Nikena Brings the Sexy Side of Love With Her Acoustic-Toned R and B Track “Surprise”
Nikena’s latest single teases new album "This Is Me" with a smooth, acoustic-tinged R&B vibe
The surprise in Nikena’s latest single, released in anticipation of her upcoming album This Is Me, is the artist herself, showing up alluring in a smooth, acoustic-leaning R&B track that captures the excitement of intimacy without being explicit. “Surprise” is flirty, light, and full of emotion, reflecting a softer, romantic side of her craft.
I got a gift / Wrapped so tight
Can’t tell you what is inside
I’ll let it be a surprise
A surprise / Oh baby
I’m coming over tonight
Red on my lips / Heels so high
I wanna be a surprise
“The message I want to share in Surprise is for women to be bold in expressing themselves, however that looks for them. Whatever form their self-expression takes, do it with confidence.”
With the album due out in October, Nikena is taking the next step in her musical career. “It’s such a scary step because it’s my first album,” she said. “I’ve always released singles, but now I’ve stepped into a new phase where I’ve put together a full project, and I am proud of myself.”
This Is Me features 10 tracks, seven brand-new songs alongside fan favorites “Water,” “Hold Me,” and her latest single, “Surprise.” “Water,” her debut release, brings an upbeat Caribbean energy, while “Hold Me” blends R&B with Dancehall influences, paying homage to her Jamaican roots. “Surprise” leans fully into smooth, acoustic-tinged R&B, exploring a softer, romantic side of her artistry.
“‘Surprise’ doesn’t have much of that cultural aspect to it. I wanted to explore another side of my artistry by telling a deeper, more intimate love story.”
Ironically, “Surprise” surprised her too. For her album, she wanted a song with acoustic tones, and though this track wasn’t originally meant to fill that role, once it was finished, it fit perfectly.
“It really wasn’t the intention for this song, but it ended up working out,” she said.
The single and the album are part of her next career chapter, which also includes being in the running to be a presenter at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards on August 28th (you can vote for her here).
Performances have taken a back seat to the album for several months, but once This Is Me is released, she plans to turn her attention back to booking appearances. Over the years, she’s performed across New York and New Jersey—all while working full-time as an RN in New Jersey.
The album offers variety: a couple of tracks with the upbeat Caribbean feel of “Water” and “Hold Me,” others leaning into R&B and Pop, and even her first foray into Afrobeats.
She also experiments vocally throughout:
“You’re going to hear more songs like ‘Surprise’ but also songs where I’m more in tune with my emotional side — feeling heartbroken, navigating that side of love, the low side — but also songs where I’m being reflective on a particular relationship issue.”
The album has been a year and more in the making. At first, it was going to be an EP slated for late 2024, “but more songs and more ideas just kept coming.”
Her goal for the album was “to make it as dynamic as possible.”
“That’s why it’s titled This Is Me, because pieces of me are all throughout. I’m inspired by love in all its forms.”
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