Extraordinary Papua New Guinean R&B-Soul artist, Ngaiire, released her latest single “Him” today via Majestic Casual. The vocally powerful track is from Ngaiire’s upcoming album, titled 3, which is set to release August 27th. “‘Him’ is the reality of the darkness traversed to get this album here,” Ngaiire explained. “It’s a letter that would have been left if I hadn’t been able to finish it. It’s about a deeply personal conversation that no one dreams of having with the people they love. It’s about the legacy of love.” Metaphorical of the artist’s trials and tribulations, a strikingly captive lyric visualizer accompanies today’s release. In all aspects of her artistry, Ngaiire is at the helm of the creatives, combining resourcefulness with visionary direction. Listen to “Him” here and watch the visual here.
Ngaiire (pronounced ny-ree) has defied extraordinary odds and on her upcoming album 3, she is her own biggest inspiration. “I am full to the brim of stories that many don’t have the privilege to hold within themselves; some I know quite well and some live deep in my DNA that I won’t have enough lifetimes to unpack,” Ngaiire shared. “But the ones I know, I will tell how I want to because I can. So here is a collection of love letters to 3 entities - myself, my country and those I love both here and now departed.” Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea and later finding refuge in Australia after her family was displaced from a 1994 volcanic eruption in Rabaul, Ngaiire returned home in 2017 to begin working on what is now 3. Initially an experiment with a small creative team to extract unique visual aspects of Ngaiire’s culture to present in a contemporary context and alongside a soundscape of soulful R&B, 3 has become a product of self-realization for Ngaiire. With her identity often misconstrued, whether it’s wrongly associating her as aboriginal or categorizing her music as world, Ngaiire is taking control of her narrative. The album, which she announced in May with the single “Closer,” is Ngaiire’s third full-length, following her debut Lamentations and Blastoma, which was nominated for Best Independent Album at The Australian Independent Record Awards in 2017. A decorated Australian artist, Ngaiire was nominated as Double J Artist of the Year in 2016 at The J Awards, presented by Australia’s national radio station Triple J. She is also a five-time nominee for The Australian Women in Music Awards, where she won the Artistic Excellence Award in 2018, and a seven-time nominee at Australia’s National Live Music Awards, where she has won awards for Live Voice of the Year, Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year, NSW Live Voice of the Year and Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year. Her critically acclaimed single, “Shiver” was shortlisted for the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition. Marking her long-awaited return with 3, Ngaiire is set to transform the music landscape with her unique voice and story.
