With influences that represent her mixed heritage, Niki began learning piano at the age of four, simultaneously discovering classical composers and cinematic modern music. When she began taking vocal lessons at the age of 13, she was taken by both the flamboyant arias of Opera and the expressiveness of musical theater. Drawing influence from the melodies and chord progressions of these styles, she began writing her own music at the age of 15. Now, Niki gets inspiration from artists like Lorde, Blood Orange, Years & Years, and Sevdaliza. "They’re the perfect blend of otherworldliness, beauty, modernity, and rebellion," says Niki. "Not Coming Up" also serves as the first single taken from her upcoming debut EP, which was largely inspired by her studies in feminist theology, and in a way also mirrors Dante's Divine Comedy, describing the journey from heaven to oblivion, or hell.
"I was enchanted by old Judaism, namely the mythology of the female demon Lilith, and how she mirrors Eve," shares Niki. "The thousands of years of interpretations of the myths of the religious texts are goldmines in the way that they illuminate my creativity and thoughts, and also how they inform so many of our modern generation's conscience, especially when it comes to sexual politics.
I wanted to retell that descent from a modern feminine perspective, one of the damned, which some of us may feel like sometimes, or all the time.... whether it's from religion directly, from a relationship, or from yourself. Amazingly enough, I had three songs already written even before I knew I was going to live in Prague and Florence, and had this idea of realm traveling through song - perhaps a foreshadowing of some sort - but the experience abroad truly brought everything together divinely."
Listen to "Not Coming Up" below.
"Not Coming Up" is available now on all digital platforms. Get it here.
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