Naïka

For other people with the same name, see Naika.

Naïka
Naïka in 2023
Background information
Birth nameVictoria Naicka Richard
Born (1995-03-03) March 3, 1995
Miami, Florida, U.S.
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2016–present
Labels
Websitewww.naikaofficial.com

Victoria Naicka Richard[1] (born March 3, 1995)[2][3] known professionally as Naïka, is an American-born French-Haitian singer and songwriter.

Early life and education

Born in Miami to a Haitian mother and a Malagasy father, Naïka spent her childhood living in various countries and regions, namely Paris, Guadeloupe, Kenya, South Africa and Vanuatu, before moving back to Miami when she was 16.[2][4][5][6] She developed her musical interests at an early age.[5][7][8]

In 2015, Naïka placed second in the BMI John Lennon Foundation Scholarship competition.[3][6][9][10] She studied Performance as her major at Berklee College of Music in Boston,[6][8][11] being selected during her first year for a tour with Michael Bolton. She participated in the NBC casting show The Voice[9][10] and, during her 7th semester, she was selected to take part in a bootcamp class by songwriter Kara DioGuardi, which resulted in her debut single "Ride". Following her graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career.[5][12]

Career

Naïka on the German TV show ZDF-Fernsehgarten in 2018

Her 2016 rendition of the Haitian traditional song "Papa Gèdè (Bel Gason)" received 200,000 clicks within two days[8][9] and a total of over 1 million views. After the success of her 2017 debut single "Ride", which obtained 5 million Spotify streams – resulting in a second place on the platform's Global Viral chart – and charted in twelve countries, she signed a two-year contract with Capitol Records (a division of Universal Music).[6]

After releasing several singles between 2017 and 2019, she rose to prominence in early 2020, when a TikTok video of her version of "Don't Rush" garnered over 20 million views in three months, drawing the attention of the original artists Young T & Bugsey. In 2020 and 2021, respectively, she released the EPs Lost in Paradïse, Pt. 1 and Lost in Paradïse, Pt. 2, under the label AWAL.[6][13] In April 2024, Naïka made an appearance during Saint Levant's performance at Coachella 2024, duetting to an unreleased song.[14] Her debut album is scheduled for release in 2025.[4]

Artistry

Naïka is a multilingual artist, singing in French, Haitian Creole, and English.[4][9][11] Her musical style, which she defines "world pop", is based on a mix of world music – blending European (particularly French), African, Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean music – with pop, soul and R&B.[2][4][5][7][9][13] She cites influences from Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Usher, the Black Eyed Peas, as well as classical composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.[5]

Personal life

Naïka lives and works in Los Angeles.[5] Since 2023, she has been in a relationship with Palestinian rapper Saint Levant.[15][16]

Discography

Naïka's logo in use since 2020

EPs

  • Lost in Paradïse, Pt. 1 (2020)
  • Lost in Paradïse, Pt. 2 (2021)
  • TRANSITIONS EP (2022)

Singles

  • "Ride" (2017)
  • "Limbo" (2017)
  • "Serpentine" (2018)
  • "Oh Mama" (2018)
  • "Blame" (2018)
  • "Snowing in L.A." (2018)
  • "Deja Vu" (2019)
  • "Enchanté" (with SACHI; 2020)
  • "Head in the Clouds" (feat. TeaMarrr; 2020)
  • "Water" (2020)
  • "African Sun" (2020)
  • "Sauce" (2021)
  • "Belle, Belle!" (2021)
  • "Don't Lie" (2021)
  • "H2O" (2022)
  • "My Body, My Choice" (2022)
  • "Guava" (2023)
  • "Milkman" (2023)
  • "Messi" (with June Freedom; 2023)
  • "1+1 (Acoustic)" (2024)
  • "6:45 (Acoustic)" (2024)
  • "Messi (Sunset Mix)" (with June Freedom and Peace Control; 2024)
  • "Layers" (2025)

Charted singles

List of charted singles, showing year released, chart positions and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
LBN
Eng.
[17]
"1+1" 2023 13 Non-album single
"6:45" 2024 17

References

  1. ^ "6:45 (Acoustic Version)". Apple Music. May 20, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "We've created so many boundaries, I want to tear these walls down". MYP Magazine. February 20, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "John Lennon Scholarship Winners Announced". BMI.com. September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "About Naïka". naikaofficial.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Meet Naïka". Voyage LA. February 17, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Naïka". Reggies. 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Randolph, Choya (December 23, 2019). "Naïka Creates Her Own Brand of 'World Pop'". Musicrunner. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Naïka". Position Music. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Naïka | Biografie" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "A&R Factory Present: Naïka". A&R Factory. May 26, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Naïka". Montreux Jazz Festival. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  12. ^ "Naika — Singer/Songwriter". Fewords Collective. June 22, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Tindel, Arielle (March 18, 2021). "Featured find: Naïka has the 'sauce' and the recipe to an emerging genre". We Are: The Guard. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  14. ^ Sharawneh, Dana (August 28, 2024). "A timeline of Saint Levant and Naika's relationship (IYKYK)". Cosmopolitan Middle East. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  15. ^ Laïreche, Rachid (June 3, 2024). "Saint Levant, Libre rêveur". Libération (in French). Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  16. ^ Catabui, Quinn (January 7, 2025). "A Complete Timeline Of Saint Levant & Naika's Relationship". Grazia Middle East. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  17. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Lebanese English Chart:
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