Mia Nicolai
Dutch singer and songwriter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michaja Antonina Nicolaï[1] (Dutch: [ˈmixaːjaː ˈnikoːlɑi]; born 7 March 1996), known professionally as Mia Nicolai, is a Dutch singer, songwriter and actress. She represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 alongside Dion Cooper with the song "Burning Daylight".[2][3]
7 March 1996
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
- New Ams
- Red Papula
Mia Nicolai | |
|---|---|
Mia Nicolai in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michaja Antonina Nicolaï 7 March 1996 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels |
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Early life
Michaja Nicolaï was born on 7 March 1996 in Amsterdam as the second daughter of lawyer Peter Nicolaï and Russian-born musician and composer Marynka Nicolaï-Krylova.[4][5][6][7] She started taking drama and ballet classes at the age of three, which, according to herself, sparked an interest in music. She later started taking piano and violin lessons.[7][8]
Career
2018–2022: First singles
In 2018, Mia Nicolai released her first single, a cover of American composer Glenn Miller's "At Last".[9] In 2020, she released "Set Me Free" and "Mutual Needs", of which the latter was featured on DJ Zane Lowe's radio show.[10][11] In 2021, she released two singles, "People Pleaser" and "Dream Go".[12][13]
2023: Eurovision Song Contest
On 1 November 2022, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced that Nicolai would represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, alongside Dion Cooper.[14] Nicolai had met Cooper in 2020 when fellow Dutch Eurovision entrant and winner of the 2019 edition, Duncan Laurence, along with Laurence's partner Jordan Garfield, paired the two up.[15] Nicolai and Cooper performed in the first semi-final, but failed to qualify for the final.[16]
Personal life and artistry
Nicolai has lived in London, Melbourne and New York City, before settling in Los Angeles in 2022.[10][17] She has cited English singer David Bowie as one of her main artistic influences.[15]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Sharing Space Among the Stars |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLD (100) [19] |
NLD (40) [20] | |||
| "At Last" | 2018 | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Set Me Free" | 2020 | — | — | |
| "Mutual Needs" | — | — | ||
| "People Pleaser" | 2021 | — | — | |
| "Dream Go" | — | — | ||
| "Loop" | 2022 | — | — | |
| "Burning Daylight" (with Dion Cooper) |
2023 | 42 | 21 | |
| "Stuck" | — | — | ||
| "Chasing Lullabies" | 2025 | — | — | Sharing Space Among the Stars |
| "Spend the Night" | — | — | ||
| "Drowning" | 2026 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| "Time Without Ya" (Kid Gloves featuring Mia Nicolai) |
2020 | Non-album single |
Other collaborations
| Title | Year | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| "Issue" (Bob Junior featuring Mia Nicolai) |
2025 | Friends, Vol. 2 |
Songwriting discography
Eurovision Song Contest entries
| Year | Country | Song | Artist | Semi-final | Final | Co-written with | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Points | Place | Points | |||||
| 2023 |  Netherlands |
"Burning Daylight" | Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper | 13 | 7 | DNQ | Duncan de Moor, Jordan Garfield, Dion Cuiper, Loek van der Grinten | |
National selection entries
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Adios Amigos | Prostitute | — |
| Babatunde | Steffi | Short film | |
| 2018 | Doris | Lunchroom girl | — |
| 2021 | Flikken Rotterdam | Tara Tereshchenko | Episode: "Rex" |