Niko Rubio – late night swim
Today, acclaimed Mexican/Salvadoran-American singer-songwriter Niko Rubio unveils her debut album, late night swim, available now via Atlantic Records.
Following a standout run of early EPs, a collaboration with Marlon Hoffstadt, a recent cosign from John Mayer, and a breakout viral single, Rubio’s long-awaited debut finds her at her most evolved. Pushing the boundaries of her signature sound, late night swim weaves sonic undercurrents from London and Jamaica with her Los Angeles roots. Fusing trip-hop textures with her Latin heritage, the record is anchored by tracks like her latest single, “birds and butterflies”—spotlighted earlier this week by Zane Lowe and featured on Apple Music’s New Music Daily playlist cover—alongside her massive hit “tokyo,” which has amassed over 10.7M global streams and inspired 100K user-generated videos.
After years of writing behind the scenes for artists like Gwen Stefani and The Warning (which earned Rubio her first-ever Latin GRAMMY Award nomination for co-writing the hit, “Ego”), late night swim sees Rubio take center stage alongside a close-knit team of creative partners which includes Olivia Bond and Wyatt Bernard (who executive produced Slayyyter’s WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA), Lennon Kloser (Kid Bloom), Rodiah (The xx, King Krule), and Zacari (Kendrick Lamar, Skrillex).
“late night swim is a culmination of everything I am and all that I’ve learned,” shares Rubio. “It’s my debut album, and I gave myself a month to finish it and insane limitations of only writing reggae and trip hop songs—two of my favorite genres that blend through their foundation in dub bass and sexy, beautiful, sultry trippy melodies. I feel very proud to have made this album with so much love and my amazing collaborators. Lester Mendez has been making music with me since Mar y Tierra. I couldn’t do it without him. I hope everyone who listens takes a trip to a magical spy girl world. Welcome to late night swim.”
The album includes recent singles like “all i want is you,” “dream,” “kitty,” and “tokyo,” the latter of which has proven Rubio’s largest streaming debut to date. Brought to life by Rubio, her longtime collaborator, GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Lester Mendez (Shakira, Santana), Austin Ward (UMI, Erick The Architect), and Olivia Bond (Remy Bond), “tokyo”—which earned praise from stars like Joe Jonas, Reneé Rapp, Vince Staples, Barry Can’t Swim, Dev Lemons, Suki Waterhouse, 54 Ultra, and Aaron Frazer (Durand Jones & The Indications)—is accompanied by an official music video directed by co-writer Olivia Bond.
Earlier this week, Rubio commemorated the release of late night swim during a special hometown appearance at Los Angeles’s Grammy Museum. Set in the intimate, 200-seat Clive Davis Theater, the night centered on a conversation between Rubio and her close friend, music journalist Tomás Mier, exploring Madonna’s enduring legacy and Mier’s debut book, Madonna: Into the Groove. Along with discussing the pop icon and covering several of her signature tracks, Rubio delivered an exclusive live set featuring her first-ever public performances of material from the new album.
DECEMBER
4 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
5 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
7 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Music Hall
8 – West Hollywood, CA – Roxy Theatre
10 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues Voodoo Room
#holanikorubio