Leave all your inhibitions behind and take a drive under the "Indigo"
88rising's NIKI is a rising star indeed, and her latest hit "Indigo" is taking her to even greater heights!
Released just a month ago, the song has already racked up over 10 million streams on Spotify and fast approaching 5 million views on YouTube. It is slated to be on the upcoming album, Head in the Clouds II.
Produced by Taylor Dexter (Amy Stroup, Christinna O), Wes Singerman (Rich Brian, Jai Wolf), and Rogét Chahayed (Travis Scott, Christina Aguilera, Halsey), NIKI sings about a perfect night out that's electrified by the thrill of a budding relationship.
I had first been introduced to the 20-year-old singer through songs such as "Warpaint" and "Lowkey" and had taken an immediate liking to her voice which I felt had a distinctive quality to it, one that is very befitting of the R&B genre.
What reeled me into "Indigo" was its highly infectious chorus. The juxtaposition of NIKI going back and forth between the staccato and legato stylings in the lyrics was something that was unlike anything I had ever heard before and was certainly a highlight.
How far out does the indigo go? Boy, let's find out take the longer way home.
'I was sort of coming up with melodies as they were laying the beat down,' NIKI explained in her Genius interview that the lyrics had come to her by way of freestyling. 'The first line of the chorus was the very first thing that came out of my mouth.'
Having always pictured herself as a 'sassy' kind of person, NIKI wanted to come out with a bang.
Explaining the first verse as 'sizing somebody up being like, this is my lifestyle can you keep up?' NIKI reflects this in the tempo and overall styling of the song, which holds a lot of confidence and swag - a nod to embracing her femininity, which she says is a work in progress.
NIKI accredits the use of the run-on sentence in the second verse, something very prominent in musical theatre, to her love for the art form. The decision to employ this stylistic treatment was to create dimension and add flavor to what otherwise would be a bland repeat of the verse prior.
Engaging the listeners' imagination by weaving in a level of imagery, NIKI utilizes descriptive lyrics so that they can visualize the scene in their heads.
So let’s drive by the city skyline, I’m so over this overthinking mind.
Special mention has to be given to 'It'd be psycho to psychoanalyze' which pays homage to the earlier line 'I'm so over this overthinking mind' - an absolute lyrical genius in my opinion, and proof of how great of a lyricist NIKI is.
How far does the indigo go? Your guess is as good as mine. But as far as I’m concerned, this one’s going to be taking a drive in my playlist for a little while longer.