If you haven’t already listened to Libertine, the debut single from HINA, stop what you’re doing and go listen to it now. The New Zealand singer-songwriter’s debut single is soulful and sultry; the kind of tune you’ll immediately fall in love with.
HINA is just one artist making music in an ever-expanding New Zealand creative community, so fresh off the track’s release, we caught up for a run-down of some of her favourite other NZ creatives.
From fashion to ceramics to photography to music; HINA shares a list of seven of her favourite New Zealand creatives.
Curionoir (Parfumerie)
Maybe it’s because I have a thing for coloured glass, exquisite scents, and indigenous people doing epic shit, but Curionoir is seriously something else. My first visit to the intimate store made all my apothecary dreams come true. Being guided through all the nuances of each candle by the owner herself, Tiffany Jeans, was a sensory experience. Subtle, luxurious, mind-tingling goodness.
Oscar Gunn (Photography)
As well as being an international sailing superstar (and my beau and muse), Oscar is pretty nifty behind a lens. His career as a budding Olympian takes him to places like Tokyo, Marrakesh, Monaco, where he cuts through the stale interpretation of destinations and gets right down to what makes a city tick. Ditch that overrated ‘travel’ gram and treat yourself to a fresh perspective.
LOCLAIRE (Fashion)
If I had three wishes, two of them would be politically charged and potentially controversial but my third wish would be to have every LOCLAIRE piece in existence appear in my wardrobe and fit me perfectly. If I have been coaxed out of my usual boyfriend jeans and boyfriend’s t-shirt you will find me in something Frances made, simultaneously making me feel a million bucks and unbelievably comfortable. Beautifully constructed, tastefully designed, sustainably sourced and super-duper funky.
Troy Kingi (Music)
This dude is so cool. You know when you meet someone and they’re just so cool that if their coolness was a sedative you’d be asleep for a really long time? Troy is one of those people. I think I made him cry when I played him one of my songs but you’ll have to double-check with him about that because he was wearing sunnies. I have the same unfathomable experience listening to his music as I did when watching videos about cosmology as a kid.
Alma Proenca (Ceramics & tattoo artist)
I am the proud owner of one of Alma’s early ceramic pieces, a small dish with rose designs in her signature Portuguese-inspired blue and white style. After striking up a conversation at a store she worked in, I ended up attending her first show and have seen her impressive tattoo collection blossom via Instagram for the past few years. I think she unfollowed me somewhere along the way but I too have cleansed my feed many a time so no hard feelings.
Taika Waititi (Film & Television)
Everybody knows who he is. If you’ve been left out of the loop, he somehow flew “a Māori Jew playing Hitler as the imaginary friend of a tiny aspiring Nazi” through Hollywood. Leader of the Poi E revival movement. King of Courtenay Place. Part-time vampire, full-time creator of really cool stuff. Need I say much else?
Leisure (Music)
I first heard Got It Bad through the walls of my friend’s flat and had to go into the bathroom to get as close as I could to the source to Shazam it. There’s something about the composition and delivery of Leisure songs that makes them so delicious. I read an interview with Jaden Parkes where he said their music “doesn’t demand to be heard” which makes the fact that I nearly broke a sink trying to find out what was playing a hundred times better.
Libertine is available now. Listen here.
