Standing on the very stage at Apple headquarters in New York where Adele is said to have performed her first game-changing gig, about to present her own first live music showcase, Kiwi singer NOURI felt like it's her time to show the world what she can do.
She's not off to a bad start, so far reaching audiences around the world after releasing her first hit 'Where Do We Go From Here' to a hugely positive response.
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The track debuted at number one on the Hot 20 NZ Singles chart and took the lead spot ahead of artists like Ariana Grande and Zaye on the Top International Song in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Palestine on the largest streaming service in the Middle East and North Africa, before clocking up over 1 million views on YouTube.
Off the back of a whirlwind month, NOURI opened up about the "crazy response" she's received since dropping her debut single.
"It hasn't stopped - I expected the hype to be the first week, but it's just been getting bigger and bigger," she told Newshub.
It took "a lot" for the creative to make waves in the industry overseas but says a strong mind and confidence in her art would get her though any moments of second-guessing the path she was taking.
"Everybody always has a little doubt, and I think it's healthy to have that just because, honestly, when you get there it's like everything you've ever dreamed of," she said.
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm beating people in the charts that I look up to, it's insane."
NOURI's family fled Syria in 1995 when she was three years old after leaving family old after their home in Kurdistan was destroyed by a bomb in 1991.
She says she'd never trade her Kurdish roots for anything, because her history is so much of who she is today.
"I don't think I would be here if I didn't go through that - and just having gone through that as well, it makes everything I do so much more important because I've got people really looking up to me now and that's exactly what I want.
"I want to be the voice for anybody else who is fighting to be heard."
The young pop artist is focused on working "like crazy" to make sure she is where she needs to be in order to help other people, be a positive role model and inspire the belief that anything is possible.
It's not without the support of her family that she's been able to pave her way, explaining that "from day one" their encouragement has been key in her being able to chase her dreams.
The vocalist admits her mum was slightly apprehensive about her daughter venturing off to LA in 2017 to vie for a spot as an acclaimed recording artist, but came around to the idea after understanding Nouri would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't make the move.
"My Mum, as a Middle Eastern woman, didn't want her baby girl going off to the States by herself - but I think she just was scared for me that I would be rejected, and always wanted me to have a back-up plan."
Working with a small team of four, NOURI is creating a name for herself without the help of any major record label, but off the back of her number one single, the offers have been flooding in for her to ditch her independent standing.
She's not without guidance however; the young performer is keeping good company, with Moroccan-American rapper French Montana and his younger brother Ayoub Kharbouc in her corner.
"He's just been so supportive from day one, and his family as well, like his little brother Ayoub - I love him."
With her mind set on keeping up the momentum, she's sticking to two rules.
"When I moved to LA I decided to have no expectations and make sure I put 100 percent into everything I do - that way you're never disappointed and you're working your butt off.
"You have to work as hard as you can out here, everybody is trying to do the same thing so you really have to make sure you believe in yourself enough to keep going, even when there's days when you just feel like you should stop.'
As she looks ahead to releasing her first EP in 2019, she can't help but celebrate each win along her journey, including the showcase at Apple.
"The stage I performed on at Apple in Soho was apparently the same first one as Adele when nobody knew of her," NOURI excitedly gushes down the phone.
"She actually performed there and there was like 20 people in the audience and it was the first performance for both of us.
"Her career literally started there as her first performance, and that was the same as me, it was my first performance in front of a crowd.
"It's just about to blow up," she squeals.
Newshub.
