MUROKI INTRODUCING
We've been keeping an eye on local reggae act Muroki for some time and the singer's dulcet tones have been helping us enjoy summer with his 2021 hit Wavy, the lead single from his EP Dawn.
Signed to Benee's label Olive Records, the 21-year-old is reshaping the sound of reggae music for a new generation. Now we're excited about getting through the rest of winter's chill with his latest release Introducing, ahead of a new EP out in September.
Expect big things from this rising star. “It’s a song that’s just about how exciting it was to dream about my music connecting with people back then and now how that dream can come true,” he says.
"Making the video for Introducing was a fun way to capture a few styles of music around the world that heavily influenced my sound guitar skanks from Jamaica, congas from Cuba, all the way to lyrical flows and samples from the US. It all combines into one final jam scene in a Kenyan desert where I can showcase myself and my music."
THE BETHS EXPERT IN A DYING FIELD
A new song ahead of the band's forthcoming album in September, this latest track showcases lead singer and songwriter Elizabeth Stokes' emotive vocals.
“In the course of knowing a person you accumulate so much information: their favourite movies, how they take their tea, how to make them laugh, how that makes you feel," says Stokes. "And when relationships between people change, or end, all that knowledge doesn’t just disappear.” This notion is succinctly encapsulated in the song's chorus, “Love is learned over time ‘til you’re an expert in a dying field.”
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Advertise with NZME.Visit Thebeths.com for confirmed Aotearoa tour dates beginning in Wellington on Friday 23 September.
TAMI NEILSON KINGMAKER
A new album and a new song, both entitled Kingmaker. A political point of view underpins much of this new release from the beloved Canadian-born, Aotearoa-based songwriter's new record.
“It felt so fitting to work with an incredible team of women on this video for a song of empowerment, led by director Alyx Duncan and producer Emma Mortimer," says Neilson.
"Alyx really poured her heart and soul into making Kingmaker come to life with her incredible attention to detail and she suggested approaching the owner of the historic St James Theatre located in the heart of downtown Auckland. I wanted the visuals to reflect the cinematic feel of the song, which includes a choir of some of my dearest friends, Julia Deans, Anna Coddington, Bella Kalolo and Zoe Moon all incredible New Zealand artists in their own right."
"I asked each of them to dress in what they viewed as regal and what made them feel powerful (Bella wears Samoan traditional dress; Zoe wears cowrie shells the ancient pan-African symbolism of wealth and fertility; Anna wears a Maori necklace carving and a feather shrug that nods to the traditional Maori kākahu by indigenous designer Kiri Nathan). Having these women who support and surround me both in music and in friendship serves as a reminder that when we are united, we are so much stronger."
