When you listen to NIKI’s fluid, soul-baring pop storytelling, it’s difficult to imagine there was a time when the globe-trotting singer-songwriter didn’t quite like her “sound”. Getting signed in her late teens, after posting a few original songs online, seems like a dream come true—but it wasn’t without its challenges, as the star’s experiences and skills constantly morphed and evolved. She now knows that the music that truly resonates goes beyond trends, or other people’s projections. “The responsibility of an artist, I believe, is to be honest above all else,” she tells Apple Music in an exclusive interview before her third album, Buzz, drops in August 2024. As we celebrate Southeast Asia’s most resonant and impactful young talents, find out below how NIKI overcame her family’s doubts and tapped into those secret reserves that make her songwriting so strikingly vulnerable and authentic. Can you take us through the transition from your life before music and how you first became involved with it? What drew you to it initially? “I had an incredibly lively and musical upbringing. My mother was a singer at church and an avid music lover. The church band were my ‘aunts and uncles’ growing up, and whenever they were over at our house someone would always, without fail, bust out a guitar and cause the whole house to erupt in song, in three-part harmony. I very quickly picked up piano and guitar. It wasn’t until I was in my teens, though, that I started seriously writing my own original songs. Once I figured out how to do that, it was game over. I started a YouTube channel at 15 where I would post original music from time to time. Recording my vocals and guitar for my YouTube channel was how I then discovered music production. At 18, I was discovered online and signed to 88rising the year after.” What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started out in the music industry? How did you handle those setbacks? “I think figuring out what my ‘sound’ was and who I was as an artist felt challenging at first. I would say it took many years. When I started as an 18-year-old, I really (naively) thought I had everything figured out, only to discover very quickly that my taste, skills and sensibilities would evolve and change as I grew older. It taught me the value of experimentation and patience. Live in your drafts and get comfortable with discomfort. Don’t limit yourself to what others expect of you and what others project onto you. You are you. The responsibility of an artist, I believe, is to be honest above all else. Honesty, in my opinion, yields art that is evocative and resonates.” Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly impacted your journey as an artist? “It was asking myself a very simple question: ‘Do I like the music that I’m making?’ And, to my surprise, I realised the answer was ‘no’ more times than I would have liked. So that was when I had to go back to the drawing board, and I realise now that whenever I write a song, I should want to blast it in the car. Sometimes, I’d catch myself writing a song because I think it’s ‘cool’ or ‘trendy’, or what other people would want to hear from me, or what other people are doing. More often than not, I don’t like those songs after a year. So my philosophy now is: ‘Is this music truly honest and authentic to me?’ Whenever the answer is ‘yes’, that’s where the magic is.” Was there ever a time when you or others doubted your path in music? How did you push through those doubts? “Absolutely! When I first told my parents that I would be pursuing music as a career path, they were not happy or supportive immediately. Understandably so, as doing anything creative—especially in their generation—was not something that felt predictable or safe. I think I really just had to be brave and get comfortable with disappointing people, because even though it felt painful to disappoint others, it would be even more painful down the line to have disappointed myself and not have pursued what I truly wanted in life. At the end of the day, no one will live my life but me. I’m so proud of myself for still pursuing music anyway, despite doubts that swirled all around me and in me, because it led to where I am now. Today, my parents say the same. They are glad to have been proven wrong! I guess the lesson is sometimes you just have to full send it anyway even when you’re only half-sure. Put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Regardless of the result, you will grow in some meaningful way.” What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are trying to make it in the industry? “Doing your own thing is way cooler and way more interesting than trying to be the next XYZ artist. Trust me. Write or create from the heart, with full honesty and vulnerability. Also, on a practical level, the more self-sufficient you are, the easier you’ll make things for yourself.” What is your biggest dream or goal that you’re still striving to achieve? “Playing certain venues is still a huge dream of mine, but honestly, while it’s so fun and helpful to look ahead, I believe in the value of looking around too. I’m so grateful when I look at everything that I have accomplished. I try to take it one day at a time with nothing but gratitude. When things feel out of reach, gratitude is a great way to reorient.”