IN CONVERSATION WITH NIKO RUBIO

interview by JANA LETONJA

Singer-songwriter Niko Rubio is stepping into a defining new era with her debut album, late night swim. Following years of developing her singular blend of alternative pop, psychedelic textures, reggae rhythms, and distinctly Southern California storytelling, as well as writing behind the scenes for other artists, Niko is putting herself firmly at the center of the story. Her recent single, all I want is you, arriveed on the heels of viral breakout tokyo, and as Niko celebrates another career milestone, her first Latin GRAMMY nomination for her songwriting contribution to The Warning’s Ego. With late night swim, she is embracing creative freedom, trusting her instincts and inviting listeners into her most personal musical world yet.

photography by LEA GARN

You’ve described finally feeling ready to release your debut album as a “dream come true.” Why is late night swim the album that made you feel, “This is the moment, I’m ready”?
I’ve been exploring genres and studying music for a long time now. I love making every kind of record. Pop, alternative, Latin, reggae, and trip hop. I hadn’t been willing to go headfirst into one world as I did on this project. The story, the scene, the colors the whole world just kind of happened in front of my eyes, and people understood it instantly. I was just being honest and having fun. 

You gave yourself only one month to write the album. What made you impose that deadline, and what happened creatively once you no longer had the luxury of overthinking everything?
Giving myself limitations was the most important part of this album process. I didn’t want to write 100 or 200 songs and put ten of them out. I wanted to write well, write slowly, and write with intention. I wanted to write a movie to go with the album. I wanted to get in a room, lock the door for one month, and talk to no one. It was just me, and my world and my album and my thoughts and my people, and I was so happy. Once I stopped overthinking, all my insecurities went away, and I was able to write freely. 

You’ve said that the process ultimately taught you to trust yourself. What were you second-guessing before making this record that you don’t second-guess anymore?
This album helped me stop second-guessing my taste. I have evolved my sound and story throughout every project. I think it’s cool that my fans are excited to see the evolution through the years. It’s become a thing. They expect it from me now. I think of artists like Madonna and Gwen who started as young girls in one genre and then explored and changed as their taste evolved. I make music to explore parts of myself and my creativity through music and lyrics. Trip hop and reggae were pools I had dipped my toes into, but I had never seen a reggae/trip hop/Latina artist before. I just had to trust people were going to think it was as cool as I thought it was. I had to trust my taste. 

Your new single dream is something you’ve called your “declaration of independence.” What exactly are you declaring your independence from?
I’m declaring independence from the box in which I put myself, but also the box society puts women in. dream is a declaration of independence from caring about what other people think about you. dream is about feeling free and sexy, alone and in charge. In the late night swim universe, I'm a super secret spy girl. I’m a stoner, party girl by day, and I throw lavish late-night pool parties at night, but nobody knows I’ve got this alter ego. Like Catwoman reborn. In late night swim, dream is a solo walk alone at night. Something only I can do in this universe. I have the power to feel safe and sexy, and free alone at night on a walk through LA. What a dream, right? 

You specifically asked people to listen to dream alone and in headphones for the first time. What do you hope happens between the listener and the song in that private space?
I think listening to dream alone really centers you on who this girl really is. It’s a stream of consciousness and self-reflection. Life is a dream for you and me, and because I’m a spy and I’m super strong and cool and quick,  I love to be alone walking through LA feeling very sexy. I’m a super spy, I can walk the streets alone if I want to at any time. In this world, I am strong and powerful and fearless. In this world, I am in control. I want my fans to feel that control. To feel that power. To walk taller and sexier and with the confidence that they can do anything. 

late night swim pulls from London, Jamaica and Los Angeles while moving through psychedelic music, reggae, trip-hop, alternative pop and more. How did you make all of those influences feel like one coherent Niko Rubio world rather than simply a collection of genres?
I’ve been making reggae for years now, so that was natural to continue exploring. I love it so much. I made my first reggae record with reggae musicians that have worked with the Marley family since Bob. My producer Lester will sit with me for days and teach me about music history. He’s an encyclopedia of music, film, and art. I swear to God, there is nothing that man doesn’t know about music. I come to him with the craziest ideas, and he somehow understands me. Lester is my glue. He kind of puts all my pieces together. 

I studied Bob and Sister Nancy and Burning Spear, but I was also obsessed with The Police and Blondie and The Specials (London ska), and a love for London rock and reggae led me to Massive Attack, which led me to Portishead. Then I studied trip hop, which was created in Bristol, and learned about London's underground music scene. Jamaican dub and reggae’s influence on trip hop is very important to the decision to put them together on this album. I mean, I could go on forever. I think studying music and giving yourself time to understand why you love something and really appreciate it makes all the difference. If I didn’t love music, why would I do this? Music is freedom and expression. Music is art. As long as it’s honest, it’ll never be out of place. It will always be right. 

Your Mexican and Salvadoran roots are also an important part of your identity. As you’ve become more confident as an artist, has the way you incorporate your heritage into your music changed?
My Mexican / Salvadoran roots are such an important part of my identity. Making two projects in Spanish really helped me find my confidence in my artistry. I don’t think I would have gotten to tokyo without Mar y Tierra or Ring Ring. That challenge led me to this moment. I look back on those songs with so much love for the girl I was then. I’m not sure those projects will ever get the love they deserve from the mainstream, but Latinos understand them. I had struggled with not feeling Latina enough for Latinos for so long because I never wanted to make reggaeton or corridos or whatever was popular. Now I feel like I’m representing alternative Latinos in a totally different way that is equally as important. I’m so lucky that I get to make whatever I want, whenever I want. I’m so lucky to have the privilege to explore. I’m so lucky to be a Latina in alternative music because there are so few. We got to change that. 

tokyo became your biggest streaming debut and quickly reached millions of streams. When a song suddenly connects on that scale, are you someone who watches the numbers, or do you try to protect yourself from that side of the business?
I feel so blessed to be having such a beautiful moment with tokyo. That song has changed my life. I definitely watch the numbers. It’s super unhealthy, but I just want to be able to play a headline show at the Hollywood Bowl and have a core fan base and maybe 5 #1 songs. And I would like to buy myself, my aunt, my mom, and my grandma a house. So yeah, I look at the numbers. Sue me. Oldest daughter syndrome. 

You’ve spent years writing behind the scenes for artists including Gwen Stefani and The Warning. What’s different emotionally about giving away a great song versus realizing, “No, this story belongs to me”?
Any song I’m writing with an artist like Gwen or The Warning is written with them. Their DNA is ingrained in the song, so it never feels like I’m giving any of myself away. We’re all one big jello of ideas together in harmony. Writing songs with amazing artists is incredible. It’s energizing and uplifting.

You’ve just received your first Latin GRAMMY nomination for your writing contribution to The Warning’s Ego. What did that recognition mean to you, particularly because it celebrates the songwriter behind the scenes as well as the artist people see onstage?
My first Latin GRAMMY nomination is really special to me for so many reasons. I’m very proud of the girls for allowing me into their world. I have a deep love for rock music. I had an era, and I still am in that era forever because rock music will never leave me. The recognition means a lot to me and makes me feel like I'm not crazy for wanting to do it all. I want to write and sing and perform at the same time, and I think people try to tell you that you can’t do it all, but if you figure out how to balance it, you can do everything. The world is your oyster, and I love those girls so much.

late night swim includes love songs, breakup songs, yearning ballads and what you’ve described as introspective, trippy dream songs. Was there one song that was particularly difficult to finish because it required you to admit something to yourself?
There wasn’t really a song that was hard to finish. I would say the most vulnerable love songs are all i want is you and i can’t wait forever. Those weren’t hard to write, and they’re easy to sing because I love to feel a full-body emotional release when I sing them. I find the whole process intoxicating and fun. Even the tears are freeing. I don’t write very detailed singer-songwriter lyrics anymore. I used to, but my writing style has definitely changed over the years. This project wasn’t meant to be a fuck you breakup album. I wanted to sing through poems and lines I had written around my house or in the car or at the store. Nothing was overthought. Some lines don’t make sense, they just felt right. I think that’s ok. 

You’ve already sold out shows of your own, and now you’re heading into headline dates surrounding the album. How does it feel when songs that began as something intensely private are being sung back to you by a room full of strangers?
I love hearing fans sing my songs because once they’re out, they no longer belong to me. Each fan has a personal relationship to each song. They have memories and moments I could never understand connected to each word. They get to release it all with me. It’s a beautiful experience. I absolutely love being on tour and singing with them. 

If someone puts on their headphones late at night and listens to late night swim from beginning to end exactly as you intended, where do you hope they are emotionally when they come out on the other side?
I hope they feel released. I hope when they finish the project, their journey was pleasant and exciting and full of adventure. I hope they feel like they’ve been taken on a journey to a universe in which they can be free and sexy. I hope they feel like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill or Charlie’s Angels or James Bond. I hope they feel like the coolest lover-girl spy out on her late night swim mission.