Nikora "Niko" Walters is a New Zealand contemporary soul and R&B musician. Debuting in 2019, Walters is best known for the " Not My Neighbour" (2020), which was certified double platinum and was one of the top singles of 2021 in New Zealand. Walters released his debut album ''Escape'' in 2020, followed by ''White Flag Waves'' in 2022.

Biography

Walters grew up in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. Of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

descent, he has

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

to the Northland tribes of

Te Aupōuri Te Aupōuri is the second northernmost Māori iwi (tribal group), located north of Kaitaia, Northland, New Zealand, a region known as the Te Hiku o te Ika. The iwi is one of the six Muriwhenua iwi of the far north of the North Island. The ...

Te Rarawa Te Rarawa is a Māori iwi of Northland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New ...

and

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

. He learnt guitar socially from family members, never receiving formal lessons, and learnt to produce songs using a pirated copy of audio software

FruityLoops FL Studio (known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. It features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. It is available in four different edi ...

. In high school, Walters took part in kapa haka and

Samoan Samoan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean ** Something of, from, or related to Samoa, a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands ** Something of, from, ...

cultural groups. He first considered pursuing music while on an OE (working holiday) in London. While there, Walters spent a week writing and recording a mixtape, which gained traction on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. On returning to New Zealand, he signed with

Universal Music New Zealand Universal Music New Zealand is the New Zealand subsidiary of the Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company. Universal Music New Zealand's corporate headquarters are located in Auckland, New Zealand. Universal Music New Ze ...

in early 2019. Walters released his first singles, "Moving On" and "Together" in mid-2019, and toured New Zealand as an opening act for

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Mus ...

. In 2020, Walters was an opening act for New Zealand band

Six60 Six60 is a New Zealand pop rock band formed in Dunedin, Otago in 2008. The band consists of Matiu Walters (lead vocals, guitar), Ji Fraser (lead guitar), Chris Mac (drums, bass guitar), and Marlon Gerbes (guitar, bass guitar, synthesiser). Th ...

's performance at

Western Springs Stadium Western Springs Stadium is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. Built within a natural amphitheatre, it is primarily used for rugby union matches during the winter and for speedway racing during the summer. It is also occasionally used for large ...

, and later that year released his debut album ''Escape''. A single from the album, " Not My Neighbour", was a hit in New Zealand, becoming one of the New Zealand top 50 singles of 2021. In 2021, the song was re-released as a single, in a remixed version featuring American singer

Kiana Ledé Kiana Ledé Brown (born April 3, 1997) is an American singer and actress. She first starred as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's horror series '' Scream'' (2015–2019). She also starred as Veronica Washington on Netflix's original serie ...

. Walters opened for Six60 a second time in 2021, to their

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

performance in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. In 2022, Walters released his second album ''White Flag Waves''.

Personal life

Walters' older brother is the frontman of New Zealand band

, Matiu Walters.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Promotional singles

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Niko 21st-century New Zealand male singers Living people Māori-language singers Musicians from Auckland New Zealand male singer-songwriters New Zealand singer-songwriters Ngāpuhi people Te Aupōuri people Te Rarawa people Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)