NIKO’s love for his partner runs very deep. So much so, he decided to write a song about it. His new single, called “Try,” throbs from the inside out, a euro-pop filter glistening the edges, and his voice glides along as smooth as ever. “Been a lot of places/Wearing different faces,” he sings. “I put up walls/And you see through them with the best intentions.”
Originally from Milan, Italy, the rising pop singer-songwriter readies the follow-up to his debut EP, 2019’s RMNC 21, an impressive, four-track bow that danced just outside the R&B/pop fusion. With “Try,” he fully saunters right out into the light and commands both genres with ease. “‘I don’t wanna live a life/Dancing on my own at night/I’m just tryna figure out/There’s so much I wanna say/That I wanna say, so I’ll try, try,” he vows.
“I’ve been reflecting on my life and my relationships,” he tells Audiofemme. That included his upbringing, and various residences in the U.K. and New York City for six years. He has since moved to the West Coast, trying his hand at the City of Angels, and it all comes to a head with the new song. He continues, “I’ve lived in many different cities and countries. After many experiences, I think I’ve found a safe place in the relationship with my partner. I wanted to celebrate our love in a song.”
Musically, “Try” mirrors the close tangle of two lovers, silky synths twisting together into an inseparable embrace. “I wanted it to feel like an intimate kiss shared on an empty beach,” he says. NIKO first began working with producer Abe Stewart back in 2017, and the relationship naturally turned into a friendship. “When we are in the studio, we have an amazing flow and connect immediately on ideas, sounds, and themes,” he says.
Upon his 2019 EP release, NIKO’s budding creative prowess began to morph into something completely unexpected, a transformation that noticeably coincided with his LA move. “After getting settled, I started working on new ideas and music,” he recalls. “It all didn’t really click until I had a big ‘aha!’ moment. I was so happy that I moved to LA ─ a lifelong dream ─ but at the same time, I was the furthest away from Milan than ever before. That really changed the direction of the sounds and themes I wanted to explore.”
NIKO’s vision is to build records greatly informed by his European roots, most notably “the long, leisurely, beautiful Mediterranean summers,” he teases. “This [decision] led me to collaborate with producers not only from the U.S, like Abe, but also from Sweden and Norway.”
There will also be prominent visual and audio components to his next chapter. “The cover was designed by this amazing Polish artist called Natalia Pawlak, and we’re going to be working together on all other artworks and posters for the project. I’m also looking to include some actor friends for some spoken poetry in some of the songs.” “Try” is only the beginning of an ambitious poetic journey.
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