Stan Walker’s new single Give is a concrete example of how diverse and powerful his vocal ability is. I can feel him, feel his passion for change in our world, and his message about needing to be better yourself in order to see the change that you want to see. It’s powerful and it’s a message we all hear a lot, but Walker’s delivery makes it seem more urgent than ever.
The production of this track is awesome. It’s a laid back affair that has just the right amount going for it that it does not seem forced or anything less than authentic with what the song is about. A soft organ starts us off before we get crafty with some spacious snare and kick with a guitar to boot. The song gently builds into the first chorus and by the last one we are in Top gear. It’s beautiful and powerful.
Co-written by Matiu Walters, vocalist and guitarist from Six60, the song captures how they felt the day after the Christchurch Mosque Attacks earlier this year. Together they have their hearts out on their sleeves hoping to get people thinking and asking the big questions. It’s brilliant.
I absolutely love this track. It’s simple yet so effective. A job well done.
Stan Walker may have kick-started his career by winning Australian Idol in 2009, but in the last decade, he’s become a genuine New Zealand idol, loved for his sense of humour, humility, and joy for life as much as he inspires in his roles as a musician and actor.
His success as a New Zealand performing artist across such a variety of mediums is unparalleled. Not only has Stan earned a total of 6 gold and 4 platinum singles as well as 1 double platinum and 1 triple platinum single in New Zealand, he’s collected 8 New Zealand Music Awards along the way and 5 ARIA Music Award nominations. He’s won the Waiata Maori Award for Radio Airplay Record of the Year 5 times, in 2010, 2011 and then 3 consecutive years in a row from 2013 - 2015. He’s now become an impressive star of our silver screen too.
In May last year, Stan released his new single New Takeover that followed by a culturally poignant video. It was a new direction for Stan, indicative of the depth of the connection he felt upon returning to live in New Zealand, and pay tribute to his family. Only a couple of months later however, Stan was diagnosed with stomach cancer.