Niki and Gabi
American duo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Niki and Gabi (born May 5, 1995)[2] are an American duo composed of twin sisters Niki DeMar and Gabi DeMartino. They rose to prominence following the creation of their YouTube channel, where they posted covers and vlogs. They partnered with Awesomeness to produce several web shows, including their self-titled reality series which has run for five seasons. They made their acting debut in the 2016 comedy-drama film Dance Camp, and their official debut single "First" was released in 2017.
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| Born | Nicola Teresa DeMartino Gabriella Nelida DeMartino May 5, 1995 Pennsylvania, U.S. | |||||||||
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| Years active | 2010–present | |||||||||
| Awards | Full list | |||||||||
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| Years active | 2014–2019 2024–present | |||||||||
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Last updated: October 13, 2024 | ||||||||||
In 2018, the duo won their first Streamy Award in the category of fashion. The same year, they released their debut extended play, Individual, which peaked at two Billboard charts. Their last single before starting their solo careers "Hair Tie" was released in 2019. Niki released two extended plays titled Nights Alone (2021) and Ruined My Life (2023), while Gabi released one studio album, Paintings of Me (2022) and one extended play, Gabroadway (2020).
Life and career
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Perspective
1995–2015: Early life and career beginnings
Nicola Teresa DeMartino and Gabriella Nelida DeMartino are twin sisters that were born on May 5, 1995. They attended Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pennsylvania, and then DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, where Niki majored in television and film and Gabi majored in musical theatre. They dropped out of college after their junior year.[3] They auditioned for the X Factor with their older sister Alex, performing "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.[4]
They initially produced comedy skits on their YouTube channel 00RemakeGirls. They later started a new channel, Niki and Gabi Beauty, for beauty, fashion and lifestyle themed videos. They signed with AwesomenessTV and StyleHaul in 2012.[3] A parody of "Friday" by Rebecca Black in 2013 helped launch their YouTube career.[5] They released their first single "We're Not Over" on June 21, 2014, which however was taken down from streaming platforms along with their second single "It" that was released in June 2015.[3][6]
2016–2019: Reality shows and Individual
Niki and Gabi were cast in the YouTube Red comedy-drama web film Dance Camp as the characters of Mia and Mya respectively.[7] Gabi released her debut solo single "Ever After" in July 2016.[8] In January 2017, Niki and Gabi released their official debut single, "First".[9] In August 2017, they released a single titled "R U" which served as the lead single from their first extended play.[10] Niki was cast as Sadie in the second season of the Hulu horror web television series Freakish.[11] Blood Queens, a horror-comedy YouTube web series created by Gabi, which was also a spin-off of Scream Queens, premiered in October 2017 and has run for four seasons from 2017 to 2020.[12] On June 4, 2018, Wet Seal collaborated with Niki and Gabi and launched a limited edition clothing called "Niki + Gabi for Wet Seal".[13] The collection included accessories, tops and dresses.[14] The same month, they released "Sleep it Off" as the second single from their extended play.[10] In July, they released their debut extended play, Individual, which charted at number 14 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and number 32 on the Independent Albums chart. The EP contained two solo singles from the duo which are "Let It Roar" and "Flowers".[15] In September, Gabi was featured on Mina Tobias' track "Another One" with Kai Lucas, the same month, she released a single titled "Yacht".[16][17] In October, Gabi appeared in the music video for Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande.[18] Niki and Gabi signed to Abrams Artists Agency in 2019.[19] In February 2019, Gabi released "Cold Room", which was written in 2016.[20] In August 2019, Niki and Gabi released their final single, "Hair Tie".[21] In December 2019, Niki released a Christmas single titled "Sad Holiday".[22]
2020–present: Solo projects
In December 2019, it has been announced that Niki and Gabi would be focusing on their solo careers, and releasing their solo studio albums in 2020.[23] They also revealed plans of possibly touring together.[23] While remaining independent, Gabi signed a management deal with Roc Nation, and her solo album, at the time called Beautiful Mess was set for release in spring.[24][25] Gabi released an extended play in June, titled Gabroadway ahead of her studio album.[26] In July and October, Niki released the first singles from her solo project, "Alone in My Car" and "Bite of Me" respectively.[27] In September, Gabi released "Champagne Dreams", which has been marketed as the lead single from her album, but was later scrapped.[12] Due to changes in plans and new songwriting sessions, Gabi's album has been renamed to Paintings of Me, with a new release date. The lead single "Pretty Little Mind" was released in October.
Following their YouTube hiatus in November 2020, they returned to their collaborative channel in March 2021.[28] They also launched their Snapchat reality series, Twinning Out, in May 2021.[29] Niki gave an interview for Vanity Teen magazine in March, following the release of her single "Messy Room".[30][31] It was shortly followed by "25", released in June.[32] In August, Gabi opened for German DJ and producer Zedd at his concert in Musikfest, performing songs from her album, and she also released Paintings of Me's second single "Not Today".[33][34][35][36] The same month, she partnered with Pumpkin & Spice and launched their skincare line, and Niki announced her debut extended play.[37] Niki's debut extended play, Nights Alone, was released in September.[38] In October, Gabi released the third single from her album, "Immaculate", describing it as a 'cancel culture anthem'.[39] The fourth and final single "Broken Morning" was released in March 2022.[40] Gabi's debut studio album, Paintings of Me, was released in May.[41]
In October 2022, Niki released "Pregame" as the lead single from her second extended play Ruined My Life.[42] The second single "Love & Misery" was released in March 2023,[43] the third single "Amnesia" was released in April,[44] and the final single "Sorry Than Safe" was released in May.[45] Niki's second extended play, Ruined My Life, was released in July.[46] The same month, Gabi released a single titled "Heaven".[47]
Controversies
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Perspective
In September 2019, Niki and Gabi released a video on their channel titled "Going to College Dressed as Celebrities Challenge" in which American singer Normani was portrayed by a man. The video was criticized for "furthering stereotypes about black women having masculine features".[48]
In March 2020, Niki posted a TikTok in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which showed her with an Asian manicurist, both masked, while the song "It's Corona Time" plays over the video. The TikTok was criticized as racist and insensitive due to the implication that the manicurist had COVID-19 amid the rising xenophobia and racism experienced by Asians in the United States during the pandemic. The video was deleted and she issued an apology.[48]
In September 2020, Gabi was criticized for a video titled "BFF Income Challenge" in which she was accused of flaunting her income. In the video, she compared her spending income with a friend revealing a "spending disparity of thousands of dollars per week". She later issued an apology.[49]
In December 2020, Gabi made a nude video of herself at the age of 3 available for sale for $3 on the content subscription platform OnlyFans.[50][51][52][53][49] She was accused of misleading her fans about the contents of her video which was teased with the caption "won't put my panties on", distributing child pornography and setting up unsuspecting purchasers for possession of child pornography.[50][49] OnlyFans suspended her account for violating their terms of service.[50] Gabi initially attempted to downplay the incident as "trolling", stating to Insider, "Drama channels are trying to make something out of a childhood video of me, that's hilarious", and claiming her OnlyFans "was not a sexual page", though her previous posts were sexual in nature.[54] She later posted an apology video to her YouTube channel.[51][53][49]
Reality web series
The duo star in their own reality web series, Niki and Gabi, by AwesomenessTV. It has run for five seasons.[12]
| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | Spring Break | 5 | May 8, 2017 | June 5, 2017 | |
| 2 | Summer Break | 7 | September 2, 2017 | October 14, 2017 | |
| 3 | Take New York | 7 | May 5, 2018 | June 16, 2018 | |
| 4 | Take Miami | 7 | May 5, 2019 | June 16, 2019 | |
| 5 | Take Bahamas | 7 | April 18, 2020 | May 30, 2020 | |
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Gabi DeMartino | |
| Paintings of Me |
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Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat. [55] |
US Indie [56] | ||
| Niki & Gabi | |||
| Individual |
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14 | 32 |
| Niki DeMar | |||
| Nights Alone |
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– | – |
| Ruined My Life |
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– | – |
| Gabi DeMartino | |||
| Gabroadway |
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– | – |
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Niki & Gabi | ||
| "We're Not Over" | 2014 | Non-album singles |
| "It" | 2015 | |
| "First" | 2017 | |
| "RU" | Individual | |
| "Sleep It Off" | 2018 | |
| "Flowers" / "Let It Roar"[a] | ||
| "Hair Tie" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Rise and Shine"[57] | ||
| Niki DeMar | ||
| "Anthem for the Judged"[58] | 2018 | Non-album singles |
| "Sad Holiday" | 2019 | |
| "Alone in My Car" | 2020 | Nights Alone |
| "Bite of Me" | ||
| "Messy Room" | 2021 | |
| "25" | ||
| "Stuck" | ||
| "9 Lives"[59] | 2022 | Non-album singles |
| "When My High Wears Off"[60] | ||
| "Pregame" (solo or with 7evin7ins) | Ruined My Life | |
| "Love & Misery" | 2023 | |
| "Amnesia" | ||
| "Sorry Than Safe" | ||
| "Vegas" | 2024 | TBA |
| "Time Machine" (solo or with Gabi) | ||
| Gabi DeMartino | ||
| "Ever After" | 2016 | Non-album singles |
| "Yacht" | 2018 | |
| "Cold Room" | 2019 | |
| "Champagne Dreams" | 2020 | |
| "Pretty Little Mind" | Paintings of Me | |
| "Not Today" | 2021 | |
| "Immaculate" | ||
| "Barbie and Ken" (feat. Kenny Screven)[61] | Non-album single | |
| "Broken Morning" | 2022 | Paintings of Me |
| "Heaven" | 2023 | Non-album single |
Notes
Filmography
- Wheel Of Fashion (2015–2016, AwesomenssTV, YouTube)
- DIY Or DI-Don't (2015–2017, AwesomenssTV, YouTube)
- Teen Choice Awards (2015, Fox)
- YouTubers React (2016, React, YouTube)
- Top Five Live (2016, AwesomenssTV, YouTube)
- Niki and Gabi (2017–2020, AwesomenssTV, YouTube)
- Dear DeMartino (2018, AwesomenssTV, YouTube)
- Twinning Out (2021, Snapchat)
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2020 | Social Star Award | Nominated | [62] |
| Premios Juventud | 2019 | Name a Better Duo | Nominated | [63] |
| Shorty Awards | 2018 | YouTube Ensemble | Nominated | [64] |
| Streamy Awards | 2016 | Fashion | Nominated | [65] |
| 2017 | Lifestyle | Nominated | [66] | |
| 2018 | Fashion | Won | [67] | |
| 2019 | Lifestyle | Nominated | [68] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2016 | Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty | Nominated | [69] |
| 2017 | Choice Female Web Star | Nominated | [70] | |
| 2019 | Choice YouTuber | Nominated | [71] |
References
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