Q&A: HINA

Sharing her name with a deity of the moon known throughout Polynesia, introducing Māori neo-soul pop songstress, producer and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, HINA. Written, recorded and produced in solitary from her bedroom, her captivating debut EP “Muse” was released late last year and is an intimate ode to romance and the after hours. Most recently, she delivers an unplugged version of a song from the EP, “Go So Well” - an absolutely raw and mesmerising vocal performance.

We’d love to know a little bit about your musical journey from when you first started singing and creating music!

My musical journey started when I begged my parents to let me learn violin at about four years old because my neighbour played it and I idolised her. I stuck with it all the way through to a performance diploma and picked up flute and guitar along the way. My dad’s side has always been musical and in bands, so we’d jam together a lot on guitar and I’d write little acoustic songs in my room from about fourteen onwards. Being Māori, I was also involved in kapa haka at school, but was way too shy to sing outside of a group situation. I also never really warmed to choir as the style of singing felt too rigid and not really my buzz.

I started teaching myself how to use Ableton in my late teens and ended up creating the music for the Miromoda runway show at NZ Fashion Week. That gave me a bit of confidence in my production abilities but it was only really when I dropped my savings on basic recording gear and tried my hand at putting a full production behind a song I’d written that I discovered I could do the whole shabang myself, from my bedroom. 

Taking a small throwback to your debut EP “Muse”, can you tell us a little bit about the concept of this EP and why you decided to call it “Muse”?

I slowly built this EP over the course of 2019 - 2020 through what I would call a year of growth. Painful and foolish growth but growth nonetheless. “Muse” chronicles what I would consider my first serious relationship so all the songs centre around my experiences with that one person, my muse.

One of our favourite songs off the EP is “Scratch”! Can you tell us about the meaning behind this track and what inspired you to write it?

Hey thanks! That was an interesting song to write - I wrote it in about twenty minutes on this big A3 art pad in different coloured pens. Speed writing seems to be a bit of a theme with me. The song is a conversation with the two parts of myself - the part of myself that doubts the decisions I make, and the part of myself that gets totally consumed by the person I’m in love with. It’s a back and forth between knowing exactly what I want and knowing I’m indecisive, which is where the different coloured pens came in - I just did a brain dump and wrote different lines in different colours depending on where they sat on the spectrum of my certainty.

But at its core, “Scratch” is about learning to love and trust myself so I can give and receive love without ego. That all sounds really abstract and a bit pretentious but I’m sure it’ll make sense if people listen to the lyrics and feel the vibe of the song.

And congrats on your latest release, the stunning unplugged version of your song “Go So Well”. Wow. What made you decide to do a stripped back version of this track and what was your main highlight creating it?

Thank you! My songs all started off with just myself and a guitar so I wanted to bring it back to its original form. I love producing, but there’s something raw and real about singing with just a guitar. I feel like it showcases the true colours of the song, and the emotions behind the lyrics.

My main highlight creating this version would probably be making the video for it with my boyfriend. I love creating with him because I can be brutally honest, more honest than I think I could be with anyone else, and get to have a lot of creative direction throughout the entire process. I can also raid his snack stocks, get changed in the middle of the room, and not care how bad a take might sound. Liberating.

Can we expect more music from you soon? 👀

Yes, later in the year! I’m not sure exactly when but I’m writing lots at the moment so there’s definitely a project on the horizon.

Who are your biggest inspirations in music?

Jorja Smith, Sevdaliza, The 1975, Amy Winehouse, Princess Nokia and Miley Cyrus. 

If there’s anything you could change about the current music industry, what would it be and why?

More chicks in radio and more equitable deals for songwriters.

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love or connect with?

I just tried to write out a list but it had about thirty artists on it. I can’t get enough of New Zealand music, we have so much talent across all genres and there’s just too much to pick from. “READY” by Judah Kelley is a song that I connected with immediately, and love it to bits, so much so that I covered in on bFM’s “The Cover Up”. So maybe that one.

What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

I could get deep into our cultural and political history here, but I’m going to keep it light and say that I love being within close reach of nature at all times. My favourite place to be is the Far North as I feel really connected to my family and my mixed heritage there, and it’s a stunning part of the country.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far and what advice do you have for new artists out there?

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that while I think it is important to self-source as much of your creative process as possible, so much beauty can come out of collaboration. My advice would be to know as much about how the industry works from top to bottom and do your research so you can spot people who are taking the piss.

Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?

Listen to HINA! Kidding, sort of. Tax the rich and love one another.

Thanks so much HINA! Make sure to keep up with her on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.