundtracked by guitars. “Joni Mitchell is my songwriting north star,” she says — and uncompromising feminist luminaries like Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon and Liz Phair. To match the wandering spirit of Buzz, NIKI cultivated her own elastic approach to guitar.
To further harness this creative and personal sea change, NIKI began enlisting producers who had worked with her favourite contemporary singer-songwriters. She tapped Tyler Chester, who’d captured tracks with Madison Cunningham and Sara Bareilles; she also recruited Ethan Gruska, who counts Fiona Apple and Phoebe Bridgers as collaborators.
Buzz reverberates with the hard-earned wisdom of a young woman who charges dauntlessly towards her dreams — but can still spare a laugh if she stumbles.
About NIKI
NIKI born Nicole Zefanya on January 24 1999, is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. She is currently based in the United States and signed with the record label 88rising. She released her first full-length studio album, Moonchild, in 2020. It was followed by Nicole (2022) and recently Buzz (2024). Her debut headlining concert tour, Nicole World Tour (2022–2023), visited over 40 cities across North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
NIKI has garnered global recognition for her songwriting and musicianship and is among the most popular female artists from Indonesia. In 2020, NIKI was listed among Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia.
About 88rising
88rising, stylised as 88⬆, is an American record label established in 2015, known as a multifaceted entity combining management, record label functions, video production, and marketing.
The label has risen to prominence as a music platform and record label, especially for Asian American artists, and has been dubbed "The Disney of Asian hip-hop." In 2019, 88rising earned the title of Label of the Year from Netease, a major music streaming service in China.
In 2018, 88rising launched its inaugural Head in the Clouds Festival in Los Angeles, which Billboard promptly recognized as "the Asian Festival You Need To Know."
Keep up with NIKI
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