Nabila Taqiyyah

Nabila was born on 21 November 2005 in Banda Aceh, Aceh.^[4] She was born to Fachri Nugraha Syahputra and Nelli Maulidar as well as the eldest of seven children.^[5] Nabila has six younger siblings: Nadya Syakirah, Nayla Ashilah, Nadhifa Athiyah, Nadien Latifah, Nasywa Geubrina Rizki, and Muhammad Gaza Al Ghazali.^[6]

Nabila's father was once a member of the Indonesian National Police in Aceh.^[7] He decided to resign from the police service when Nabila's family moved from Aceh to Jakarta to support her dream of becoming a singer. Before leaving for Jakarta, Nabila's father claimed to have an acquaintance who was expected to help Nabila pursue her singing career. However, upon arriving in Jakarta, the family's expectations did not match with reality. As a result, the family experienced a significant economic downturn, and both of her parents even worked as street vendors at one point.^[8]

Although she does not come from an artistic family and none of her family members are involved in the arts, Nabila became the first person in her family to pursue a career in the arts.^[9] Her interest in singing began at five.^[10] While she was still in kindergarten, Nabila aspired to become a singer. However, during junior high school, her ambition shifted to becoming a policewoman due to the influence of her father, who often invited her in police-related activities. She was fascinated by the profession and even took part in physical training for the policewoman entrance test. Upon entering senior high school at State Senior High School 3 Banda Aceh,^[11] her ambition returned to what it had been in kindergarten, becoming a singer. This change was driven by her experience as a content creator, which ultimately led her to decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry as a singer.^[12]

Nabila began her career as a content creator at 16, while she was in junior high school.^[13] She uploaded singing videos to her personal YouTube channel, including videos of her singing on Ome TV.^[14] Since 2020, Nabila has released several songs, including "Jangan Pergi Lagi," her debut single.^[15] In May 2021, Nabila gained popularity after a video of her singing "We Will Not Go Down" by Michael Heart and an Arabic-language song titled "Atouna El Toufouley" that caused an Israeli soldier to cry.^[16] This success led to her being invited to the talk show Kick Andy in April 2022, in the episode titled "Gitar Getarkan Dunia," which marked her first appearance on television.^[17] In the interview, Nabila explained that she created the concept of singing while simultaneously spreading a message of peace through her Ome TV content.^[18] On 7 July 2021, Nabila was awarded the Silver Creator Award from YouTube after her channel reached 100,000 subscribers.^[19] Her subscriber count later increased to 631,000 by February 2022.^[11]

As of July 2022, Nabila had more than 44,000 followers on Instagram. As part of the commemoration of the 76th Bhayangkara anniversary, she was invited to perform on the main stage of the Bhayangkara Seulawah Expo (BSE) 2022 at Harapan Bangsa Stadium, Lhong Raya, Banda Aceh, on 20 July 2022.^[20]

In 2022, Nabila decided to participate in the twelfth season of the talent search competition Indonesian Idol. During the stage audition round in Jakarta, she sang "Belum Siap Kehilangan" by Stevan Pasaribu. Her performance impressed the judges, and Nabila earned a golden ticket after receiving three "yes" votes.^[21]

After passing the auditions, Nabila continued to advance through the subsequent rounds of the Indonesian Idol competition. She performed various songs with deep emotion and showcased strong vocals, impressing both the judges and the audience. Round after round, Nabila succeeded in convincing the judges with her consistent performances and exceptional vocal talent. She even had the opportunity to duet with Tiara Andini on the Indonesian Idol stage, performing the song "Merasa Indah." Nabila admitted that she is a fan of Tiara Andini and was delighted that her idol was invited to perform a duet with her.^[22]

Eventually, Nabila reached the pinnacle of her journey on Indonesian Idol and became one of the top finalists.^[23] In the grand final round, she finished as a runner-up, losing to Salma Salsabil.^[24]

After completing her journey on Indonesian Idol, Nabila signed a contract with the record label Universal Music Indonesia.^[25] In addition, Nabila also joined the artist management company Star Media Nusantara, which will support her in developing her music career.^[26]

As the winning song of Indonesian Idol, "Menghargai Kata Rindu" became Nabila's debut single released after the signing of her contract. The song was written by Mario G. Klau, a singer-songwriter who was rising in popularity at the time. The song was released in two versions, one of which was performed by Salma Salsabil.^[27]