Sony artist records new album at Te Atamira
Venice Qin produces a fusion of electronic pop music with strong vocals. The 22-year-old originally hails from Auckland but now spends her time in Sydney – on a recent trip to Queenstown for the Chamber of Commerce Women in Business event she recorded four songs for her upcoming LP at Te Atamira. This is the first time a Sony-signed artist has recorded at Te Atamira and is something the team are excited about.
Music is Qin’s passion – she started singing jazz in high school and soon picked up bassoon, once featuring in a bassoon concerto with an orchestra. She added piano to her quiver and wanted to shift her attention to pop music, something she was more passionate about. She now creates catchy tunes – all of which have personal meaning and explore lived experiences; her first EP, Alien, includes themes of belonging.
“Music has been a really incredible way for me to explore different things because I think sometimes I’m not the best at knowing exactly how to feel about some things,” Qin says.
“Sometimes I just have to start creating something and the things that subconsciously come out of my mouth or from a pen tell me how I’m feeling better than sometimes I am at reading myself.”
Her relationship with Sony first came about when recording her EP, which was something she was planning to use to approach record labels with. Her manager, Benn Jae, has a good relationship with Sony Australia and thought he’d send her music to them just before the official release of her first single – they loved it and swiftly signed her.
Qin says she’d be back in Queenstown tomorrow if she could – she loved her time here and gained inspiration from the beautiful mountain scenery.
“Sydney and Queenstown are two totally different worlds. I just remember making my way to the studio and seeing all the mountains – it’s just totally different. At any point when a creator can be put in a different space, I think it pulls different things out of them," she says.
"To me that was – we didn’t do too much writing of material there – when we were working on things that we already had, I think it just really put me in a different mind space. One where I’m seeing things in a different way. It was a really great opportunity and experience and I’d love to be back there."
Te Atamira provided the recording space, which sits next to a room holding a beautiful grand piano. Qin got a taste of Queenstown life during her time working, she recalls seeing community groups coming and going including a dance group and art class. The bustle of the arts hub was welcome to her and her team.
“It was such a great opportunity because I really needed more time to work with Ben Malone, my producer, anyway and to be able to do it in Queenstown was really, really epic. It was just good to be in a different environment than a lot of us are used to and it just brought a lot of different perspectives to the project.”
Qin wrapped up by saying her sincerest thanks to Te Atamira – the space was amazing, the staff were lovely and the response meant the world to her. Her new LP will focus on exploring topics including finding community within her own individuality. It isn’t due out for a wee while yet, but keep your eyes and ears open for the first singles from the LP.
If you want to check out Qin’s Alien EP you can head to her website veniceqin.co. You can also keep up with the progress of her newest LP by finding her on social media.
