Geneva AM Returns With Single / Video 'T(M)²I'

Winner of the SRN Award for Te Tohu Puoro o te reo Māori (Favourite Song featuring Te Reo Māori) with 'IHO', Geneva AM graces our Valentine's Day with two versions of her self-produced new single 'T(M)²I', sung in te reo Māori for the A-side and English for the B-side. The solo project of former SoccerPractise vocalist Geneva Alexander-Marsters (Ngāti Ruapani mai Waikaremoana, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Aitutaki, Palmerston), Geneva AM adorns pounding heartbeat percussion with chilly, minimal wave synth pulses — lyrically welcoming love's energising light back into her life following a "dark lonely period." Initially penned in English, Alexander-Marsters worked with Dr Tātare Jeremy McCleod, acting as the Mātanga Reo (language consultant) for the waiata's te reo A-side.

Made with support for NZ On Air, the intimately candid accompanying clip for 'T(M)²I' was filmed entirely on a Nikon Coolpix W150, passed around family and friends while travelling between Japan and Aotearoa...

"Making the video was an organic experience. Earlier this year we were fortunate enough to go on a family trip to Japan. On the plane we watched the film Aftersun which inspired me to capture a portion of our trip for the music video. The themes play with the elements of memory, moving in between different styles of shooting to create a dreamy sequence of events. I wanted to capture in some way the impermanence of the present moment by celebrating our happy memories together.

Our wonderful friends Kingy, Jun and Soia helped us make the video during our adventure to the Naoshima and Teshima Art Islands. We passed the camera around during that weekend, it was such a fun way to enjoy our time together. The first shot is by Soia who was three years old at the time.

I was anxiously playing around with a selection of mysterious organ sounds. As I giggled and lurched over the convulsing black ocean, I was stuck in this ominous loop with the Dracula theme (Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor). After reviewing the track on dry land, it turned into that sparse ‘solo’ instrumental. The riff is a warm sound, something that felt comforting yet mysterious. Looking back, I must have been articulating my own feelings around ambiguity and those initial butterflies you can get at the beginning of a relationship." — Geneva AM

'T(M)²I' is out today on major streaming platforms.