#ungenderness

Getting to Know...

NIKI NIKI.

French-born band, NIKI NIKI create an alluring taste of dreamy digi-soul tracks seemingly crafted from thin air. They return with their latest slice ‘Ungenderness’, aptly self-coined as ‘androgynous-pop’. They released the single earlier this year alongside their debut EP Pretty Sunny Funny Walk. With the new video, the band announce their upcoming debut album, which is due for release in November.

NIKI NIKI circumvent sonic clichés with a sound that seems to materialise as if from nothing, before dissipating back into the ether. Residing in Paris, the outfit take full advantage of their surroundings. Playing support slots for Ibeyi, Joan As Police Woman and Christophe, comes with the territory, while lead-vocalist, and unofficial lead on the band’s branding, Mélodie Orru currently performs as singer at the Jean-Paul Gaultier ‘Freak Fashion Show’ at Les Folies Bergères in the capital.

NIKI NIKI defy sociocultural binaries on new single ‘Ungenderness’. With its erratic guitar parts and sinkhole-deep kicks, we’re transported away from a musical daydream and into a minimalistic post-punk platform. Taking inspiration from David Bowie and The XX amongst others, the band release debut album Absence later this year.

We had a chat with the band about 'Ungenderness', Absence and more. Read the Q&A below.

You've just released the video for your song 'Ungenderness'. What was the inspiration behind the track and the visuals? And what was your favourite part making the video?

"Our first inspiration is love! We created this track with a real sense of emergency, talking about sexual freedom. It’s about being a human, before being defined as a woman or a man.

"The visuals are a direct tribute to Robert Mapplethorpe, Ana Mendieta, and Ren Hang, artists who particularly touch us with their respective paths and marginalities. We admire their work a lot. They were scrutinized since their work pertained to images of sexuality or social commentary. It's inspiring for us.

"Our favourite part making the video was to feature all these beautiful people, from the Parisian subway to cabaret, it was a lot of fun."

You have also just announced your upcoming debut album Absence which is due out soon. What can you tell us about the record? Who/what were your influences for the LP?

"This album is the story of a transformation. From violence and scars, to life and beauty. A real road, not a conventional one but, a necessary one. All these songs are the chapters of a rebirth. On this album we've worked with French producer Apollo Noir in Brittany.

"Our influences are wide, as long as there are emotions in it.  We were inspired by the ordeals we have been through in our lives, and we wanted our music to resonate with other people's stories... We were also inspired by artists like Fever Ray, The XX, Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox… but we never thought about it while composing. They are like our musical cousins... The final result is sincere and personal."

What was your favourite part recording Absence? What do you hope listeners will take away from it?

"Recording Absence was magical. We were in a lonely house, lost in the countryside, and the chemistry among us was obvious. We felt like archaeologists discovering a city that already existed. It was a magical moment.

"We hope that people can recognize themselves in our songs, in a cathartic way, so that they could live their own stories while listening to us."

Let's go back to the beginning for a moment. What brought the three of you together and make you want to start this project?

"We met in a Parisian cellar, listening to electro-analog music. In January 2015, Mélodie went to the Niki de Saint Phalle’s exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. She discovered her performances with a gun and it struck her. She had the idea of creating a new band named NIKI NIKI, because in these troubled times music is like a resistance, fighting against obscurantism. We decided to become a band."

And finally, what are you looking forward to in the future?

"We are excited to release our first album Absence in the UK! We’ve also already started writing new songs and are looking forward to recording them in studio, and to travel with them!

"We’ve started to work with a new third musician, Pierre Simon. He's so brilliant. It's going to be beautiful, we are so impatient to share them with you, hopefully next year."