Young singer-songwriter Niki Kini first launched her own music on YouTube and now several RnB and Pop singles down the line she is releasing a dance track.

Currently on a gap year to work on her tunes, the Oxford based 19-year-old is thrilled to be releasing her new music to the world.

Niki started her YouTube channel at just 11-years-old and by the time she was 15 her management reached out to her.

She said: “It did take a lot of persevering; I was growing really slowly on YouTube, but I think it was a great confidence builder.”

Her parents, both from Mangalore in India, moved to Oxford before she was born. Niki describes her sound as UK based, it has been shaped by Pop and RnB but also has influences from traditional Indian music which she incorporates in her beats.

She said: “I would describe my sound as Pop and RnB, I have grown up listening to a lot of radio Pop songs as well as UK Hip Hop and Rap music and I think that combination of listening to both types of music has really shaped my sound.”

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Niki’s new single is a Dance track called ‘Money Talks’ and it will be coming out on May 14. The new single comes after her tracks Bow Down in 2019, Myths Still Exist collaboration with Moscoman in 2020 and her latest single Better off which was released in February.

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Niki said: “The next single we are going to launch is one that I have actually produced myself, so I am really excited because it is one that I have worked on during lockdown.”

Lockdown has given Niki ‘waves’ of both creativity and writers block.

She said: “Lockdown has been a crazy time to be honest. I have definitely gone from having really productive periods during lockdown and I have also felt really dry of inspiration because it feels like nothing is happening. It has been a mixed bag.”

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It has been a few years since Niki first performed at BBC Introducing Live in Oxford. Eager to back out and perform as soon it is safe, Niki has set her sights on Sandy’s Piano Bar.

She said: “Sandy’s Piano Bar in Oxford is somewhere I would really like to perform. I have wanted to perform there for a long time, but Covid and lockdowns have really taken away that opportunity for the time being.”

Niki says the new single is her ‘vision’ from song writing to production and cover art.

She said: “I am a very hands-on artist, I definitely get 100 per cent say in what I get to put out from production to song writing, it is all coming from me.

"My team is supportive and behind it which is positive. I think it is exciting to be involved with each process from the cover art, which for Better Off I shot myself. It is cool being a part of every stage instead of having someone do it for you.”

Niki Kini’s latest single ‘Money Talks’ will be available on Spotify from May 14.

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