Prelude Press
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Gearing up for her next creative chapter, acclaimed Mexican/Salvadoran-American singer-songwriter Niko Rubio is kicking off 2026 with a brand new single titled “Sunday Girl,” available now via Atlantic Records HERE. The tune provides a glimpse of more to come from the rapidly rising songstress. Watch the official visualizer now below.
Alternating between English and Spanish, Niko’s melodies effortlessly ripple across waves of guitar and drums. She simply transfixes on the song’s verses, slipping into an ethereal register as she glides into the chorus, asking: “Don’t you wish I was your Sunday girl?” With her dreamlike delivery, “Sunday Girl” evokes the characteristics of Niko’s signature sound, channeling the laidback spirit of a Southern California beach and the sheer magnetism of her Latina roots.
“I wrote ‘Sunday Girl’ when I was in love with someone who I knew could never love me back the way I needed them to,” says Niko. “A Sunday girl is the girl who gets to meet the parents. The girl you dream of a future with. I knew I wasn’t that girl for this boy. But I kept loving him anyway. In a desperate plea, I wrote this song to get my frustrations and tears out at last. I wasn’t his Sunday girl, but I’m sure I’m someone else’s. Anyone can be a Sunday girl. It’s a state of mind.”
The new song sets the stage for an imminent breakthrough for Niko. Within the past six months alone, her following has more than doubled on social media, and she’s garnered her strongest streaming growth to date. It’s no surprise Pandora recently selected her among its 2026 “Latin Artists to Watch.” Moreover, she’s only continued to distinguish herself as a formidable performer, supporting the likes of The Two Lips, Omar Apollo, Role Model, and The Marías on tour, debuting a compelling performance for Pigeons & Planes’ “Medium Sized Backyard” showcase, and appearing at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Summerfest, Corona Capital, and SXSW.
“Sunday Girl” follows Niko’s latest collaboration with Zuri Marley for a standalone reimagining of her intoxicating single, “Ring Ring,” available HERE alongside an official video available on YouTube. The pair—Zuri, the daughter of Ziggy Marley and granddaughter of Bob Marley, and Niko—first debuted the rendition live last summer at a sold-out headline show in Los Angeles at the Moroccan Lounge, a special night that saw ticket/merch proceeds donated to CHIRLA (the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights).
The iconic collaboration arrived on the heels of Niko’s 2025 EP, Ring Ring, produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner Lester Mendez (Shakira, Santana, Nelly Furtado). The project includes standout songs such as “Baby” and the original solo version of “Ring Ring,” co-written by Niko, Mike Rincon, and Julian Bernal (Kali Uchis, Sebastian Yatra). The title track quickly raised its hand as a fan-favorite across social media, praised for its boisterous horns, laidback reggae guitar groove, and Niko’s sun-kissed, jazzy cadence. Also among the EP’s highlights is the tender, Spanish guitar-inflected ballad, “Quisiera Saber,” which earned recognition from both the Los Angeles Times and tmrw magazine. The latter raved, “Written between Los Angeles and Mexico City, Ring Ring is more than just an EP – it’s a declaration of identity. ‘Sirena Latina baddie’ is how Niko describes its core energy, and it fits. The songs drift between dreamy alt-pop, mariachi roots, and nostalgic R&B, but always feel distinctly her.”
Stay tuned for more from Niko in 2026!