A: I grew up in quite a musical family and started writing ‘songs’ from a young age, but they were always just for fun. It wasn’t until I went to a Taylor Swift concert with my dad at 12 that I realized people can actually write songs for a job! So after that, it became a bit more serious for me. 

Some magical twist of fate led me to meeting my current producer at 16, and we’ve been working together ever since. It’s been a long process of finding my sound and really stepping into my artistic identity, but I’ve loved all of it!

A: I love writing and making music because it lets me encapsulate all of these really important moments in my life so vividly, and it’s the most special diary to look back on!

I also love posting my songs on TikTok and hearing how people relate to them – it’s so, so wonderful.

I have been making music *properly* since I was 16, but writing since about 11. And yes, it is most definitely my passion!

A: Last year my song SUMMER ROYALTY got added to a bunch of Spotify playlists, which was a really gratifying moment as a completely independent artist!

One of New Zealand’s biggest radio stations, RNZ, played SUMMER ROYALTY on the radio when it came out too, which was insane!

A: ‘i wish i never met u’ is a song I started on the floor of my friend’s university dorm room, he was talking about his ex and just said those 6 words. For some reason, they really stuck with me, and the hook melody came into my head right then and there. 

For a long time, I’ve been too scared to be “brutally” honest in my songwriting, but it just felt right on this song – sometimes people hurt your feelings, and you’re allowed to call them out on it!

I’ve been listening to a lot of really empowered female artists like Doja Cat, who really inspired me and made me feel brave enough to finish writing the song.

I’m hoping to release it early August!

A: Do 👏🏻 your 👏🏻 research! 👏🏻 BEFORE you release anything! I spent so long fumbling around in the dark as an independent artist, and although I learned a lot in the process, I could have saved myself a lot of time. YouTube is a goldmine for learning how to successfully release music independently.