Career
She is known for her vocal belting and her ability to sing in the whistle register. While a university student, she successfully auditioned for Malaysian Idol in Kuching, Sarawak, impressing the judges with her rendition of Mariah Carey"s Emotions. She eventually progressed through to the "Final 12" of the competition.
The following lists Nikki"s Malaysian Idol performances: Audition - Emotions - (Mariah Carey) Workshop - One Moment in Time - (Whitney Houston) Wildcard - The Voice Within - (Christina Aguilera) Top 12 - Crazy in Love - (Beyoncé) Top 10 - I Want You Back - (The Jackson 5) Top 8 - Against All Odds - (Philosophy Collins) Top 7 - I"m with You - (Avril Lavigne) Top 6 - Emotion - (Destiny"s Child) Originally planning to continue with her studies after her exit from the competition, Nikki secured a recording contract with Artistes United Records and released her debut album, Maharani, in Malaysia on 28 November 2005.
The title means "Empress" in Malay. This album showcases Nikki"s abilities in the whistle register, with one critic mentioning it as "whistling a la Mariah Carey." The ballad "Pinta" marked Nikki"s official debut in the music industry.
Following, Nikki teamed up with fellow Malaysian singer, Yanie, and both featured in Ning Baizura"s August single release. On 28 December 2008, Nikki released her second album, featuring the singles "" and "".
