Kiwi duet's song shoots to No 1

Stan Walker said he wrote the second verse of the song <i>Holding You</i> about his girlfriend.

Bay of Plenty pop sensation Stan Walker is enjoying success once again with Holding You, a duet with fellow Kiwi Ginny Blackmore.

The song was released exclusively to New Zealand early last Friday and by midday it had reached No 1 most downloaded on iTunes in Aotearoa.

"The feedback we've received is more than what we could have asked for," said Walker.

The song, co-written and recorded by the two artists, is about real life situations of what they think love really is.

Walker said he wrote the second verse in the song about his girlfriend.

"It's a real hearty story about love and how grateful and lucky we are to have that person in our life. There's a line in the song which says "You still freak my heart out" representing the little things your partner does that gives you butterflies," he said.

The music video for Holding You will soon be released, Walker expecting its visuals to shock audiences. "The video clip perfectly illustrates what the audience feels after listening to the song."

The director of the video, Jessica Sanderson, said the visuals were based on the Maori myth of Ranginui and Papatuanuku, the sky father and earth mother.

"It is set in a dream world where Stan and Ginny play lovers who cannot exist within the same space, without causing havoc, and this causes them a lot of pain".

In the video Walker, who is of Tuhoe and Ngati Tuwharetoa descent, represents water and earth where Ginny is the sky, and as the two get closer the world around them goes out of balance,

Walker chose Sanderson to direct the video after watching her creation of a video clip, Best of Me, for singer Ria Hall. "I ... decided she's the perfect person for [directing] this type of song."

Sanderson said she had a great team working on the video. "I love making beautiful images, and I think there are some great moments in this video."

Walker hoped the song would leave an impression on people and encourage them to appreciate the loved ones in their own lives.