25 March 2022 - 0 Comments

Pop R&B newcomer Denzel has released his first single, Perfect.

For the last two years Denzel has been working with well-known Kiwi songwriters and producers such as Dan Martin, P-Money, Rory Noble, Mikey Dam, Balu Brigada, Aidan Fine, 1174 and Greg Haver. Under their influence he has developed as a songwriter and artist, and built a diverse catalogue of music which gives voice to his fresh take on traditional R&B. Denzel sees Perfect as being the culmination of that work.

“Perfect at its heart is a story about a relationship gone bitter and of never meeting expectations. I see that taking so many different forms because whether it’s a love relationship or your relationship with yourself - there is this struggle that comes with striving to be perfect, while also wanting to be your true self.

“I wrote it during lockdown in August 2020. Like everyone, I had a lot of uncertainty and lack of control in my life. Perfect describes what that felt like.”

Perfect initially started as a mash-up of the R&B/Funk/Soul genres lined with trap drums. Denzel then decided to add strings to give it a nostalgic 80s vibe but with a modern take.

“Just like this song, when something’s not right we don’t stop until it’s perfect. So it started out super raw with just the guitar and then we kept adding pieces and influences until we landed it.

“Strings are really important in this and every song that I write - literally the string that connects all of my music and sound together.”

According to Dan Martin, who co-wrote and produced Perfect alongside Denzel, it’s this sound that sets Denzel apart: “It’s key to what Denzel is all about and transforms Perfect from being purely R&B by romanticising it into something that is really new and unique.

“It’s something we don’t see or hear out of NZ on the level that Denzel is coming at us with.”

As Denzel’s official debut onto the Kiwi music scene, he’s excited to share what has been a lifetime in the making: “Growing up Samoan in Tamaki Makaurau, music was everywhere and a part of everything. As a musician, my ultimate goal is to break down all race and age barriers and to create music for everybody - music that whole families can enjoy together.”

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