20 September 2024 - 0 Comments

New Zealand singer and songwriter Rita Mae has been searing her unique style of indie-alt rock ‘n pop into the minds of discerning music lovers around the globe. Her recent releases the grungy, anthemic Kiss The Sky, gritty My Bad and stripped-back Big Star have quickly clocked up tens of thousands of streams and new fans alike.

She now releases her upbeat, emotionally charged new single Poster Child. It’s the next single from her upcoming EP Kiss The Sky, out on November 8.

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Further highlighting her versatility as an artist and songwriter, Rita recommends listening to Poster Child when you want to indulge your slightly unhealthy attention-seeking tendencies. Written from a place of angst that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, the track was written and recorded in one day. She says, “All I knew is I was feeling antsy, I needed to make a song that had energy, that matched this restless feeling that I couldn’t pinpoint.

“I make a lot of music as a way to process specific experiences and emotions. It’s less common for me to write from a place where I just want to capture a feeling, but on this day that’s what I wanted to do. I just felt a bit cooped up and on edge but I didn’t know how to describe it, I was craving an upbeat song with a kind of driving feeling to it to get that anxiety out of my system. We didn’t have any reference tracks or artists in mind, we just wanted to write a song about being bored and antsy and desperate for validation! But make it fun and something you can dance to!”

Rita has been making waves in Aotearoa’s alt-indie scene since she started releasing songs like the stirring The Secret's Out in 2021 and then the effortlessly cool Candy’s House in 2021. In 2023 she unveiled her EP Superfeeling Deluxe, which featured Candy's House (Comedown Song). The single was featured on the likes of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Sniffers, Coup de Main, ZM and The Edge.

In 2023, Rolling Stone AU/NZ magazine tipped her as “one of eight Kiwis artists tipped to take over”, saying “Music is in her DNA, and Rita Mae’s future as an artist in her own right looks very bright indeed…”

Rita’s upcoming new EP will feature already released singles, the title track Kiss The Sky, My Bad and Big Star, and these are just a few highlights on a project brimming with energy and bravado.

She says, “The project is about saying exactly what I feel and what I want, without shying away from any of those feelings. It's colourful, emotional and to the point. It encapsulates the feeling of contentment and hunger and satisfaction and desire that I am feeling all at once right now. I am feeling particularly confident and bold, while at the same time my dreams feel insanely big and I feel rather small. In a nice way, though. A quiet peace while I watch all the magic flood in. These are strong, powerful alternative pop songs that ask you to listen to them and don’t apologise for asking.”

Kiss The Sky is released on November 8.

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