Keeping Tabs on NIKI
This Indonesian born native, Nicole Zefanya, soothes our soul with every new release. As if being enchanted all over again, NIKI takes the audience through several emotions throughout her setlist for her Nicole World Tour.
When I received word that NIKI was coming to Dallas, I immediately gathered as many friends who were familiar with her music to attend her concert at the Bomb Factory in Deep Ellem. With ‘Nicole’ being one of my most streamed albums of 2022, I was delighted to see a good blend of her newer releases as well as some older songs on that setlist.
Even though NIKI belongs to a record label that specializes in signing artists from Asia to promote in America, she is still relatively unknown. If you happened to watch Shang-Chi in the past few years, you might have noticed many artists under the 88rising record label having several songs on the soundtrack, with NIKI’s ‘Every Summertime’ being her most recognized song to date.
BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE
overall rating: 4/5
sundial, Nicole World Tour
The Bomb Factory, 10/2022
Opening Act
To start us off, sundial was the perfect opening act for NIKI’s concert. This duo with their many talents was able to capture the audience in a trance right from the get go playing a total of 5 songs. As they told us their journey as a couple and how they became sundial, I found myself relating to the topics of their songs. NIKI’s crowd consisted mostly of adults in their mid-20s; with songs like ‘24’, it really resonated with similar unspoken struggles our generation experience. This is what makes artist transcend to a different level with listeners - when we are unable to find the words to explain what we are going through, music hears us and can communicate that emotion across.
I remember waiting in the parking garage with other concert goers as we were exiting the venue searching up sundial and blasting the music. As it echoed off the concrete walls to surrounding cars, we found ourselves in a 30 minute standstill due to traffic but made many friends that night who requested the song title.
NIKI, Nicole World Tour
The Bomb Factory, 10/2022
Main Act
After 30 minutes of the opening act, NIKI finally took to the stage with ‘Keeping Tabs’ to keep up the high energy that sundial left us with. With her guitar in hand, I love how unplugged this concert was. As it was a pretty decent sized venue, I knew my height would pose an issue with seeing NIKI onstage. However, she shined so brightly and really filled up the stage with her presence well despite the fact that she was the only person on stage. I rarely go see solo artists, but I am very impressed with her artistry throughout the night.
There was a brief microphone malfunction, however she and her staff were so quick to resolve it that it did not take away from the concert at all. I love the professionalism displayed. You would be very surprised to see how many artists, even the bigger ones, stumble on a small technical error like that.
She did manage to save her famous hits for the very end of a 1 hour concert. Since she was a solo artist, I did know how short this event would be.
If I had any request for this concert, what would it have been?
It would have been to rearrange the setlist order. NIKI’s discography really ranges from slower tempo songs to an upbeat instrumental involved piece. While I do see why she and her team placed the slower tempo songs in the middle of the set list, it did feel a little flat during that entire section after starting with more popular upbeat songs like ‘lowkey’ and ‘Vintage’.
What was your favorite part?
Dallas concert goers always bring cowboy hats for the artist to wear during certain songs. NIKI was no exception to this role. She was so grateful to see a fan bring a white cowboy hat that contrasted her dark hair and green jumpsuit. If I recall correctly, she wore it for 2 songs before throwing it back to the audience. Note for all artists from a fellow fan, please return the gifts to the same person who handed you them. That might be my pet peeve, but I do feel sorry for fans who lose their objects.
Ending Comments
Although the concert was very short, I was engaged the entire time. I do wish it was longer as much as everyone else in the room as we had all waited over 1 hour to get in. As NIKI grows, I hope to see her more on stage feeling like the confident singer she is. I don’t think I will be attending another concert from NIKI for a few more years. I definitely want to see a bigger discography and more aspects involved in her concert.
