Niko B is one of the most singular artists working in Britain right now. With no filter, no boundaries and a wonderfully creative and surreal worldview, the rapper, born Tom Austin, has cultivated a huge underground following through all his work across music and different creative avenues over the last few years with an impulsive attitude and a glorious free-spirited approach to creative expression. Last year, he released his acclaimed debut album 'dog eat dog food world', and now he's back with 'People', an EP of summer bangers full of the kind of blissful dreaming and everyday musings on life that make him so unique.
Hey Niko B, welcome to Dork. How's things?
Not too bad. I'm just making things, taking it one step at a time. Not too much pressure.
So, do you have any current interesting hobbies or obsessions our readers would be interested to find out about?
Oh god, right now, I'm heavy into journaling. That's my fixation. Maybe a bit of chess. I'm really bad at it, but I'm learning.
So many artists say they're into chess.
That's why I got into it. I wanted to get involved in this and find somebody to play with. Not many other fixations at the moment, though; I'm sure one will pop up soon.
Where are you at then with Niko B in 2025? How would you characterise the last five years or so as you've been growing this thing with a lot of people coming on board after the release of your debut album last year?
I'm just really making sure that I'm a fan of everything I make. That's the main driving force. Anything I put out with that mindset is always going to be good because if I'm happy with it and I like how it looks, then that's all that matters, really.
Have your creative impulses changed over the years?
I think the impulses are the same and the routine is the same, but over time, my taste and new things I discover alter. I just keep getting access to more information and inspiration and like different things that I might not have liked before.
Can you give us three words to describe the Niko B universe right now?
Optimistic, pink and... nice.
That's good. We endorse nice. A good place to be. Are you happy right now?
Yeah, I think so. I'm just always excited. It's nice that I can keep making things.
Now you're back with the 'People' EP, does it feel like you're entering a new phase with this release?
Erm, I'm not sure. It might be a new phase but I haven't done that consciously. I've just been making things that I want to make. It was never a conscious effort of fuck it, I need to switch things up. It does sound a bit different but there's no purpose there.
'People' feels like a perfect name for a Niko B project because it's really what everything is about for you, isn't it? Chronicling the minutiae of life and all the weird foibles and quirks that make people so fascinating and brilliant and often awful as well.
Yeah, exactly. I just really love people. I love when people really love what they're into. Everything is just people.
There's so much freedom and a danceable heady lightness to these songs. What headspace were you in when you were writing those songs? It feels like you could have been on holiday?
Those songs were written in LA. I went to LA for the first time.
Amazing. That makes sense with the vibe.
I met up with some people out there. It was really fun. Normally, all the songs I write are just done in my room, so that trip was really fun and felt very open and free. One of the songs I did write in my room, though was about optimism. It's called 'what am i to do'. I was writing a silly poem and put it to the side and was going through some beats and found something I liked and thought, oh, what if I put this random poem to this beat? And it sounded perfect.
That's a fascinating song. It kind of feels a bit like Alanis Morrissette's 'Ironic' in sentiment. It's really resonant. These songs are rooted in dance music. What do you think that sound brings out in you and your work?
I don't know why I'm drawn to dancier beats. I just want people to feel good when you put a Niko B song on. That's when you get most attached to a song. If I hear a beat that's dancier I normally want to do something on it because it just makes me feel better. A lot of the lyrics are very optimistic, so if I hear a sadder beat, it's difficult to picture it with that beat and find something to talk about.
'Hairclips' is a lovely song; a beautiful sentiment. You can really tell a lot about someone from their hair.
Yeah, 100%. I wrote that in LA with my friend Brandon and a producer called Danes Blood. The song started coming to life gradually after listening to different things that we like.
It's got a brilliant video with all those Scalextric race tracks.
That was crazy. I love that video. We had to go to Hastings for that. It was a really good day.
Did you build the tracks yourself?
It's already there. These people have a space, and they just built an RC track, so we hung out there. They go there every day and just hang out and race their remote-controlled cars. The director was in Hastings and texted me and said, 'Check this place out we should do a video here', and I was like, 'Yeah!'
The promo picture for the single is interesting - you're wearing about five hats at the same time.
Oh yeah. I don't know what's going on there. I had a shoot, and I didn't know what hat to wear. I brought loads, so just thought, I'm going to wear them all.
See, that is very instructive of your musical sense; you want to go all-in. Just do everything. Something else you're known for, maybe you're happy about it or maybe not, is the humour in your work. Do you think humour is an underrated quality in music? Do you ever get annoyed when people want or expect you to be funny?
I don't even try. I don't try to be funny in the music. If it happens, it happens. It can be hard when people expect that sometimes, as I don't put it in on purpose; it's just however I'm feeling on the day. I love humour and making people laugh. That's something I've had to learn lately, not trying to be humorous all the time. But I do love it. I like to make people think a bit more or hear a lyric they wouldn't normally hear.
You're a master of those kinds of lines. Do you have a favourite line on the EP?
I love the whole of 'what am i to do?', but really, the first four lines - "Optimism is a great thing, optimism is amazing / I left my fruit in the blazing sun, and it turned my grape into a raisin." That's my favourite.
Exactly the kind of everyday philosophising we like. You've done these songs, and people have these big expectations of you now, so how are you looking to move forward with that underground spirit you've cultivated but take it to an even wider audience?
I want to work with amazing producers and writers and build a bigger world. It gets clearer with every release what I want to work towards sound-wise and art direction-wise so just keep doing that but on a bigger scale. Keep the same energy and feel in the music.
Do you have any teasers for what's next?
Just plenty more music. I can't really say if it will be singles or an album or another tape, just more music. I want to delve into the world of collaborations and features. That might be next.
What music are you enjoying right now?
A bit of everything, really. What have I been liking? A lot of weird alternative stuff. A lot of older stuff. Just really good songs with really good writing. The classics. Some Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Madness.
Some classic traditional writing on the way from Niko B, then?
Maybe. I just think it's so cool that people can put such specific meanings into words that you never thought you could do.
Anything else you'd like to get off your chest?
Nothing, really. I'm very present right now.
You do seem very relaxed.
I've got to post something about the EP on socials later today.
Do you enjoy doing that? Is it ever a chore?
Nah, never. Not at all.
Good.
I love to do it, and I love what I make.
You're not someone who rails against the label forcing you to do this sort of stuff like some other artists.
Yeah, they forget they can promote the music in the way that they want to. There's not this one-label formula. It's just another artistic outlet. It's another thing to make. You don't even need a big personality. You just need to give people the world and context to your music. The context for my music is my personality, but the context for someone else's might just be oh, I love birdwatching, so their job is to show everyone that I like birdwatching.
