20 September 2024 - 0 Comments

Bengali-NZ singer songwriter Sabreen has today shared her cinematic new folk-pop single Countryman!

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Through skillful storytelling, beautifully layered vocals and both gentle and soaring instrumentation, Countryman brings to life the true story of Joe Kum Yung - a Chinese gold-miner who came to New Zealand in the late 1800's. Following a mining accident, he eventually moved to Wellington - the center of the local Chinese community at the time - where he was shot and killed by a white supremacist in 1905.

"His story really moved me,” explains Sabreen, “I wanted to write a song to humanise his and the wider story of Asian immigrants in this country, including my own parents. We know so little about Joe, and yet there is a wealth of information and sympathy for his killer. I wanted to fix that imbalance, and shine a light on the humanity and history of the New Zealand Asian community.”

Made with the support of NZ On Air, Countryman was then co-produced and recorded with producer/engineer Nate Selway between Depot Sound and SAE , with contributions from Nick Jones (strings), Joshua Taylor (cello), Matt Holden (electric guitar) and Noah Page (drums and mandolin).

“I wrote this song in 2021 and it’s the longest time I’ve ever spent working on a song. It gave me a real sense of creative purpose that I’ve never felt before, trying to get it right.”

Sabreen’s contact with the NZ Chinese Association and Wellington Chinese historian Lynette Shum - who has done a lot of work on Joe and others stories - was also crucial to the song’s process.

Also being released today is a new music video, made with Angle3 Productions, including director Léah McVeagh and cinematographer Daryl Wong. Reflecting on identity and community, the video was filmed at Auckland's Howick Historical Village, and jumps between Sabreen in the present, and Joe in the past - who is played by Kevin Yee.

Auckland-raised, twenty-two-year-old Sabreen is an artist, songwriter and author who crafts earnest and heart-wrenching stories. Her single Glow was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition, and she has performed extensively across Aotearoa, including at Music in the Parks and the Others Way Festival. Sabreen is also a published poet, releasing her poetry collection spring clean in 2022. Proudly Bangladeshi and Muslim, the artist is a fierce advocate for her community, which often finds its way into her music.

Her 2023 debut EP room service (RNZ, SRN stations, 95bFM Fancy New Band Showcase, NZ Music Commission Celebrating Wāhine, NZOA Fresh Cuts), was created with Auckland producer Sophie Bialostocki. Her first headline show at Big Fan was hugely popular and, in 2024, she received funding from the NZ On Air Pan-Asian grant for her latest release Countryman. With one EP under her belt and a second on the way, the future is looking bright for this rising artist as she shares her music with the world.

Cover Art Credit: Harshpreet Kaur

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