Spy: Harper Finn makes music moves in New York

Harper Finn has moved to New York. Photo: VIVA Magazine. Photographer: James Lowe Stylist; Dan Ahwa.

Two years after taking the Kiwi music scene by storm, Harper Finn has made the move to develop as an artist in New York.

The son of NZ Music icon Tim Finn won last year's Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at December's Aotearoa Music Awards.

Spy thinks Finn's time in the Big Apple will be ripe for success. It follows in the steps of artists like our own multi-Grammy winning Lorde, who has found great inspiration and collaboration from the city that never sleeps.

Finn's representatives at Warner Music confirmed the singer-songwriter was up in New York busy writing and recording in the studio and would indeed be taking inspiration from the city and being under a different sky, adding to his forthcoming 8-track Newcomer EP, set for release later this year.

So far there are a few signs of links to Lorde. Finn recently did a photoshoot with her former boyfriend, in-demand photographer James Lowe.

Harper Finn and Renee Wilks enjoying the view in NYC.

Finn has also been hanging around Manhattan with good friend, top fashion model Renee Wilks, who is understood to move in the same circles as Lorde's little sister, poet Indy Yelich-O'Connor.

Last June, 24-year-old Finn headed to Sydney for four days and was immediately locked down for a month. Figuring it was easier to get back to New Zealand from the US than Australia, he booked a flight to Los Angeles and ended up being away from home for three months. He shared on social media that he was hanging out with Wilks in New York in July, calling it "The great escape".

Since arriving back in NY from New Zealand recently, Finn and Wilks have been taking in all the city has to offer, with lots of sharing of good times and new experiences on social media.

Warner says being in NY gives Finn that feeling of venturing further afield and being a newcomer again. On Wednesday, Finn released the official music video for Different Skies, a single from Newcomer.

Mega Kiwi artist Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi, aka Teeks, is also currently taking inspiration in New York, where the producer of his 2016 debut EP, The Grapefruit Skies, Jeremy Most is based. The beloved soul singer has been showing his followers plenty of Manhattan highlights and is due in Australia in June to perform in Sydney and Melbourne.