Music News - PRYNNE’s debut album, an ode to Hall of Fame father, hits public release
07 June 2024 - 0 Comments
Moana McArtney aka PRYNNE, grew up backstage as her father, Dave McArtney, enchanted audiences with New Zealand’s legendary rock band, Hello Sailor.
Since his passing 10 years ago, she has been following his musical footsteps and working towards this milestone, releasing her first album, A Fleeting Moment of Clarity.
PRYNNE staggered the release of the first three singles from the album starting in February this year. The full album, which she is dedicating to her father, is released to the public on 7 June 2024.
On 21 June, PRYNNE will start releasing her official music videos one by one. The videos were directed by Tom Grut and produced by Fish n Clips of Flying Fish production company.
The album doesn’t stick to one genre. It moves freely between synth-pop, electro-pop and tender singer/songwriter ballads. Yet surprisingly, it is cohesively glued together by PRYNNE’s soft and pure toned vocals which, alongside the craftsmanship of her lyrics, are fearlessly vulnerable and honest.
It’s this dextrous approach to songwriting that makes A Fleeting Moment of Clarity such a seductive listening experience and has the power to mesmerise you.
Johnny Fleury who is one of her father’s dearest and oldest friends played guitar on the album - another full circle moment that makes this project such a sweet homecoming.
A Fleeting Moment of Clarity was produced by the legendary music producer Alan Jansson who is a long-time friend and collaborator of Dave McArtney and the brains behind How Bizarre by OMC.
Working alongside Jansson and his production partner Siche Zhang, added another layer of intimacy to the project, especially because Moana’s writing process is usually so quiet and private. She reflects on the sense of trust and close familial bond the three of them developed and how special it made the experience for her.
“I felt really respected in my artistry and process. I still recorded all of the album vocals myself at home and brought them back to the studio. I need to be totally alone to get into that uninhibited state.” she says.
“I felt supported yet pushed and challenged at the same time. It has been a process of tearing down walls, opening my heart and challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone” says PRYNNE.
“The album is a full landscape of my inner world over a period of years and events that broke me yet somehow made me; it feels like I’ve left my heart and mind out on the operating table,” PRYNNE says.
“There are love songs, songs about grief, about the death of things and the birth of what still lies ahead, songs that embody middle finger energy and tender heartbreak songs.”
“I’ve never tried to be unconventional, not consciously, but I have little regard for the rules.” PRYNNE describes this range of songs as an exploration of all corners of her musicality.
Moana chose the path her father set ablaze. She set off in this direction when he passed away, picking up his guitar and pouring out a song in a single sitting, almost by accident. She describes the experience as near-mystical, since she had never played the guitar before, though she had been writing lyrics and poems since she was a kid.
In an act of escapism and yearning for purpose, Moana quit her aspiring acting career and went to London to attend the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance and lived there for six years. It was here her alias PRYNNE was born and where she honed her skills as a singer, songwriter and producer.
“Discovering myself in music has been and will continue to be the most defining journey of my life. I was so close to my dad, I miss him so much, but he gave me the greatest gift - music in my blood. I know he’d be happy I’ve kept his flame burning,” says Moana.
Moana is aware that she carries her father’s nostalgic legacy on her shoulders. She’s emerged with no facades, nothing but her authentic self. What she hopes for this album is that listeners will take what she’s poured her heart and soul into and make it their own; create their own magical experience from it.
Photo Credit: Chris Cuffaro
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