88rising’s NIKI shares ‘Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t, ‘Strange Land,’ ‘La La Lost You’ acoustic versions

Indonesian singer, songwriter, and record producer Nicole “NIKI” Zefanya, 20, of 88rising has shared acoustic versions of three songs off the new album”Head in the Clouds II.” The songs titled “Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t,” “Strange Land” and “La La Lost You” were all get stripped down to the basics.

Featuring only NIKI, her guitar and an accompanying keyboard and electric guitar, the acoustic singles gain a new emotional depth while retaining their original charm and appeal. Where some of the original tracks featured additional collaborators, these acoustic versions are all presented through the Indonesian musician’s voice.

 

“Strange Land” is NIKI’s collaboration with Thai singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit. On this song, the former lets her soft but assured vocals take the reins for both hers and the verses of the latter.

However, the stripped-down “Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t” omits Rich Brian’s hedonistic lines. This allos NIKI to make her case all the more clear and impactful through her words alone.

The new acoustic videos comes just after the drop of “Head in the Clouds II,” which was released on October 11, 2019 via 88rising exclusively distributed by 12Tone Music. Since its release, the album has already accumulated more than 82.9 million streams.

 

Executive produced by George “Joji” Miller, 27, “Head In The Clouds II” highlights new material from 88rising’s core crew of Brian, Joji, NIKI, August “AUGUST 08” Grant, 27, and the Chinese hip-hop group Higher Brothers that consists of MaSiWei, DZknow, Psy.P and Melo. The album features unprecedented global collaborations with Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, Major Lazer, Jackson Wang, GoldLink, Phum Viphurit, GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE and Stephanie Poetri, among others.

Across 16 tracks, “Head In The Clouds II” spans six countries namely the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and China. The result is a cohesive sound that blends elements of vintage R&B, hip-hop, disco and forward-thinking pop.

Watch NIKI’s live acoustic version of “Shouldn’t Couldn’t Wouldn’t” here:

Order “Head In The Clouds II” here: https://88rising.lnk.to/HITCII 

Check the exclusive Sorayama-designed “Head In The Clouds II” 3M merch capsule here: https://88rising.lnk.to/HITCIIMerch

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