Based in Singapore and born to Swiss-Indian parents, singer-songwriter Tabitha Nauser is rewriting the formula for pop music. In a landscape awash with predictability, her effervescent fusion of crystal-clear grooves, lush production and nostalgic R&B flourishes are offering the perfect tonic after a year of isolation and uncertainty. But deep at the heart of all of her music lies a heartfelt message of empowerment and a willingness to dissect her own vulnerability to help listeners better understand themselves, with her raw songwriting cataloguing everything from heartbreak, toxic relationships and self-acceptance.

Growing up listening to American R&B powerhouses such as Destiny’s Child and Usher, Nauser was a shy child, using music and public performances as a way to battle her social anxiety, even taking inspiration from retro tapes of her mother who used to be a professional classical Indian singer on the television. Her big break came at the age of 16 when she was propelled to household name status after battling through the third season of Singapore Idol. Soon after, the rising star signed with a local label, with stints in TV hosting and radio presenting, all the while honing her addictive sound and storytelling, before finally catching the eye of Sony Music Entertainment Singapore and signing with the label. Her sizzling debut single “Bulletproof” peaked at #1 on Spotify’s "SG Viral 50" chart and #4 on the iTunes “SG Top Charts” for all genres, with Nauser embarking on a successful promotional tour in Indonesia soon after. Her second single – sun-soaked dance floor filler “Body Language” with French-Malaysian rapper SonaOne – later cemented the artist’s position as a viral hitmaker. 

At this point, her acclaim went global, pricking the ears of international tastemakers such as acclaimed Dutch DJ trap duo Yellow Claw for hit collaboration “Crash This Party,” which has amassed a staggering 7 million streams to date, with the music video garnering more than half a million views on YouTube within 5 days of its release.

But it wasn’t until the second half of 2019 – where Nauser independently released her long-awaited debut mini EP titled “things i should have said” – that she began to reveal the true essence of who she is as an artist. Marking a closing chapter in Tabitha’s life and filled with reflective pop-inflected tunes with a noughties R&B sensibility, the impressive project underlines her musical aim: to make a mark on her listeners’ lives.

“I’m trying to learn more about myself all the time. I've had to go through a lot of healing, and I just want to be able to look back and see that things will always work out the way they’re supposed to. That i'm always where i need to be. I want people to listen to [my music] and be like, ‘oh, damn she's gone through it and she's made it out okay’. If i could be a source of inspiration or hope for someone, then i think i've done my job.”

Fresh off the back of the EP, Nauser signed with buzzy indie label ANTIFRAGILE MUSIC, which has seen her truly come into her own, experimenting freely with a host of genres with club-ready house track “Keep My Distance”, saccharine bubblegum pop offering “VICES”, and a number of exciting features from Korean and Indonesian musicians. Next up, the artist is dropping empowering anthem “When Will I Be Loved”, a sure-hit which builds via her masterful honeyed vocals and soars to a thumping crescendo.

“The song brings me back to when I was going through this really sad break up,” explains Nauser. “It was super toxic, and I felt shitty about me as a person and who I was as an artist. I just didn’t feel like I was really worthy of love. It was a tough time, but holds an empowering message for people who realise after something like that that they obviously can be loved.”

Nauser has also performed on multiple stages and festivals such as the Mosaic Music Festival, Shine Festival, Music Matters Singapore, and the F1 Singapore Grand Prix, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at the White House in Washington DC for President Obama’s State Dinner. 

2021 is set to be a huge year for this entrancing and genre-blurring new artist, who is undoubtedly set to go stratospheric.