“Before” is NIKI’s first promotional single on her sophomore album Nicole, which tells the story of her first short-lived relationship during college. While fans had speculated that a new single and project was underway, NIKI herself announced a teaser for “Before” on her Instagram, on May 26, 2022.

The single takes the listener through the motions of her rocky relationship with a long-distance college student in North Carolina. Despite their “puppy love,” NIKI admits that things will never be the same since “before” is not the now.