Words by Liam Stretch

I had the pleasure of having a chat – albeit digital – with Arjuna Oakes about his life in the music industry and what he is set to achieve. This musician is a bit of a style nomad and has covered soul/neo-soul with his last EP, but now he is going in a different direction. The Wellingtonian fills me in on his life over the last year, who he is vibing with, and what tantalising things we can expect to see next from this incredibly talented bundle of joy.

Arjuna has always had music as part of his life and practically came out of the womb with a song on his lips. "Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. As soon I could talk, I was singing, and I started playing the piano when I was seven."

He's always felt that the musical process has been a natural way of expressing himself and a lot of that comes down to the support of his family. His parents were jewellers and sold their wares at markets in Titirangi, where he grew up, and he was exposed to a lot of music while helping them out.

"It always felt like a natural way of expressing myself, and I think that comes down to my family being very supportive and playing heaps of music for me when I was a kid. My folks used to sell jewellery at markets, and that exposed me to a lot of live South American and Latin music, which I remember dancing my ass off to. Performing came very naturally to me, and it gave me a real buzz to sing and play the piano for people. I always had an urge to be creative, but it wasn't until I was a teenager when I really started to write music."

This brings us to the now. Arjuna has firmly established himself as a talented musician on the local scene, and he has in the last year made his tunes available to us on a wider scale. With him dropping a new single One For recently, I was intrigued to know what makes him tick and how he goes about developing such unique tracks. So, below is a bit of a question and answer session with the man himself.

What's your style of music?

"It fluctuates. The stuff I've released could be placed in the soul/neo-soul category, but the stuff I'm about to release is in a bit of a different direction. I really don't think about genres or styles when I write, I just create what feels good at the time, and let all my influences come together. I have to constantly remind myself of that, it's easy to become lost in what the finished product is, but my real goal is to create and enjoy that process."

I'm personally a huge fan of Michael Kiwanuka and you’re featured alongside him on one of Spotify's top neo-soul playlists - what did this mean to you? Who are your soul inspirations?

"Oh man, I am a huge fan of Michael Kiwanuka too! It was a huge honour to be featured on the same playlist as him, also alongside other influences of mine like Lianne La Havas, Tom Misch and Anderson Paak. It was a great surprise to me that Lost got so much love, and I appreciate every bit. Some huge soul influences of mine are the greats like Otis Redding, Billie Holiday, Bill Withers, who sadly just passed. I'm influenced by a wide range of music, and I personally believe that people are influenced by a wide range of things throughout their lives, and that makes them who they are, so why can't music be too?"

What has the last year held for you musically?

"A lot! I've written and recorded a lot of music, but I think the biggest thing that has happened musically is I have found the most amazing band to work with. When I moved to Wellington at the start of 2019, I knew only a select few people, but then I met the most amazing musicians to work with, and I am greatly honoured to call them my friends. It's very important to me that when I work with other musicians, it be very collaborative. I want them to be creative and make their voices heard. Although I might write the song, their contribution to it makes the song theirs too, and I think that adds to the music and the relationship between friends. I am so honoured to work with these guys, and you will hear their incredible work soon on my next project."

So, you dropped your EP The Watcher last year - tell me about the process for creating the EP and what inspiration did you draw from?

"Creating The Watcher EP was an interesting process. I recorded the drums and bass in a studio in Auckland in December 2018. I then moved to Wellington, and finished off the project slowly, recording at home and at friend's places. I ran out of money to finish and release the project, but luckily, I met the guys at Rain and Shine records who helped me finish it and find Jim Macrae (Jordan Rakei's producer) who mixed it and Kelly Hibbert (Almachrome) who mastered the EP. I'm really glad that I waited because I'm extremely proud of the final result. Also, pretty special to have it on vinyl, which is also thanks to Rain and Shine. My favourite track off the EP is probably The Watcher. I'm very proud of all the musicians that played on that track, and also, it's a pretty heavy song, so it took me a long time to get the production right and conceptually too."

What do you hope to convey to a listener when they consume your music?

"Excitement, energy, inspiration – a plethora of emotions. I want to convey to the listener that anything is worth singing/writing/creating about. Nothing is off-limits, and we should celebrate creativity within our own lives. Also, to believe in what you're doing, and know that your life is important, not just the ideas that surround it. Music has the power to promote empathy and help humans understand one another and ourselves."

What's been a struggle within your creative process, and how do you overcome this/these?

"I have creative blocks, like most people. The way I combat it is to go to the core of why I am creating. It's not because I want to be the best, or be famous, or make people like me. It's because I love to explore and create. It's a part of who I am."

What can we expect from you in the future?

"The band and I recorded a whole bunch of material at the beginning of this year. The first single was being released on the 20th of April, and the other songs will be released in the coming months. I wanted to focus on live and raw performances this time around, so expect something quite different to The Watcher EP."

Arjuna's music is available across different platforms now, with live sessions on YouTube. I recommend you check them out for a very pleasing time for your ears. It is sexy, soulful, and chill. If you didn't already believe he was a lovely man, his parting message proves this even more so. "I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during this hard period. To all the creative people out there, use this time to explore your craft and have fun! We will all be ok if we look out for one another, and we can use music as a tool to accomplish this."

Follow his journey here

and here

Seven questions: An interview with Arjuna Oakes