Estelle Clifford: Award winning artist AJA shares her debut album 7 years in the making

From NZ Music Commission - Award-winning Aotearoa artist AJA has today shared her timeless, unravelling and hypnotic bilingual debut album KĀWAI.

7 years in the making, today’s body of work from this bona fide talent is a truly authentic display of an artist finding her voice and inviting listeners into the inner-workings of her world.

Alongside producer Mara TK (Electric Wire Hustle, Meeting House Records), and a talented network of band members, collaborators, and features, AJA (Ngāti Raukawa, Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News talks at me.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Of saying anything, any.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Songs let you die.

Speaker 4 (00:34):
A fun last songs. The song is called quiet Storm.
It's by Kiwi artist Asia. She's won all sorts of
awards and has played all sorts of festivals over the
last couple of years, but this is her debut album.
The album is called car Why and the Stelle Clifford

(00:55):
Our Music Review has been listening.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
More than Oh Kouder. Doesn't she have a stellar, beautiful voice?

Speaker 4 (01:01):
Yeah? Amazing that voice, Yeah, gorgeous.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah, justiceure escapism, I think is what this album is.
And it always astounds me that we have so many
artists in this country who have voices like.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
That, Yeah, talent like that.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
They've done backing vocals for this, They've featured with this artist,
and then, you know, however, many years or decades into
their career, we get their debut album totally you know,
And I think that what that says to me about
this album is it's been thought through very well. It's
not a ah way quick they want to get an
album in the can and deliver you something. It's like

(01:36):
I want to put my heart and.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
Soul into considered.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, it really is Quiet Storm.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
I mean, you know, such as life, but I think
this is a real fusion of sounds.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
It's a real great showcase.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Of blended cultures and influences in life like many of us.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
She's tell Marty and she's tell Paki her and.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
So to blend that in your subject matter but also
in how you approach music, it's really quite a beautiful
thing to come together. So I love that she has
this bilingual album, but it's not just the language.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
You know, it's the experiences and how you view the world.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yeah, through those different parts of your famo, right, yeah, yeah,
And she does.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
That beautiful spoken word thing.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
That song their Quiet Storm is a collaboration with Pornikki
mc ma, so it has that kind of groovy soul
funk DJ kind of thing about it, and she has
a big spoken word intro, which again I think elaborates
on that escapism when you fall into somebody's voice and
then into that beautiful singing.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
That she does.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
I think there's some really cute little bits some tracks
that are like thirty seconds to a minute, and they're
actually snippets of her children.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Tamadou key, you.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Know, and they're they're doing some talking around the kitchen
table or wherever it is that this album is the
last bits of productionists sort of coming together and everyday
home conversations that have become part of the tapestry.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Of the album.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, right, and again that's what it's about, right, It's
about Lenny and life and home and.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Every experience that you can have.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
So I think that's got a really emotive bass.

Speaker 4 (03:15):
It's really it's got kind of an ethereal it's going
to kind of ethereal vibe from what.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
I've had, absolutely, and I think that's a bit for
me that says that it's there escapism.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
You can go with that.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
Kind of things like that hum in the ethereal kind
of music. Yep, it's like a surging. It's kind of
always the undertone of many of the songs. And so yeah,
I think that's that etheral kind of thing, and her
voice can sit really a top of that. There's that
indigenous sometimes kind of sound to the music, soul, there's
a bit of electro pop, and then soundscapes that come

(03:48):
in behind the music, and then of course you've got
all the actual lyrics, which is storytelling and relationships and
all that beautiful stuff that you know. I think our
New Zealand artists are actually really amazing at delivering.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Oh yeah, and.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
The process of making this music, you know, like some
of these song actually she's actually some of the songs
on the album have been out for a few years,
but then to make them into this cohesive body of work.
I think it's a really beautiful thing. And I love
this here I grabbed this off her Instagram. She said
it was about creating memories, sharing stories, opening the door
to our life with Faro at the center of it all.

(04:24):
And what a time of year to remind ourselves that
is what we are about. And yeah, just put this
on and enjoy it. Maybe it's later in the dan
and you've got a nice glass of wine with you,
or maybe it is while you're setting up the Christmas
tree or whatever you're getting onto in the weekend, a
little sideline, you know, to have this, Yeah, just sort

(04:46):
of beautifully in the background or maybe in the forefront
of your day. I think this is what this album
can do for you. I think it can be there
in the background, or you can embrace it fully emerge
yourself into that bilingual language, do you know. I also
think with these albums you don't necessarily have to be
able to spect it on Marty. There will be elements
of it that you will capture and embrace for yourself,

(05:06):
whether you fully understand all the words, and maybe it'll
make you delve into finding out the meaning behind some
of those words.

Speaker 4 (05:12):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, Okay, sounds great, sounds really good.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
So what did you give car Wi?

Speaker 3 (05:16):
I'm just going to go straight out there with the
Queenie and say, let's give it a ten.

Speaker 4 (05:21):
Okay, very good, Okay.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
I really respect what she has put together on this album.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
Nice Okay. I'm looking forward to having a bit more
of a listen in a couple of minutes. We will
catch you again next week. Ho Stell Hostelle Covid is
a music reviewer. Ten out of ten for car Wi
by Asia, We'll pick a good track to play you
to close out the show.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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