Amelia Power
Nelson-raised Amelia Power didn’t always plan to chase a career in music, but sometimes you’ve just got to back yourself and see where it leads. After studying Communications at Massey in Wellington, she realised her real passion was elsewhere. This year she made the jump to Auckland, diving headfirst into songwriting and studio work in a city that’s buzzing with opportunity.
Nelson to Auckland
Growing up in Nelson, Amelia Power didn’t always picture herself chasing a music career. She went to Nelson College for Girls and later studied Communications at Massey University in Wellington before realising that music was the thing that truly stuck. “Music’s always been a big part of my life, but more so as I’ve gotten older,” she says. Although she wasn’t heavily involved in school music, she dabbled in piano, guitar, and singing lessons.
The move to Auckland came earlier this year. “As amazing as Nelson is, it’s a bit limited when it comes to music,” she admits. “Auckland just has more opportunities to play shows, collaborate, and be surrounded by people doing the same thing.”
Shaping Her Sound
Amelia credits her godmother as being the person who really pushed her into music. “A couple years ago she would say to me ‘You love singing and you love writing. Why don't you just blend the two together?’ I think with singing I always lacked a bit of confidence, but she gave me that push to go do it.”
Drawing inspiration from artists like Olivia Dean and LÉON, Amelia describes her sound as something between indie pop and jazzy R&B. Since moving to Auckland she has been working with Ethan Dupe and exploring new sounds and genres, bringing in more retro elements and less pop.
Amelia’s journey into recording started in the most DIY way possible on her phone. “well when I started working on Paradigm, I actually dunno if I should say this, but, I was making it on my phone!” she laughs. She later worked on her debut single Paradigm with the help of Nelson singer/songwriter Bryce Wastney. “He was super supportive in the beginning when I started doing music,” she says. From there, Amelia began branching out, collaborating with other local talents like Kahu Sanson-Burnett on Atmosphere.
Songwriting
“All my lyrics and themes of my songs come from my own personal experiences. Anytime I have a moment of self introspection, or if I've been through something that has affected me, I will just start writing. I find songwriting a really good tool for getting my thoughts out. Sort of like a different form of journaling.”
Amelia’s approach to songwriting is fluid and intuitive. “It’s a bit of a random one,” she laughs. “Sometimes I’ll make the basis of a track myself, really amateurly, just using software on my laptop, and then I’ll build the lyrics around that. But I think I’m more of a mood songwriter.”
She explains that her best ideas come when she’s alone and grounded. “If I’m in a space where I feel calm or comfortable, I can kind of fall into that flow state and the words just start coming out.” Often, she’ll begin with a chorus and build the verses from there, shaping the story as she goes.
Late nights tend to be when inspiration hits hardest. “I don’t know what it is, but I always feel more creative at night,” Amelia says. “I’ll end up staying up until two in the morning just working on something.”
Nostalgic
Her newest single, Nostalgic, is both a love letter and a farewell to her hometown. “I actually wrote it in Nelson before I moved,” she says. “It’s about being in your early twenties and walking around the same streets I grew up on and realising I was ready for something new.”
Produced by Andrew Isdale and released through WAAVE, Nostalgic is a song about self reflection, struggling with the highs and lows of life, indecision and reflecting on the time spent in her home town. “It’s really about that early-twenties feeling of being a bit lost,” Amelia says. “Trying to figure out where you want to be, what you want to do, and just reflecting on life a bit.”
“It’s kind of interesting being in that beginner phase as an artist,” she says. “Every song you put out, you want it to do well, and especially if you have one that does well then you want the next one to do maybe even better. And with this new song I think the feedback has been really lovely from everyone who has reached out to me. It’s always an achievement just to put a song out there, even if it doesn’t do crazy-amazing.”
What’s Next?
Amelia’s already hard at work on new material, with a track called Kingfisher on the way (recently supported by NZ On Air funding!) “I’m definitely the most proud of this one,” she says. “It feels like the sound I’ve been chasing for a while.”
Alongside the release, she’s also planning a bit of a rebrand and refining her creative direction as an artist. “I’m thinking a lot more about how I want to present myself,” Amelia explains, “getting clear on my brand image and thinking about how I wanna come across.”
On the live front, she’s looking to bring her songs to life with a full band setup. “I think performing with a band and bringing some more uptempo, high energy would be really fun.”
With her thoughtful songwriting, bright indie-pop sound, and an ever-growing catalogue of honest, reflective tracks, Amelia Power feels like an artist just beginning to hit her stride.
Amelia Power's new single Black and Blue releases on the 31st of October
You can find Amelia Power on Instagram @ameliapowermusic
