Swedish singer-songwriter Elie was born Nicole Elie Touma, in 1995 to Lebanese parents who had settled in a small town called Skovde in Central-Southern Sweden. Growing up in a musical household, the young superstar inherited her father’s love of singing, the was something they went on to share throughout the years. Nicole developed a passion for piano-playing during her infant years, during this time her then teacher emphasised that Nicole was gifted and that one day, the whole world would be lucky enough to witness this.

Inspired by the likes of Chris Brown, Dua Lipa, H.E.R, Daniel Caesar & Jasmine Sullivan Nicole’s range and her understanding of music is extremely diverse and sophisticated. The singer’s first musical encounter was in 2010 at the tender age of 15 when a song she had written for her sick father (who unfortunately later passed away from cancer) entitled ‘Don’t Give Up on Me’ landed in the lap of a Swedish record label, who after hearing the song, immediately offered her a record deal. This never materialised as Nicole believed that both parties’ visions weren’t aligned.

On this same day, Nicole was celebrating her little sister’s birthday at a Lebanese restaurant in Stockholm where she met none other than the legendary musical icon and 80-times Grammy-nominated Quincy Jones. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Nicole approached Jones’ table and asked him for a photo, he obliged then asked her if she lived in Stockholm to which she explained she didn’t. When Jones asked what she was doing there, she explained that she’d come to pursue her dreams of being a singer. Quincy then put the young Nicole on the spot and asked her to sing – she did. He was blown away and the next day mentioned her in several press publications. The pair’s communication continued beyond but then later fizzled out.

Later that year, Nicole would go on to work closely with Efe Ogbeni, a Sony exec who looked after Davido, Lady Gaga, Red One, Akon plus more. This lead to meetings with Humberto Gatica and Dianne Warren, among others. Shortly after, Roc Nation’s Kuk Harrell (Rihanna, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber), stumbled across the singer during his Online Talent Search, he signed her for a year on an artist development deal. In 2016, Nicole participated in the Swedish Idols and ended up being one of the 10 finalists on the show.

After sharpening her tools and perfecting her craft for many years, Nicole recently toured with Star Life from South Africa and is readying to release her brand-new offering, ‘Without You’ which is an ode to her late father.