The Philippines’ thriving pop scene has long prioritized stories that feel both deeply rooted in Southeast Asian lived experience and universally accessible to audiences across the globe, a creative ethos that shapes every layer of High School in Jakarta, the pop sound that sits within the broader body of work that would eventually become NIKI’s third studio album, Buzz. What eventually became that third studio project started with an urgent quake from the innermost core of the artist’s being, a spark that could not be ignored, that demanded to be nurtured and shaped into a collection of work that reflected every part of her journey up to that point. Her songwriting, a craft that anchors the intimate connection she fosters with listeners, remains as unguardedly personal as ever across every track that makes up Buzz, and High School in Jakarta carries that same commitment to tender, unflinching honesty that defines all of her output.