18 October 2024 - 0 Comments

Young Māori songwriter, producer and engineer Aubrie Mitchell makes a splash today, with the release of her debut single Secret.

Listen to Secret HERE

Secret is an uplifting slice of indie-electro-pop, which comes with a poignant message and introduces the world to one of Aotearoa’s newest rising stars.

‘It’s about admitting to myself that in order to reach my goals in life, I have to take risks and be open to failure,” says Auckland-based Aubrie (Ngāti Raukawa).

The 22-year-old triple threat has been making waves in Auckland’s tightknit music community for some time. For the past 18 months, she’s been working as a producer and engineer at Big Fan – the not-for-profit multi-purpose music space, which is the brainchild of Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Joel Little.

However, today’s release sees Aubrie step into the light as an artist in her own right – a significant move, which is cleverly reflected in Secret.

“I’m the type of person that’s apprehensive to try new things, and being an artist is one of them. It opens up so many opportunities to fail and that terrifies me. So this song is like an open diary entry into navigating my way through my insecurities in my musical abilities and my overall conclusion to just suck it up, get over myself, and try anyway,” says Aubrie.

The self-produced Secret was recorded at Aubrie’s home studio, mixed by Jeremie Inhaber (Lizzo, Post Malone) and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Rosalia, Rihanna) at Sterling Sound.

Aubrie adds that the way in which Secret came together, pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped her to create a track she otherwise wouldn’t have written. “I always produce and write as I go, but this was the first time that I actually wrote out the lyrics on paper before recording or producing anything. It felt super unnatural to write my feelings down before getting the initial vibe from a synth or drum beat, but it opened me up to somewhere I wouldn’t have gone.”

It makes for an impressive artist debut from the multi-talented Aubrie, who has already proved her songwriting and production chops by collaborating with the likes of alayna, Troy Kingi, TEEKS, CHAII and Louis Baker.

“I want my music to be uncompromised by any external pressures of fitting in because that’s how I feel artists can be truly authentic with their audience and their craft. Even if it doesn’t appeal to the masses. It’s a weird juxtaposition to be releasing a song about being scared to release a song, but it felt like a good introduction to how I am as an artist, songwriter, producer, and person.”

Before working at Big Fan, Aubrie completed a music degree, majoring in classical theory and music production at Auckland University. As a 12-year-old, Aubrie’s first major musical eureka moment was hearing the sleek, minimalist art-pop sound of Royals by Lorde. Three years later, as a high-schooler, she had the opportunity to participate in a series of lunchtime Music Production Masterclasses before taking part in the New Zealand youth development programme Ignite’s Music Production stream, where she had the opportunity to create a song with BENEE producer Josh Fountain.

Equally comfortable helping coax a deeper lyrical sentiment out of a collaborator, refining raw melody and harmony ideas, generating musical moods, or revelling in the textural elements of production, Aubrie is ready to step onto the international stage.

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