20 October 2023 - 0 Comments

A fusion of Alt Country, Bluegrass, linked with a lush reggae beat.

Recorded at Kross Kut Records QLD with Lindsay Waddington at the helm. Ainslie says, ‘Waddo had a funky bluegrass, reggae instrumental he played Cas (Allan Caswell) and I, we immediately put pen to paper and recorded this track the very next day’.

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Incorporating Ainslie’s Māori heritage in the lyrics, she says, ‘I’m always finding ways to connect with my culture through my music”, “I’ve discovered a fresh direction in my sound, Don’t Wanna Be Lonely is dripping with the summertime vibe.

From a young age, Ainslie Allen (Rongowhakaata, English, Irish) honed in on her talents. She won her first guitar at the age of 12 and at 16 she went on to win Smokefree Rockquest’s most prestigious Female Musician Award, the same year she starred in McDonald's Young Entertainers, a hit New Zealand TV talent show, making 'Ainslie Allen' a household name.

As an Independent Alt Country artist, Ainslie released her debut EP The A-Sides in November 2013 and after a 6 year hiatus her debut Country album Betty was released in 2021 reaching #8 on the official NZ Top 40 Album Charts and #30 on the official Top 40 World Album Charts.

Career highlights to date are playing the main stage at Rhythm and Vines 2020, being part of Waiata Anthems Week 2021, nominated for Best Māori Wāhine Solo Artist at the Waiata Māori Music Awards 2021

Her recent releases Done and Gone, You Think You’re (Better Than Me) and Te Ua Ka Moa, and Maserati were all chosen to be on NZ on Air - New Tracks, her first Te Reo Māori release Taku Māmā debuted at #4 on Apple Music’s New Music Daily, and was immediately picked up by Spotify's Waiata Reo Māori playlist (35k) where it sat for over a year and was 8 weeks on Apple Music’s Southern Craft playlist.

After a massive few years, a national headline tour under her belt, songwriting in the Gold Coast Australia (ngā mihi nui NZ Music Commission) with some of her favourite music writers, preparations are in full swing for her sophomore album due 2024.

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