22 Nov 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Aanvi S - EP Review: Emotions

09 Jun 2023 // A review by Danica Bryant

At only ten years old, Aanvi S is perhaps New Zealand's youngest up-and-coming pop sensation. Working with Dan Antunovich and Scott Seabright at Auckland's Parachute Studios, her debut EP Emotions is a promising poetic collection, introducing a new voice the younger generation not only needs, but deserves.

"I ain't gonna change myself, not for any boy or girl", Aanvi croons on opening track Change Myself, immediately testifying to her willpower and the earnesty that shines through on her writing. The production is simple, but this is perhaps intentional, to showcase Aanvi's character above all else. Follow-up track Light is the collection's standout. Laden with guitar grooves, dreamy melodies and a chorus as sticky sweet as honey, it's a confident self-empowerment anthem made all the better thanks to its childlike sense of pure joy.

Speak Up bursts into life with quirky indie pop percussion, reminiscent of early 2010's radio stars like Avalanche City and Jamie McDell. As its title might suggest, its lyrics give an on-the-nose reminder to use your voice for good, but Aanvi's passion for the topic gives it strength. This additionally makes the closing number The Mirror all the more poignant. A shimmering ballad with cinematic touches, The Mirror shows off an impressive vocal range, as Aanvi powerfully declares, "it's finally my time".

Already boasting a string of successes with HookLineAndSingalong and Establish Music, Emotions is the next step in the career of an artist the likes of whom we've never seen in a major way on our shores. Its universal message to follow your heart is one we can all believe in, and it gives us equally good reason to follow Aanvi S, too.

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Aanvi S

Aanvi S may be Aotearoa’s youngest pop artist. At just 10 years old, the Tamaki Makaurau born singer-songwriter fell in love with songwriting during the first Covid lockdown in March 2020.

Hailing from an Indian family, Aanvi takes inspiration from her rich and colourful culture. She is learning South Indian classic music (Carnatic) from Shalini Muthukumar. Aanvi also plays the piano, the trumpet, and the viola, and is a keen dancer, having learnt ballet, contemporary and hip-hop. Her musical influences include Olivia Rodrigo, Adele and Dua Lipa.

After her poem "Creativity is in you" was recognised in the Potential Plus UK International Poetry competition, in 2020 Aanvi discovered she could use her words to write songs. She was then enrolled at Eliette’s Music Academy, where she had singing lessons with Vesa Luma and Sophie Gibson. In 2020, she was awarded Songwriter of the Year at the academy, and in 2021, her song Music Is My Religion won the Kids Songwriting Competition. That same year, she was named Rockstar of the Year. In 2022, her song Auckland Anthem won Best Junior Song at the HookLineAndSingalong competition. She is currently receiving vocal lessons from Victoria Hollings. She is also set to play the part of Ally in Albany Junior School’s rendition of the famous Mamma Mia! musical.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Aanvi S

Releases

Emotions
Year: 2023
Type: EP

Other Reviews By Danica Bryant

Adam Hattaway & The Haunters - Album Review: High Horse
07 Nov 2024 // by Danica Bryant
Marking their sixth album in six years, High Horse is the latest impressive release from Christchurch powerhouses Adam Hattaway and the Haunters. Unlike the boisterous rock and roll ventures which precede it, High Horse is an intimate, eerie project made with a small group of collaborators.
Read More...
Tess Liautaud - Album Review: Blue Mind
25 Oct 2024 // by Danica Bryant
As the modern musical generation dive headfirst into digital production, home studios and the art of the solo performance, it’s hard to remember the days of the traditional, all-out band jam session. But Tess Liautaud’s beautiful sophomore record Blue Mind proves that lifestyle is alive and well in Otautahi.
Read More...
Claudia Robin Gunn - Album Review: Little Wild Learning
16 Sep 2024 // by Danica Bryant
The art of writing children's music is deceptively harder than people might expect. The songs are easy to listen to and lyrically simple, but they must incorporate educational vocabulary, introduce new ideas about life, and maintain a catchiness that gives young listeners a fun experience, rather than one that could be overwhelming.
Read More...
Nur Peach - Album Review: Syncopate
21 Jun 2024 // by Danica Bryant
Coromandel Peninsula's Nur Peach is fresh off a bachelor's degree in Pop Music and is immediately "gathering momentum" to realize her dream of releasing an album. Syncopate is an eclectic pop-folk and adult contemporary record full of motivational coming-of-age material, produced in collaboration with Auckland's Scott Seabright.
Read More...
Valere - EP Review: Gold Dust
10 Jun 2024 // by Danica Bryant
Christchurch performer Valere has built an impressive catalogue over the past decade, and her latest EP Gold Dust is no exception. Informed by recent years of experiences with motherhood, marriage and familial love and loss, Valere rediscovered the simplicity of songwriting on the guitar, and has now shared six powerful tracks motivated by this artistic return.
Read More...
Aro - Album Review: He Rakau, He Ngarara
21 Apr 2024 // by Danica Bryant
Tamaki Makaurau based husband & wife duo Charles & Emily Looker, otherwise known as Aro, escape genre boundaries on their fourth body of work, He Rakau, He Ngarara. Aro's waiata draw from country and folk, jazz, and shades of haka, making for a collection that often purposefully creates sonic whiplash in a stunning exploration of sound and kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga.
Read More...
Gig Review: Homegrown 2024 @ Wellington Waterfront - 16/03/2024 Part 1
17 Mar 2024 // by Danica Bryant
By some miracle, Homegrown 2024 hits a home run and finds Welly on an infamous good day this Saturday, 16th March. That sun is blazing down as the fairground rides and colourful outfits roll out onto the waterfront.
Read More...
Amiria Grenell - Album Review: The Winter Light
12 Mar 2024 // by Danica Bryant
Otautahi folk singer Amiria Grenell boasts many accolades to her name, and her new album The Winter Light will surely add to the pack. This is a cozy collection of classic folk songs, grounded in nature, family and the endless search for true peace.
Read More...
View All Articles By Danica Bryant

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem