14 January 2022 - 0 Comments

on February 4th, 2022 and the second single As I Am is out this Friday, January 14 following the first single I Got Mine which was released in December 2021.

“Watch out for a great singer from New Zealand called Arjuna Oakes”
- Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6 Music)

Single: As I Am

Stripped back to just piano and vocals, As I Am is Arjuna Oakes at his most vulnerable. Although the first verse was written back in 2018, the rest of the lyrics were improvised on the spot while recording this beautiful single. The lyrics, while improvised, are an honest representation of a person shedding their mask, and allowing others to see who they truly are. Arjuna’s voice beautifully morphs from raw low tones to haunting falsetto, that weave it’s way around an ever shifting piano backing, creating a performance that shows his full range as a singer, pianist and songwriter.

Recovery Pt. 2

Recovery Pt. 2 is the highly anticipated follow up to Arjuna Oake’s 2020 EP Recovery Pt. 1. Recorded at the same sessions as Recovery Pt. 1 back in February of 2020, Recovery Pt. 2 continues delving into the same themes such as climate change, identity and the journey of healing, which are all themes that seem more timely today than when these songs were recorded. Largely performed live in studio by Arjuna and his band of talented young musicians, these songs are exploding with an intense youthful energy and feature a unique mix of creative songwriting and explorative improvisation. Recovery Pt. 2 provides an exciting climax to the themes and musical ideas introduced in Recovery Pt. 1, and solidifies both records as an important piece in Arjuna’s discography.

About Arjuna

Arjuna Oakes is a singer-songwriter and producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). Following the release of his debut EP The Watcher in 2019, Arjuna has released another two projects both to widespread acclaim, 2020’s Recovery Pt. 1 and 2021’s First Nights. The latter is a collaboration with longtime friend and co-producer Serebii, released by LA-based record label Innovative Leisure (Badbadnotgood, Bambii). First Nights debuted at #5 on KCRW’s Top 30 Albums chart and has had extensive play on BBC6 and BBC1xtra.

“Soulful and sophisticated” - Under the Radar NZ

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