20 January 2023 - 0 Comments

New Zealand singer and songwriter alayna has hit the ground running in 2023 with her new single Buckle In Baby, paving the way for the release of her debut album.

Listen to Buckle In Baby HERE

Watch the visualiser HERE

Undoubtedly one of New Zealand music’s ‘best kept secrets’ - until now! - alayna made her mark in 2022 with the upcoming album’s first two singles If You Want My Love and Cherry Tree. She now follows it up with ‘Buckle In Baby’, which firms up her growing reputation for delivering deeply moving songs that cut deep.

“Buckle in Baby sets the scene of where I am at this stage in my life; feelings of lostness and detachment, as well as seeming to be a passenger in my own story,” explains alayna.

Produced by Noema Te Hau; recorded at Big Fan Studios in Auckland; mixed by the award-winning Simon Gooding and mastered by Joe LaPorta from Sterling Sound, Buckle In Baby is accompanied by a simple, yet striking, visualiser shot by Courtney Tyler, and edited by edited by Undine Markus, which perfectly captures the sentiment of the song.

“I wanted to highlight the feeling of being on the back of a car. It is meant to feel a bit detached and lost and showcases the feeling of being stuck in a repetitive loop or cycle,” explains alayna.

Today’s release gives longtime fans, and also those who are only just discovering the magic of alayna, a taste of what they can expect from her highly anticipated debut album. “It is an important narrative and introduction to the journey that I proceed to go on, mentally, emotionally and artistically throughout my album,” she says.

The previously released singles Cherry Tree and If You Want My Love have already amassed tens of thousands of streams across platforms, with the latter single also receiving widespread radio play in New Zealand on ZM and The Hits. Both singles also made their mark on the official charts - most recently If You Want My Love sitting at #33 in the Hot 40 Singles Chart and #4 in the Hot 20 NZ Singles Chart.

alayna’s new material sees her slowly transition from an R&B and soulful singer to a singer-songwriter where her lyrical skills truly shine. Growing up listening to heavyweights such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, alayna’s songwriting depth can be attributed to these influences and the experiences that shaped her. And this is evident in Buckle In Baby.

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