Page 32 - IB January 2024

Music Music

MELODOWNZ WINS BIG AT

PACIFIC MUSIC AWARDS

By Rowena Singh “We have Troy Kingi, who is
another Maori artist. He is in the
Avondale-born artist, Melodownz, took out three awards last song. I also went to my old
at last month’s annual Pacific Music Awards in Manukau, New school, Avondale Intermediate and
Zealand: Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Music Video, and got the choir involved in one of the
Best Pacific Music Album Award for Lone Wolf. songs – it’s called That Love and it’s
Melodownz, who debuted as a musician in 2013, beams the last song on the album.
gratitude at being recognised by the Pacific community, the “I was also in LA a couple of years
wider community and at a greater level, the music industry. ago and I collaborated with James
“It’s also really cool to see all the hours and all the Brown’s bass player, Bootsy Collins,
hard work that people don’t see us musicians put in get Price: The hustle to build a who is pretty much the godfather
acknowledged. It’s cool to celebrate that as well. I’m just so brand. of funk music. He is in one of the
grateful.” songs. I also have Denzel Curry; he
Named Bronson Price at birth, he is a New Zealand MC, is an artist from Florida. Bailey Wiley is another local singer
rapper and urban poet from Avondale, Auckland. He was from New Zealand. I also have Lisi on my album who is a
raised in Avondale by his Samoan Catholic grandmother, Samoan artist from Brisbane. I just love collaborating. For me,
English grandfather and his mother. He has Samoan, Pākehā it’s important to be able to connect with other artists from
and Ngapuhi heritage. around the world and let it shine through my music.”
Price has been performing hip-hop music for around 10
years, composing hip-hop songs inspired by his upbringing. Heart Chakra
His first project was Avontales, an EP. He released his debut Price hits a philosophical note while talking about the song
album Beginners Luck in 2014. Lone Wolf is his latest album. Heart Chakra, describing it as being about all the trials and
Price has toured around Australia, Europe and the United tribulations that people go through in life.
States of America and has plans to tour around the Pacific. “I feel like Heart Chakra represents the resilience and the
strength that you find within yourself to be able to navigate
Early Beginnings through the hardships that you deal with in your life journey,”
“I was into writing, poetry and graffiti art back when I was says Price. “My aunty, my mother’s sister, passed away a week
younger and from there, I just developed a passion for rap before my album released so I dedicated that song to her.”
music and hip-hop. I could relate to a lot of hip-hop that I
was listening to at the time and so I figured that I would try Spiritual Inspiration
and rap myself,” he says. “I started freestyling at parties, “I’m a firm believer in the universe and God as well,” says
eventually I started writing my own material. That’s kind of Price. “And it’s something that we as creators are able to
how it started. I was influenced a lot by my cousins and some channel and bring to a physical form. Making music is quite
of my boys that I grew up with in Avondale. I just grew an a spiritual process. I feel a lot of it comes from our higher
obsession from there.” selves. It comes from the life that we live and the experiences
Growing up in Avondale, he found it diverse, with a that we go through in order to be able to express our art
different culture that inspired him a lot. through ways where other people can resonate with it as well
“A lot of events that happened when I was a teenager,” says for their lives.”
Price. “Growing up in Avondale allowed me to have a voice in
my community.” Success
“I don’t think I can pinpoint one [successful project],” says
Lone Wolf (the Album) Price. “But I feel like that the journey as a whole and being
“I started creating Lone Wolf in 2019 to around 2022,” he able to have a music career in this country is quite a success
says. “This was kind of the time stamp of the album. It’s just in itself. It’s very hard to be a full-time artist in New Zealand,
a collation of songs, moods and emotions that I was going because we are such a small country, the market is very small
through at that time that I created the music. here.
“Lone Wolf for me is being confident within yourself no “That in itself and also a few years ago, I went to Berlin, in
matter where you go in the world. Knowing where you come Germany and I played in a few shows in Europe and I also did
from, knowing your identity allows you to be the best version a project—a session called Colours—which is a world famous
of yourself in whatever industry or whatever platform or platform. So, for a NZ artist to be on that platform was quite
whatever it is you choose to do in life. I guess that’s my a big deal at the time. That got my name out there a little bit
definition of what a lone wolf is.” more.”
There are a lot of collaborations in the Lone Wolf album.

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