He’s made hits for Exo, NCT, Twice and Aespa: meet K-pop songwriter Kyler Niko, who nearly made it as a singer himself
- After a record label chose not to work with Kyler Niko because they did not know how to market him as an Asian artist, he thought about giving up music entirely
- A fateful encounter with the founder of music company InnerV8 Musiq set him on a different path: writing K-pop songs for the likes of Exo, NCT, Twice and Aespa
By Dong Sun-hwa
As a child, Kyler Niko dreamed of becoming a singer – and he nearly made it as one, too.
Niko – who wrote his first song when he was 14 – was approached by one of the world’s biggest labels at the time, who said he had the looks, voice and songs they had been searching for. There was just one problem – they were not sure how to market him as a Chinese/Asian artist.
“In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise,” says the London-based Niko. “My new path as a songwriter has acquainted me with some of the greatest friends and colleagues one could ask for. Writing music for different artists is the most creatively gratifying experience as well.
Niko’s involvement with K-pop began about seven years ago, when he met songwriter Obi Mhondera. During their chance meeting, the founder of music publishing and management company InnerV8 Musiq told Niko that his songs sounded like K-pop.
“What’s wild is that only a few weeks prior to meeting Obi, I told myself that I wanted to give up on music. I guess the universe was listening and had other plans for me.”
When asked about the stumbling blocks he has faced in K-pop, Niko says the toughest thing for him has been in identifying his writing style.
“Identifying my writing style, strengths and weaknesses was a steep learning curve that required endless trial and error and the vulnerability to listen to my mentors,” he says. “I learned all about the ‘moments’, hooks and storytelling – all the unspoken ingredients of a bop that grabs the listeners and refuses to let go until the final second.”
“I have also been aggressively intentional in developing my ‘meter’, the tool that helps me create and recognise hit melodies. I am not sure if this meter can be trained, but my advice is to ‘trust the rave’, a saying we have in our team which refers to the overwhelming urge to rave when listening back to a truly great song.”
In Niko’s eyes, K-pop is distinct from other genres because it guarantees creative freedom unfettered by conventional songwriting rules.
“K-pop allows me to have freedom to experiment wildly with genre, structure, melody, concept and lyrics,” he says.
Underneath all the creative madness is a person that I must not forget to nourish and nurture
“K-pop is also different in the way that songs are heavily written to inspire choreography and the most eclectic music videos.”
Niko believes each section of a song must capture people’s full attention with something intentional. For this, he has a bag full of tricks such as big hooks, clever lyrics, vocal delivery, audio effects and rhythm.
“When writing a song, I first decide on its title, as this blueprints the lyrical concept, mood and sometimes even the chorus hook,” he explains. “After that, the rest of the writing journey depends on the order of which sections trigger me creatively.
“The one rule that governs all my decision making is to never settle for anything that does not excite you.”
“I have been a huge fan of Taeyang’s voice and artistic presence since the beginning,” he says. “In fact, a picture of him used to be stuck in the centre of a career dream board above my bed.
“Another band that come to my mind is Blackpink, who command the world’s attention with every release with their outfits, choreography, songs, music videos and attitude.”
As a songwriter who brings joy, unity, escapism and catharsis to people, Niko plans to come up with more experimental collaborations in the future.
“There are so many K-pop artists breaking out and more than ever they are delving into other genres to create new energy and new sounds,” he says.
“My mission is to contribute to this unstoppable wave. My core goals, however, are more personal. I aim to pay more attention to nature, health, relationships, overall well-being and peace of mind. Underneath all the creative madness is a person that I must not forget to nourish and nurture.”
