UPDATE as of 21/02/25 - PLEASE READ:
APRA AMCOS Aotearoa announce the postponement of our scheduled Tāmaki Makaurau SongHubs due to extreme weather events affecting the United States. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this sudden change may cause.
A severe winter storm alert for the Southeast has closed schools and businesses, as well as halting both ground and air travel. The cancellation of international flights means key guests are now unable to proceed with our SongHubs schedule as planned.
We hope those affected by the severe weather remain safe and the storms pass without concern.
To ensure we can still deliver the planned SongHubs events to our members at the same degree of quality, we are working swiftly to reschedule. We understand the importance of this opportunity and deeply regret the disruption to our members' plans.
We are committed to finding a suitable new schedule for all parties, despite this unexpected situation. We will update you - as soon as possible - once new dates have been fully secured.
Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. We appreciate your patience and look forward to delivering Tāmaki Makaurau SongHubs - curated by 9th Wonder - in the near future.
APRA AMCOS Aotearoa are delighted to announce the guest writers and participants chosen for the first SongHubs of 2025. The participants for the five-day songwriting retreat were chosen by - and will work with - super producer / music professor 9th Wonder.
"One of the top 25 rap producers of all time." - Billboard Magazine
GUEST WRITERS
Originally from Stockholm, guest writer Mona Khoshoi is a producer and songwriter who re-located to Los Angeles after success at home. Drawing inspiration from her roots growing up listening to Persian psychedelic rock, American soul, and classic Swedish pop music, Mona is a hugely versatile creative and plays piano, violin, guitar and bass.
Guest writer Bantu is a Zimbabwean born, two-time Grammy nominated artist and producer whose sound is a blend of afrobeats, amapiano, r'n'b, and dancehall. Bantu has produced for J Balvin, Camilla Cabelo, and Jason Derulo as well as collaborating with multi-platinum artists including Nicki Minaj, Adam Levine, and Anuel AA.
L-R Upper: bharu; alayna; Brandn Shiraz; Averie; Chase Woods; Beckah Amani; choicevaughan
L-R Lower: Church; CHAII; Cory Champion, Ray Leslie, NAUTI; Verity; Stan Walker
PARTICIPANTS
alayna released their debut single, 'Falling Autumn', in 2017 - reaching #8 on the Spotify US Viral Charts. Her 2018 debut EP featured collaborations with Maths Time Joy and FINNEAS. Her debut album, Self Portrait of a Woman Unravelling, featured collaborations with New Zealand producers Wells*, Devin Abrams and Simon Gooding, and was executive produced by Noema Te Hau.
Averie released her debut single, ‘just before you go’, in 2024 - produced by Casual Healing. The track has since clocked over 34,000 streams on Spotify and gained a spot on the Official Hot NZ Singles Chart. Averie’s artistry explores rap and beat-making with a melodic edge. In 2024 alone, Averie opened for touring US artist Oddisee as well as NZ legend David Dallas.
bharu / Bharumusic has over a decade of domestic music industry experience. They’ve produced for, and toured with, iconic local artists such as Ladi 6, CHAII, and @peace, as well as internationals like Waajeed, Timbaland, Tall Black Guy, and Danja. Recently, they’ve been working with longtime collaborator Parks on a modular synthesis album, as well as co-producing for artists Spdrtwnbby and Nganeko.
Brandn Shiraz appeared on the scene in 2016, while still in high school, as part of Tāmaki Makaurau underground hip-hop collective The Grow Room. Shiraz began releasing solo music in 2021, and has since performed at SXSW Sydney, as well as two Boiler Room events - one in their homeland of Rarotonga and another in Tāmaki. Looking forward, Shiraz has multiple projects lined up, including collaborative releases and group shows.
Beckah Amani released her debut EP in 2022, collaborating with the likes of Matt Corby, Josh Fountain, Tony Buchen, Blue May and Tev’n. Her debut album, This is how I remember it, was released in late 2024 and featured collaborations with M-Phazes, Jakwob, Tev'n, Alice Ivy, Rory Noble, Spencer Stewart and The Imports. Amani recently supported Jorja Smith and was invited to perform on stage with Coldplay during their Australian tour.
CHAII is an artist, producer, and engineer based in Tāmaki. They've made music since age 15 and worked in the creative / music industries since 2011. In 2018, CHAII decided to pursue music full time. In 2019 they were named "the most synced global artist" by Rolling Stone magazine. CHAII has since toured the US and Australia, released their debut full-length, Safar, and had their music featured in video games and major films, as well as campaigns for Italian fashion houses and global brands.
Hailing from Te Papa-I-Oea, Chase Woods creates music blending hip hop and r'n'b. Releasing since 2020, Woods has also played festival stages at OneLove'24 and Wellington's CubaDupa. Woods has released music in both te reo Māori and English, passionate about storytelling and drawing inspiration from personal experience.
choicevaughan is a producer and frequent artist collaborator who runs their own studio. Their first collaboration was a record with Tom Scott (Avantdale Bowling Club, Homebrew) entitled DEUCE, later a finalist for Best Hip-Hop Album at the Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA). choicevaughan co-wrote and produced the multi-artist featuring soundtrack for domestic TV series The Panthers, for which they won Best Producer at the Pacific Media Awards - among many other accolades.
Church started their career in 2018, in a duo known as Church & AP. Breakout single ‘Ready Or Not’ was nominated for Single of the Year at the 2019 AMAs, with the duo later winning AMA Hip-Hop Artist of the Year in 2020. Many plaudits and packed stages later, Church's solo project began in 2023 with the release of album SPRING '21. Recently, Church has played Laneway Festival and released the EP, I Heard You Can Talk to the Dead at Trust Stadium.
Cory Champion is a highly active member of the domestic music scene, performing and recording drums/percussion for artists such as Fat Freddy's Drop, Mara TK, AJA, Christoph el Truento, Lucien Johnson, Avantdale Bowling Club, Devil's Gate Outfit, and countless others. Champion is also the leader of neo-jazz fusion group Clear Path Ensemble, nominated for Best Jazz Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and also releases electronic dance music internationally as Borrowed CS.
Over the past two years, NAUTI has released multiple singles; their debut studio album, SL500; and an EP with producer Roland Jones, CRASH DUMMY MUZIK, featuring collaborations with Pro Era's CJ Fly and Memphis artist Duke Deuce. They've toured Australia and performed at SXSW Sydney, as well as finding high-level playlist support from major DSPs (including Spotify's A1 and Local Hype).
Ray Leslie has released three EPs and two albums over the course of five years. Recently nominated for the Student Radio Network's Best EP Award, Leslie has also achieved Top 20 NZ Singles chart placements for singles 'Dog Days' and 'I Still Love You'. Leslie has opened for Sam V, Aidan Fine, and Young Gho$t as well as appearing on stages at Auckland's Cross Street Festival and Wellington's Cuba Dupa.
With nearly two decades of experience as an artist, cultural leader, and storyteller, Stan Walker has spent recent years reconnecting with his cultural identity, reclaiming his health, and weaving these experiences into his art. Originally from Tauranga, Walker has over 400 million streams across platforms, multiple platinum-selling tracks and albums, and a touring record that has recently added sold-out shows in Hawaii as well as upcoming performances in Tahiti and the USA.
Verity has performed on big domestic stages since 2018, only releasing their first single, 'Butterfly Effect', in November of last year. They've since worked in studios developing their songwriting and vocal skills with Vince Harder, EDY, Kings and Dan Martin.